Words and photos by Anthony Bauer
July 22nd marked the return of Courtney Barnett back to New York City, just a few short months after her completely sold out three night run at the Bowery Ballrom this past May. It was her biggest New York gig to date (that is, until she opens for Blur at the slightly larger MSG later this year). Along for the ride and kicking things off were Torres and Speedy Ortiz, which truly made this show a an absolute triple threat from start to finish.
To say there wasn’t any anticipation leading into the show would be a complete lie, as this show was on everybody’s radar for months now. Opening and and setting the tone for the night was New York’s own Torres, who is hot on the heels of her latest release Sprinter, that came out this past May. I had no doubts that her sound would fill out T5, but I was pleasantly surprised at how well it did. Although Torres’ set seemed to be on the shorter side, we’re excited knowing that she’ll be back playing in the New York City this fall as an opener at The Kings Theater in October.
Up next was Speedy Ortiz, who most certainly kept the momentum going after Torres’s opening set. Speedy, who is also out on the road supporting their new album Foil Deer that came out this past April looked like they’ve been playing Terminal 5 for years. They were calm, cool, collected and beyond comfortable commanding the stage with ease. Speedy breezed through their set which had us wanting more, but we know they’ll too be back (and we’ll most likely be at their next show).
Up next it was finally time for Courtney to take the stage. Its crazy to think that we’re more than half way through the year and it feels like forever ago that Barnett’s first proper full length, Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit was released via Mom + Pop Music. People are still buzzing about the album even months after its been released, and its all for good reason – it truly is fantastic. I overheard several people in the crowd at T5 that were still raving about the Bowery Ballroom shows in May, which brought an unprecedented amount of anticipation to her performance that night to say the least.
Barnett took to the stage and we were treated to a gorgeous solo version of “Anonymous Club,” which opened up her 15 song set (to which you could almost hear a pin drop inside of T5 – which is pretty rare and amazing in it by itself). As it appears on 2014’s double EP, “Lance Jr.” followed up as the second song and fully kicked into high gear with the 3 piece (aptly titled, CB3 as seen on the drum set) after that and didn’t look back. The band powered through their set and would have kept going if allowed (we’ll get to that in a minute).
Also, with all of the hype surrounding Barnett, it got us thinning that it’s kind of surprising that she didn’t play at this years Governors Ball Festival given all the other summer festivals she’s been playing, or has played. Maybe this means we’ll see her at next years GovBall? Only time will tell…
Heading towards the end of the night, one couldn’t help but notice how close Barnett was getting to 11pm. She showed absolutely no signs of slowing down, and would have kept playing all night if she hadn’t been cut off by T5’s curfew. In regards to said curfew, a little glimmer of Barnett’s lovable personality emerged when she simply stated, “I thought New York was the city that never sleeps?” It was quick witted and said in the nicest way possible.
Courtney Barnett Setlist:
1. Anonymus Club
2. Lance Jr.
3. An Illustration of Loneliness (Sleepless in New York)
4. Elevator Operator
5. Debbie Downer
6. Small Poppies
7. Dead Fox
8. Depreston
9. Are You Looking After Yourself?
10. Canned Tomatoes (whole)
11. Kim’s Caravan
12. Nobody Really Cares If You Don’t Go to the Party
13. Avant Gardener
14. Pedestrian at Best
Encore:
15. History Eraser
Torres:
Speedy Ortiz:
Courtney Barnett:
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