Courtney Barnett at The Moth Club

Courtney Barnett

The Moth Club, 26 March 2026

I got to see the fantastic Courtney Barnett for the first time at the tiny Moth Club and wow, what an electrifying and thrilling show! An out-of-store Rough Trade promo gig for her new album, Creature Of Habit (she actually did two, a matinee and an evening performance - I was at the latter), it was short and sweet and, best of all, loud and raw.

I've been following Courtney Barnett since her debut album, Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit came out in 2015 but for some reason I've never caught her live before. Really I thought I had missed my chance to see her perform in a small venue. Lucky for me Barnett announced these two shows at The Moth Club and I pounced on a ticket for the evening performance.

Since these were such small shows for Barnett (about 300 people in all), I assumed there would be a big queue so I arrived early but because there were two shows happening only about two hours apart when I arrived there were still people arriving for the earlier performance. In fact as I joined the small queue (the security guard did tell us that the earlier show had the biggest queue he had ever seen there, so I was glad I did get there when I did), we heard the show start inside, sounding loud and lots of fun.

When the show eventually ended after just 30 minutes, the smiling faces emerging from the venue said it all, some even said to us what a treat we were in for. It reminded me of when I went to the Wet Leg show last year and also played two shows in the same night, and I witnessed a similar thing as the first audience left the venue.

This was only my second time at The Moth Club but it felt great to be back in that tiny room with the stage still decorated with the gold tinsel curtains, still echoing its working man's club beginnings. The Moth Club has been under threat from developers wanting to build expensive flats on either side of it (it is around the corner from Hackney Central afterall), although they recently managed to fight one planning application. Hopefully they will be able to fight the remaining one, as it's such an iconic and lovely venue. That's the problem with gentrification though, it often drives out the flavours and things that made the area so desirable in the first place. Anyway, please support the continuation of The Moth Club as it really deserves it.

I managed to get a prime spot at the front and as promised, Bartnett and her small band (Bones Sloane on bass and Stella Mozgawa of Warpaint on drums), climbed onto the stage (the only way is through the crowd and up the steps at the front) and took their places to huge cheers. They already looked energised probably due to the fact that they had already played a set just an hour before, and immediately launched into the spirited and rocky Stay In Your Lane, the first single from the new album.  

I don't think I was prepared for just how loud and punky it was, with Barnett throwing herself around, her hair flying and raising her guitar in the air, as she sang and also thrashed away on her guitar, with Mozgawa brilliantly bashing on her drums, the two often making eye contact and smiling.

Barnett and her bandmates all seemed in high spirits and when Barnett asked us if it was okay if she tried out some new material tonight, the crowd was equally positive. The next few songs were not completely unfamiliar though, as they have all been singles and I've been listening to them in anticipation for this show and it was actually incredibly exciting to hear them live.

Mantis sounded almost like a more alternative Fleetwood Mac, with its building sound and shuffling beat, while the country-ish Site Unseen acted in lovely contrast, with Sloane and Mozgawa providing the harmonies, beautifully standing in for Waxahatchee who sings on the record.

Sugar Plum couldn't have been more perfectly named as it is maybe Barnett's most poppy and delicious melody so far, yet despite the warm harmonies, there was still evidence of Barnett's more garage rock leanings, helping to punch up her sound.

Maybe the best moment from the new record though came with One Thing At A Time, which truly let Barnett's rock chick side shine, with its cool guitar licks and Barnett's conversational vocals, beautifully building  to its chorus exclaiming "Oh my god, it's one thing at a time!" before eventually turning into an all out guitar jam at the end, with Barnett soloing and throwing her hair back and leaning in to bassist Sloane, as they both got into a groove. It was ear-bleedingly loud and wonderful.

I really thought it would only be new songs and I was absolutely fine with that but it was a truly pleasant surprise when the band launched into Nobody Really Cares If You Don't Go To The Party, keeping with the loud garage rock vibe and making the crowd go wild. 

After this high energy duo of songs, both Mozgawa and Sloane left the stage, leaving Barnett alone with just her guitar to perform probably the most gentle moment on the new record, Mostly Patient. It was such a lovely antidote to the earlier raucous sounds, with Barnett tenderly singing "everybody knows you're as perfect, as the roses in the ground." 

The gentle feel didn't last long though as her bandmates returned and together they ended with the show with two more old favourites, firstly with the upbeat Avant Gardener, Barnett brilliantly speak-singing and the whole band harmonising at the end. Then finally, getting really raw and rowdy with the fantastic Pedestrian At Best, the band really going wild at the end. 

There were no pretensions about an encore, as Barnett simply thanked the crowd and the band left the stage all beaming, knowing they had put on a fantastic show. 

I had thought the second show may be longer as there would not be as many restrictions with time and I was right, as we got two more songs than the earlier gig, so, despite it saying each show would only be 30 minutes long, this one was closer to an hour and I really felt we got a full performance. For me it was the perfect length and I loved hearing all the new tunes and having a few classics thrown in at the end was truly thrilling. 

There's no doubt that Barnett is the real deal: a first class songwriter and storyteller and a fantastic performer to boot. She also has tremendous chemistry with her band, which also helps a lot. It's clear she can easily command a larger stage but what a treat to see her in such an intimate setting. I truly got the full blast of her guitar right in my face and I'm not afraid to say, I absolutely loved it!