Courtney Barnett launches a unique and wonderfully detailed online archive of her touring and performing history. The project was initially conceived as a way to give Barnett’s fans a simple way to experience her live performances at a time where touring was made impossible, but during the website’s development it became clear it could become so much more. View the site here.
Courtney played her first ever show at an open mic night at The Lark Distillery in Hobart in 2007, she has since played almost 800 live shows ranging from solo sets through to 7-piece backing bands. Her biggest headline shows to-date are at Los Angeles’ Greek Theatre, London’s Brixton Academy and the Prospect Park Band-Shell in Brooklyn. She has graced some of the world’s most prestigious festival stages including multiple shows at Coachella, Primavera Sound, Glastonbury, Splendour In The Grass, Fuji Rock Festival, Roskilde and Newport Folk Festival.
To celebrate the launch of the live experience, Barnett has also made available the extraordinary full concert footage of her only full band live show of 2020. Shot at the height of yet another heatwave in the midst of Australia’s worst ever bushfire season, the film opens with the following statement “At the beginning of 2020 Australia was in the midst of its largest ever bushfire crisis – we felt afraid, overwhelmed and angry…”. The emotion of the concert is visceral as Barnett and band (Bones Sloane and Dave Mudie) tear through a scorching hour of live music in a room that stank of bushfire smoke. A year later our circumstances have all changed and it feels like a different universe watching 800 people crammed into a room, heaving to Barnett’s furious feedback-drenched live performance. Watch it here.
The Live at the Corner Hotel concert was shot and edited by Natalie van den Dungen and mixed by Lara Soulio.
Courtney Barnet Online Live Music Experience & Archive is available now at courtneybarnett.live
