When artists get back to their roots — acoustic sets in tiny venues — it’s best not to miss it. That’s the premise of the Unplugged Solo Sessions Tour, featuring Barns Courtney with support from Belle & Chain. The artists stopped by Phoenix’s Last Exit Live (capacity ~200) for a more intimate, yet sold-out, show with plenty of conversations with the fans and background info on the songs.
Belle & Chain, the musical project of Spencer Grammer from Greek and multi-instrumentalist Davis IL, were first on stage. Grammer launched the project after surviving a violent stabbing in 2020 and playing guitar as part of her recovery, and her songwriting became her outlet for processing trauma and rebuilding confidence.
The duo now creates Western-tinged rock with elements of folk and nostalgic Americana, and they stripped it back to fit the vibe of this tour. Grammer’s breathy vocals shined through, complementing the melodies of the two guitars, and she and Davis IL showed that they’re natural collaborators who easily banter and play to each other’s strengths.
Soon it was time for the headliner, as Barns Courtney set the tone with “Golden Dandelions” and “Good Thing” before, as he laughed about, losing focus because he’s “too ADHD for you people.” The set that followed was delightfully chaotic, a mix between the planned songs and ad-hoc back-and-forth with the front row and even some freestyle songs Courtney wrote on the spot. (One was about a beetle he found on stage that the crowd named Ringo, and the other was about a man up front who took off his shirt after some hecklers requested it.)
Ever the showman, Barns Courtney wrapped up his performance with crowd surfing during “Kicks,” so excited that this felt like “a real rock show.” He expressed his amazement and gratitude that so many people wanted to come see him even without the live band and promised he’d return soon — and there’s no doubt those 200+ fans will be there, this writer included.
