Courtney Barnett found her stride by letting go of insecurity
- Text by Alex Robert Ross
This time last year, Australian singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett’s music had already blown through the Internet on a cloud of smoke. On the back of debut singles ‘Avant Gardner’ and ‘History Eraser’ and the critical acclaim that they’d drawn, Barnett was touring the world with her band and had a full length LP in the works. It was then that we took her out to look at cool shirts in a Brighton thrift store, shortly after her show at The Great Escape 2014.
Since then, Barnett has released Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit, a rambling, stream-of-conscious record on which she refines almost to perfection her knack for the beautiful mundane. It’s also a record with a defiant edge that touring had already brought out last summer:
“I used to be so self-conscious about what people thought,” she shares in this short video, “and then you start realising that it doesn’t matter. I don’t really care what people think that much.”
Things I Learned Along The Way is a film series that accompanies Huck’s Fiftieth Special – a compendium of personal stories about the lessons life throws us when we’re busy doing what we love.
You might like
What we’re excited for at SXSW 2026
Austin 40 — For the festival’s 40th anniversary edition, we are heading to Texas to join one of the biggest global meetups of the year. We’ve selected a few things to highlight on your schedules.
Written by: Huck
Wu-Tang Clan forever, and ever
The Final Chamber — RZA, the spiritual leader of one of the most important hip hop groups of all time explains why they won’t rest until their legacy is secured.
Written by: Yoh Phillips
On The Mountain, Jamie Hewlett’s Gorillaz explore life after death
Going East — As everyone’s favourite animated band release their latest album, the visual artist behind it all catches up with Josh Jones to chat about the grief and spirituality underlining the record, as well as his learnings from how other cultures approach death and the afterlife.
Written by: Josh Jones
The Women of the Sea Film Fund is granting £10k to tell femme-focused surfing stories
Finisterre x London Surf / Film Festival — Open exclusively to women to tell stories about other women, applications are open until March 8.
Written by: Isaac Muk
New documentary explores football ultras culture around the world
ULTRAS — Directed by Swedish filmmaker Ragnhild Ekner, the film takes an insider’s view of the terrace subculture, and the unifying power of fandom.
Written by: Isaac Muk
Lisette Model’s ’50s jazz pictures were nearly lost to McCarthyism
The Jazz Pictures — A landmark new book edited by Audrey Sands uncovers nearly 1,500 photographs from the genre’s golden age previously thought to be lost. Featuring the likes of Billie Holliday, Miles Davis and Louis Armstrong, they tell both a story of music and resistance in the face of oppression.
Written by: Miss Rosen
