Image via lozferatu.
As part of their Somersault Slide 360 tour, Big Thief played a four night residency at the O2 Academy Brixton. Their second show was an unexpected mix of deep cuts, unreleased material and songs from their latest album Double Infinity - all absolutely breathtaking.
The band’s appearance was equally as eclectic, with drummer James Krivchenia appearing in a green hooded onesie alongside suit clad guitarist Buck Meek. Meanwhile Adrianne Lenker’s vocals and overall presence were captivating from the get go.
A bunch of extraterrestrial hippies + Meek, straight from the office.
The trio were accompanied by their new bassist Joshua Crumbly on this tour. Their rapport with each other was immediately evident in their opener ‘Casual Touch’.
One thing about seeing Big Thief live is witnessing them work in real time; the opener was one of six unreleased songs played that night, many of which are still being fleshed out. Its laid back energy embodied the collective spirit of Double Infinity; following the departure of bassist Max Oleartchik, the band began to harness a more collaborative sound, the result of jamming in the studio and working with an array of session musicians.
A string of songs from the Big Thief canon followed - ‘Certainty’ and ‘Masterpiece’, the latter of which featured the guitarist’s brother Dylan Meek, who also opened for the band.
‘Not’ - one of my favourite Big Thief songs - was a highlight of the set. Lenker’s guitar solo was a highly anticipated moment for me; her tone was almost guttural, and shouldn’t have worked in its atonality but somehow perfectly resolved all the cryptic tension of the song.
This was followed by two more new songs, ‘Pterodactyl’ and ’Terrifying’. The first of these had quite a grungy sound, which my friend said was vaguely reminiscent of Alice in Chains. Its imagery and rhymes stood out to me, Lenker imagining herself “flying over fields of fractals” in the “luminiferous ether”.
‘Terrifying’ was my favourite of the new songs and I genuinely can’t wait for it to be released. The band first played the song live in 2024, and already it has gone through a lot of changes. The instrumentation on this song was quite simple but hypnotic; from the almost mantric guitar lines, and Krivchenia’s use of wind chimes lending it a further mysticism, to the abrupt changes in dynamics.
As is often the case with Lenker, I was absolutely hooked on her lyrics:
“Something in your eyes
Terrifies me
Burns inside me
So certain.”
They had a seductive yet dangerous quality, building towards something ineffable. It eventually led seamlessly into ‘Terminal Paradise’, followed by ‘Real House’ from Lenker’s solo album Bright Future. Admittedly, I wasn’t that keen on the album at first, but it translated really well to the full band sound.
‘Christmas Day’ was another new song, with devastating lyrics and a harsher sound. Its vocals and guitars were heavier, and sounded almost shoegazy towards the end.
Lenker has previously explored the more despairing aspects of the festive period on her song ‘anything’. With the new song, she goes even deeper into destructive family dynamics, and how that time of the year can strip away your identity:
“Desperation flutters through me
Pecking like a bird
I am no one, I am no one
Name is nothing but a word
Even as the house is empty
Whistling through her teeth
I am sheltered, I am sheltered
I’m a knife within a sheath.”
Something about these lyrics reminds me of Christina Rossetti’s poem 'Winter: My Secret', which similarly uses imagery of wind blowing through an empty house and consuming its inhabitants.
Another highlight was their performance of ‘Mary’, from the 2017 album Capacity. Originally a stripped back song featuring just vocals and piano, it was a further testament to the band’s ability to transform songs when playing them live. It is a very raw and personal song about Lenker’s best friend, their connection unequivocally reflected in lyrics such as
“Your eyes were like machinery
Your hands were making artefacts in the corner of my mind.”
‘Where Will We Go’ was another unreleased song, notable for two reasons; Krivchenia took over lead vocals, until eventually all members harmonised together; they were also joined by ambient musician Laraaji on keys, who collaborated with the band on Double Infinity. Head to toe in bright orange clothing, he brought his trademark dreamy soundscapes. He stayed on stage for ‘Words’, a standout track from the latest album. The buoyant, light acoustics mixed perfectly with the otherworldliness of his wordless vocalising.
Big Thief ended the main part of their set with ‘No Fear’, which was seemingly so majestic that my partner nearly fainted. After a quick trip to the medics room, we made it back just in time for the encore of ‘Spud Infinity.’ The band were again joined by Laraaji, as well as Dylan Meek on keys and Noah Lenker on jaw harp. This joyful rendition was the perfect ending to their set, truly binding everyone together as “one peculiar organism”.
I was quite surprised they didn’t play ‘Simulation Swarm’ and ‘Vampire Empire’, but Big Thief like to keep fans on their toes with setlists, and it was such a treat to hear so many new songs. Lenker continues to be one of the greatest songwriters of our time, and the rest of the band were just as captivating. Seeing them live was such a cathartic experience, and left me and my friends feeling incredulous and so lucky to have even been there at all.
A moment for the merch!!!
