LOS ANGELES, CA- One of the opening acts for The Kooks at The Palladium was another English musician: Barns Courtney. His first single as a solo artist, “Glitter & Gold” was released in 2015, and it received great acclaim throughout the UK. He saw his star shine brighter in 2015 when another of his singles, “Fire”, was featured in the Bradley Cooper motion picture Burnt. He was able to parlay the success of those two songs into a record deal with Virgin Records released his debut studio album The Attractions of Youth in 2017.
At 14 songs and clocking in at about 44 minutes, The Attractions of Youth, is jammed back with rocking bangers that have just enough grit sprinkled on top to give it a veritable attitude. It’s confident and brash, with just enough old-school attitude to give any listener pause to figure out if the music is familiar or not. Barns’ Los Angeles performance exhibited the same qualities.
Wearing a weathered leather jacket with fringes on the sleeves, a patterned cloth wrapped around his forehead and a sleeveless poncho, it felt like Barns was trying to summon the spirits of the classic rock gods through his appearance. The way he moved around the stage when he wasn’t bound to the center of the stage with his guitar looked and felt like he was channeling a bit of Mick (Jagger) and perhaps a little bit of Bowie. It was an energetic stage dynamic that really caught the viewer’s attention.
I also noted how Barns fed off the energy of the crowd. Though there was a spacious photo pit, with a barricade that separated the audience from the stage about a yard and a quarter, for the conclusion of his set, Barns- with his microphone dangling his lips, climbed off the stage and leaned into the audience, balancing himself with the outstretched hands of fans. He was physically connecting with the audience, giving them a tangible bit of that rock & roll energy he exuded from on the stage.
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