You may not know his name yet, but I have no doubt everyone will know him soon. Barns Courtney is an up and coming artist (and one of my personal favorites) who is already selling out solo shows across the United Kingdom and opening for major artists in the United States. Courtney was born in England but moved to Seattle at the age of four, before moving back to the United Kingdom at the age of 15. After returning to his homeland, Courtney fronted a couple of indie bands, but was ultimately dropped from his label, after recording an album’s worth of unreleased music. Despite these setbacks, Courtney was determined to become a successful musician and he released his first single as a solo artist, “Glitter & Gold,” in 2015.
Both “Glitter & Gold” and his second single “Fire” have been streamed over 25 million times and have been featured on video games, commercials and television shows. Following the success of these two singles, Courtney released his first solo EP, “The Dull Drums,” on January 27, 2017. Just eight months later, Courtney released his first full length studio album, “The Attractions of Youth,” featuring his first two singles and “Golden Dandelions,” his second song to get significant airplay on United States radio stations. His most recent single, “99,” is currently also getting substantial radio play on American alternative radio stations.
On October 18, I had the opportunity to see Courtney open for The Wombats, who are touring in support of their new album, “Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life.” I started the day by going to see Courtney play an acoustic set at the Richmond Music Hall at Capital Ale House on Main Street. Courtney played “99,” “Golden Dandelions” and “Fire.” He also took a request to play a snippet of a song he used to sing with his brother about a Christmas Llama, which got lots of laughs from those of us who had seen him play the song in its entirety at the same venue a year earlier. This intimate acoustic set was a great chance to hear Courtney’s true vocal talent and see a more personal side of him. After a quick meet and greet where Courtney greeted everyone with a hug and a signed copy of “The Dull Drums,” it was time for me to head back home to wait until it was time for the main event.
When I got to The National, I was beyond excited to see Courtney’s full set, and he made sure that my excitement level never died down. Courtney’s exhilarating rock sound is perfect for waking a crowd up and getting them moving. Donning a fringed leather jacket, a feather earring and a flowy shirt that can only be described as a pirate-ish, Courtney’s look made it clear that he was there to rock. He ran onto stage jumping and clapping, and he never slowed down. Starting the set with two unreleased songs “Fun Never Ends” and “London Girls” from his upcoming and yet-to-be-named album, Courtney gave us a glimpse into the kind of upbeat rock songs we can expect from his new material. He then moved on to “99,” making everyone nostalgic for the simpler times of the 90s. Courtney brought the energy even higher when halfway through his set, he jumped into the crowd for a bit of crowd surfing and dancing. He wrapped up his set by playing “Fire” a favorite of many of my friends, that was also featured in the Bradley Cooper movie “Burnt.” From “Fun Never Ends” to “Fire” Courtney kept everyone moving for the entirety of his set and left everyone wanting more. After such a rousing set from Courtney, the Wombats had their work cut out for them to follow such a strong opening act.
The Wombats put on a perfectly entertaining show, but the energy from Barns’ show would have been hard to match for anyone. As someone who knows all of Courtney’s music and none of the Wombat’s music, I will be the first to admit that I am biased and that I did not feel that I would be good at objectively arguing who played the better set. With that being said, on my way out of the show, I heard more than one person talking about how Courtney stole the show. One particularly enthusiastic drunk guy stopped my friend and me to say/shout, “THAT ONE DUDE. JUST ONE GUY AND HE STOLE THE SHOW!” So, I mean, take that as you will. Regardless, Barns Courtney put on one heck of a show, and I cannot wait to see what he has in store for us all with his new album.
You can find more tour dates for Barns Courtney here.
All photos by author Garnette Ransone