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Courtney Barnett, Northumbria University, Newcastle

  • Published in Live

With Tell Me How You Really Feel already riding high in many album of the year lists, Courtney Barnett has undoubtedly had a stellar year. Tonight is the closing night of a two month stint on the road in support of said album and spirits are high in Newcastle. Laura Jean opens the show with a somewhat different set to that which you may have expected from someone who usually has a full backing band. Instead Jean is accompanied by an “AI version of her band” in the form of a sampler. Alongside this though the multi instrumentalist constantly switches between keyboards and saxophone, her songs are delicate and her voice particularly sweet.

However, the lack of the band is all too obvious in part of her set. These otherwise full and exciting songs feel somewhat hollow on this occasion, other than that though Jean is a captivating performer with all the banter and quirks to keep this audience entertained. Similar sentiments apply to the brilliant Courtney Barnett who soon follows, opening with 'Hopefulness'. It’s a subdued opening but this is short lived as Barnett and her band quickly hit their stride with 'City Looks Pretty'.

From here the excitement and the riffs are swiftly escalated, with huge singalongs for 'Avant Gardener' and 'Nameless, Faceless' quickly following. Barnett is on top form thrashing around the stage in ecstatic fashion, alongside all of this the content of her songs really succeeds in the live arena. The likes of 'l’m Not Your Mother, I’m Not Your Bitch' and 'Depreston' feel particularly poignant. Barnett is a wonderful songwriter and her depth and her willingness to address issues that are all too commonly avoided is to be commended. This truly shows through in this awesome set.

Almost every song resonates with the majority of this crowd, take 'Are You Looking After Yourself?' for example, whether you’re the person checking in with someone or the person being checked in with it’s most likely we’ve all been on one side of this song. As Barnett closes out her main set with rousing renditions of 'History Eraser' and 'Pedestrian At Best', you cannot help but be bowled over by her brilliance and it is clear why Tell Me How You Really Feel has to be lauded in the way in which it has.

Barnett returns alone to play a wonderful cover of Gillian Welch’s 'Everything Is Free', before ending this leg of her tour in emphatic fashion with 'Nobody Really Cares If You Don’t Go To The Party'. Rounding off an epic set, Barnett’s songwriting is the real star of the show coupled with her exceptional guitar skills, there is something truly special about tonight’s show!

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MONEY, Northumbria University, Newcastle

  • Published in Live

 

Tonight is a triple headed beast, headed up by former indie rockers turned Nine Inch Nails wannabes Wild Beasts. However, it falls to Ardyn to open this eclectic show, the brother and sister duo indulge tonight's early arrivals with a set of sickly sweet songs infused with a delicate synth pop edge. Their sound lacks originality and is quickly becoming the landfill 'indie' sound of choice. 

There is some emotion there but it fails to grab us as it is masked by their over reliance on their aesthetic. In many ways this is a case of style over substance, as they're merely pandering as to what is in vogue right now. The same cannot and will not be said for MONEY who following on from the release of their incredible second album Suicide Songs earlier in the year are still riding this wave of success.

Suicide Songs is one of the most powerful and emotive albums around and tonight its songs come alive once more, singer Jamie berating those ignorant enough to dare to talk through his powerful works. The passion and the power so telling in his delivery, these songs of excess and heartbreak draw you in. The odd glimpse of humour as he chastised those too careless to listen, really though this was the building of anger before his next outpouring of anguish. 

The likes of ‘I’m Not Here’ and ‘I’ll Be The Night’ bring the set to life but it is closing track ‘Cocaine Christmas And An Alcoholic New Year’, after numerous attempts to silence the naive he rises above them continuing in fine form an exceptional closing swan song. The cacophony of his band brings to an end what is only too short a set on this occasion, Wild Beasts are quick to follow though.

Where MONEY had passion and power, Wild Beasts put on a set of two distinct halves. The former being their old unique, intriguing and exciting selves and the latter a sub par rendition of Nine Inch Nails as we alluded to before. Their sinister themes are now masked by an overzealous mix of heavy beats and suppressed is Hayden's defining falsetto, all bands have to move on but Boy King feels like it may be a step too far.

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