Excited is an understatement. I’ve been looking forward to seeing Courtney Barnett for the better part of a year and finally the night is upon us. Courtney Barnett and her band, The Courtney Barnett’s are touring The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas. Brisbane is the final leg of her national tour and the anticipation is palpable.

First up this evening is Mosman Alder, a Brisbane based six piece. I’m not overly familiar with their music, but was impressed by the luscious, melodic tones that radiated through the room. It’s refreshing to see the way the group utilise violin – it’s not often enough I see a band that stretches themselves beyond the tried and true guitar, bass and drums combination. The lovely string arrangements layered beneath the beautiful, harmonised vocals is entrancing.

Following a fairly prolonged intermission, D.D Dumbo (pseudonym for Melbourne based Oliver Hugh Perry) takes the stage. Perry is the definition of a one man band. The multi-instrumentalist integrated drums, guitar, pan pipes, a recorder and a whole host of unique effects into his set. Watching him effortlessly switch between these different elements is impressive to say the least. The thing that holds this all together is a 12 string guitar and loop pedal, allowing Perry to record separate instrumental and vocal parts and have them repeat throughout. The echoing vocals and drum beats pulsing in the background gave the music a strong dance vibe.

Though beautiful, this methodology made the set feel a bit repetitive at times as there was very little scope for interesting transitions or tempo changes throughout. This did not detract too drastically from the overall performance though. D.D Dumbo boasts stunning composition and it was impressive to witness Perry create these beautiful, ambient soundscapes right in front of me. Despite his technical fluency in a multitude of instruments, the most compelling tool in Perry’s arsenal is his vocals. He has a beautiful vibrato that is perfectly suited to the luscious instrumentation.

At eleven o’clock exactly, prompted by impatient chants from the crowd, Courtney Barnett graced the stage. The performance is lively and energetic. Though the group have been touring this album for a while there’s no sense of tiredness or going through the motions. They play the material as though it’s their first time through. Barnett is very personable and talkative. She acknowledges the crowd after every song with a chirpy “Thanks!” and constantly checks in, asking the audience how we’re feeling and if we’re alright.

Barnett is a terrific wordsmith. She has an incredible knack for transmitting emotion through deeply personal, oftentimes comical, lyrics. Her ability to seamlessly dart between humour and drama is impressive and captivating. Barnett manages to forge a strong connection with the audience simply by performing and being present. Her music draws on her real life experiences and it takes a certain type of courage to convey those feelings, and that rawness to a group of total strangers.

After closing on Avant Gardener, the audience yelled and stomped, demanding an encore. Barnett obliged and came back on stage, unaccompanied by her band. Barnett’s voice never sounded as stunning as it did during Depreston, the first encore. Such a beautiful song needed only Barnett’s vocals and guitar to bring it to life. Immediately following, Barnett invited the rest of the band back on stage to play Pickles from the Jar and crowd favourite, History Eraser. Unexpectedly Barnett changed the last verse and instead sung the chorus of the Triffids song ,’My baby thinks she’s a train’. Fitting as in History Eraser Courtney usually croons, “I guarantee we’ll have more fun, drink till the moon becomes the sun, and in the taxi home I'll sing you a Triffids song.”

Courtney Barnett and the Courtney Barnett's delivered a fantastic show and definitely ended the tour on a high note. I left The Zoo that evening along with other revellers feeling a sense of elation that can only come from seeing a really, really great band.