Like a little rockstar in your pocket: Barns Courtney releases captivating live album, ‘Live and Wired’

Recommended Tracks: “Hands (Live),” “Golden Dandelions (Live),” “National Treasure (Live),” “Kicks (Live)”
Artists You May Like: The Struts, Royal Blood, Des Rocs

Barns Courtney fans rejoice! We finally have a dose of Barns to take home.

Singer, songwriter, and charming madman debuted his captivating live album, Live and Wired, creating an easy starting point for your feel-good, windows-down, shouting down-the-highway summer playlist this trip around the sun.

Not only is this 23-track project a gorgeous glimpse into the raw talent that is Barns Courtney, but it also opens the door to the joy and whimsy that is the British singer’s soul.

Recorded while on his co-headlining UK/EU The Grand Union Tour with The Struts in 2024, Courtney treats fans to twelve reimagined live performances of songs from throughout his discography. Everywhere from his latest studio album Supernatural (2024), with “National Treasure,” “Heartbreak Hallelujah,” to his early days of The Dull Drums EP (2017) and The Attractions of Youth (2017) with “Hands,” “Glitter & Gold,” and “Fire.”

I was particularly excited to see some love for 404 (2019), my favorite album of his, and standout tracks like “Fun Never Ends,” “London Girls,” and one of his most popular tracks, “99.”

Kicking off the album release with “The Kids” (titled “The Kids Are Alright” on 404) was a perfect introduction to the explosive atmosphere that is a Barns Courtney show: Constant high energy, a powerful band, commanding vocals, and a crowd of endless cheers. Just when you think you’ve heard enough applause and screams from the audience, this song is paired with an epic music video to make sure that everyone understands just how electric his performances are.

Most songs are paired with a fun interlude of musical transitions and Courtney’s on-stage banter, ranging from quick, encouraging shouts to fun crowd interactions and a genuine, living-in-the-moment vibe.

Courtney shares before his performance of “The Kids,”

“I wrote this song […] just after I lost my first record deal and I was sellin’ cigarettes in nightclubs in a polyester blue suit with like a tray around me, like a piece of World War II eye candy, and […] handin’ out free samples of Lipton’s iced tea in a muscle suit and Crocs. And me and my buddy, I used to play the exact same fuckin’ venue every single Friday, and he used to work this shitty 9-to-5, and we made a pact that one day we’d get out of there, and we would get out on the road […] thanks to you, we fucking made it, babies! So this one’s for you.”

A little anecdote from me: I personally attended one of the live shows on the North American leg of the tour a couple of summers ago, met with a particularly dreary and depressing severe thunderstorm that left The Stone Pony Summer Stage in New Jersey with a shortened set from The Struts, and a cut show by Courtney. This is, except for a select few: I was fortunate enough to have attended Barns’ VIP session at the start of the evening, and was squished indoors with a few other fans who quickly became my friends.

While the indoor space was already hosting a bill of local performers, they were kind enough to let Courtney borrow the stage for one of his first-ever, intimate acoustic sessions (I am convinced this is what led to his 2025/2026 “Unplugged” tour!) Somehow, in all the bummer and darkness of the day, there was light! And that delightful beam of light was Barns.

He cracked jokes, performed his heart out, and made for a memorable night… Just a little proof that his personality is far from an act on his latest album.

Barns Courtney is a viciously underrated and truly talented artist. Why he remains such a hidden gem in the rock scene is a mystery to me– If you’ve heard his hits like “Fire” and “Glitter & Gold” and are not quite sure where to start listening to his discography, his latest live album, Live and Wired, is the perfect place to press play.

Barns Courtney’s album Live and Wired is available on streaming platforms here.

Live and Wired Tracklist: