Courtney Barnett played The Anthem on May 10 as a stop of her Creature of Habit Tour. The show balanced new material with many of the songs that established her reputation during the 2010s indie-rock boom. Micaela Cerball was there to photograph the show!
The performance was understated and tightly paced. Barnett kept the focus on the music rather than stage production or stories between songs. Her band emphasized layered guitar textures and steady grooves, giving those new songs a fuller live sound than on record.
Those new songs hailed from Courtney’s 2026 album, Creature of Habit, released in March by Mom+Pop Music. She opened the show with “Stay in Your Lane” from the new album and closed her main set on Creature of Habit’s “One Thing at a Time.”
Watch the official music video for “One Thing at a Time” by Courtney Barnett on YouTube:
The audience of course were there for the singalong moments, of which there were plenty, including “Avant Gardener” from The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas (early in the show) and “Elevator Operator” (in the middle) and “Pedestrian at Best” (during the encore!) from Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit.
Setlist (per Setlist.fm):
1. Stay in Your Lane
2. City Looks Pretty
3. Avant Gardener
4. Small Poppies
5. Mantis
6. Site Unseen
7. Great Advice
8. Depression
9. Elevator Operator
10. Sugar Plum
11. Wonder
12. Before You Gotta Go
13. One Thing at a Time
Encore:
14. Mostly Patient
15. Pedestrian at Best
16. Nobody Really Cares If You Don’t Go to the Party
Here are some photos of Courtney Barnett performing live at The Anthem on May 10, 2026. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Micaela Cerball.
