Courtney Barnett at the Blue Note Hawaii in Honolulu, Hawaii
Summer has settled over Hawaii. The days are hotter, south shore swells are rolling in, schools have emptied out, and the first wave of summer visitors has arrived. But for music fans in Honolulu, the season often brings a different reality, a lull in the concert calendar. With many touring artists spending their summers on the mainland festival circuit, notable club shows are hard to come by.
That made the announcement of a solo acoustic performance by Courtney Barnett at the intimate Blue Note Hawaii feel like a gift. Hosting fewer than 350 people, the venue offered a rare chance to see one of indie rock’s most compelling songwriters up close.
Heading into the evening, I was curious what a solo Courtney Barnett performance would look like. Would this be a hushed, seated affair, with Barnett perched on a stool, sharing songs and stories? The sparse stage offered few clues. Aside from two Fender Deluxe Reverb amplifiers, there was almost nothing there. The answer became clear before Barnett took the stage. Her guitar tech carefully positioned two instruments, a Jaguar and a Stratocaster, off to the side. The amplifiers, the electric guitars pointed toward something different, a solo performance stripping the songs down to their essentials.
After opening the set with “Sight Unseen,” Courtney Barnett greeted the crowd and admitted that solo performances are a rarity for her these days. She said the format brought back memories of her early years as a musician, when she’d take any gig she could get whether it was in a library, a coffeehouse, or any room willing to host music.
Barnett went on to deliver a 15 song set that leaned heavily on material from her latest release, Creature of Habit. The solo setting put her songwriting front and center. Without a backing band, every lyric carried more weight. Barnett’s playing felt more deliberate, allowing the audience to experience the songs in their most direct form. The guitar shredding that often highlights her full band shows was toned down in the solo setting. Instead, her dynamic playing was more relaxed and understated.
Early in the set, Barnett delivered “Avant Gardener,” a song that perfectly showcases her quirky wordplay and eye for everyday details. Its clever, humorous observations transform ordinary moments into something unexpectedly insightful. Other highlights included “One Thing at a Time,” “Mostly Patient,” and “Sugar Plum,” but it was “Depreston” that drew one of the night’s warmest reactions. The enthusiastic applause appeared to catch Barnett off guard, prompting her to admit that she had nearly left the song off the setlist but was glad she decided to play it.
My favorite moment of the evening was her take on the modern folk classic “Everything Is Free,” by Gillian Welch and David Rawlings. Barnett’s introspective vocal delivery was a perfect match for the song’s weary reflection, while the timeless lyrics felt as relevant today as when they were first written. In a set full of strong performances, it was the song that lingered the longest after the lights came up.
Although Courtney Barnett does not have any more solo shows scheduled, starting in August she will begin a tour with her band which will take her around the world through December.
More inforamtion is available here on her website: https://www.courtneybarnett.com.au/
Enjoy some of our previous coverage here: Show Review: Courtney Barnett College Street Music Hall, New Haven
Setlist:
Sight Unseen, Walking On Eggshells, Need A Little Time, Avant Gardener, Sugar Plum, Wonder, One Thing At A Time, Write A List, Mantis, Everything Is Free, Mostly Patient, Sunday Roast, Depreston, Before You Gotta Go, Oh The Night