Courtney Barnett, O2 Forum Kentish Town, gig review: Shambolic, raucous and delightfully organic

Courtney Barnett onstage at Kentish Town Forum (C Brandon / Contributor / Getty)

“Put me on a pedestal and I’ll only disappoint you,” Courtney Barnett hollers from the stage at Kentish Town Forum.

The wonderful stream-of-consciousness lyrics that tumble from her mouth make the 28-year-old as much of a poet as she is a singer: less apathetic slacker and more acute observer as she spits out snapshots of everyday life, making the mundane suddenly sound deeply meaningful.

She works fluidly with her bassist Bones Sloane (they could be twins), dressed almost uniformly in black skinny jeans and oversized t-shirts, with mops of dark hair brushing their guitar strings as they lean into a jam.

“Elevator Operator”, with its dry, acerbic wit and whiplash delivery, recalls Sheryl Crow on “All I Wanna Do” and Patti Smith on “Gloria”, along with a touch of Alex Turner’s snarl, while Depreston is an intimate, affecting slow jam about house hunting in the suburbs of Melbourne.

Leading on the encore with a lively cover of The Saints’ “Know Your Product”, helped by her support act, the whole set is shambolic, raucous and delightfully organic. At the close Barnett drops to the ground with her guitar, clambers to her feet again and wanders offstage: leaving her audience panting for more.