Big Thief at Brixton Academy

Indie-folk New Yorkers Big Thief are kicking off their two consecutive shows at Brixton Academy tonight, with a host of hits under their belt ever since their critically acclaimed debut album, Masterpiece, hit the market ten years ago. The trio has built a sturdy reputation for pulling on listeners’ heartstrings, with singer Adrianne Lenker’s sublime vocals offering a perfect blend of fragility and powerful emotion.

The Brooklyn-originating rockers begin their set with the new song What I Only Dream Of, accompanied by support artist Dylan Meek. Written by Lenker in Oslo, it’s a soft country number that hasn’t yet appeared on any of the band’s albums. In fact, tonight’s setlist is littered with brand-new, previously unreleased songs, interspersed with some recognisable favourites, a real treat for the audience.

This is the first UK tour where the new live band member, Joshua Crumbly, joins, who is politely introduced by Lenker early in the show, after founding bass guitarist Max Oleartchik left in 2024. Over on the drums sits an eccentrically dressed James Krivchenia, kitted out in a bright green suit, complete with a hooded headdress.

Many of the standout moments from this evening include some epic guitar solos from Lenker and guitarist Buck Meek, bringing their songs to almighty crescendos, particularly on 2016’s Real Love, and the previously unreleased Beautiful World. The group becomes even more of a joy to watch at these points, as it perfectly showcases just how comfortably and effortlessly they play together.

In total, the set includes six new, unreleased songs and a string of well-known hits, but there’s no sign of the band’s biggest tune, Masterpiece. This is no fault, however, as there’s plenty for fans to work with in its absence, and who knows, perhaps Big Thief is saving that one for ticket holders to tomorrow night’s show.

For the encore, Lenker and co return with American multi-instrumentalist Laraaji, who provides backing on his zither and mbira. Laraaji’s input really brings these last few songs to life, and he also appears on the recording of the track Grandmother from the band’s latest album, Double Infinity.

The gig rounds off with the dreamy Incomprehensible, which also features on the latest record, and sees the group move into a significantly more experimental sound than on previous releases. It’s been a unique evening, executed with the highest musical precision, and it’s generated plenty of approving woops from the crowd throughout. The last ten years have flown by for Big Thief, so here’s to the next decade.