You might not know the Barns Courtney name, but you’ll probably know his songs Glitter And Gold and Fire from a host of sync spots on TV. He deserves to be known properly, as his music has the big personality to match Courtney’s flamboyant, Brandon Flowers-style vocals.
He’s from Cambridgeshire, but is bigger in the States, where he’s regularly performed on chat shows. Small wonder there’s a confidence and brashness to London Girls and Fun Never Ends, which makes him resemble Kings Of Leon more than current indie timidity. Boy Like Me is a huge ballad drawn from the closing scenes of an 80s Bratpack film, and if Courtney hasn’t quite mastered subtlety yet (Babylon doesn’t suit him at all), there’s still plenty for indie-disco fans and TV sync dealers to get excited about.
8/10
John Earls