As Big Thief wrapped up their four-night London residency on Sunday evening, there wasn’t a phone in sight. With eyes fixed firmly on the stage and warm beers in hand, fans were visibly determined to eternalise their favourite songs in their memories rather than their camera rolls, or simply remain present in the moment. Lifting your device and hitting record felt like disturbing something sacred, as the majestic group commanded reverence from the show’s very start to finish.
American indie folk band Big Thief, formed in Brooklyn in 2015, has quickly become an international alternative sensation. Their Somersault Slide 360 Tour, which is currently making its way around the UK, has been extended twice since its original announcement to include its ongoing European leg and a second trip around North America. At the O2 Academy in Brixton, fans saw frontwoman Adrienne Lenker, guitarist Buck Meek, and drummer James Krivchenia play their first live renditions from their sixth studio album ‘Double Infinity’, joined by bass guitarist Joshua Crumbly.
Released in 2025, the core trio’s most recent record is widely credited with expanding their sound past their intimate indie folk roots to embrace atmospheric, expansive folk rock and psychedelic folk elements. By trading the group’s typical Americana acoustics for synthesisers, heavier orchestration and refined production, the album debuted soaring vocals and instrumentals that draw head bobs instead of tears. On stage, Big Thief succeed in seamlessly intertwining their new and old sonic personas, presenting a single, mesmerising identity that is calm and cohesive yet unapologetically experimental – one of artists, not performers.
The band’s demure aura was palpable from the very moment they appeared to the crowd, humbly assuming their positions before Lenker addressed them with a natural “hey guys” and a smile. Their authenticity as musicians was amplified by the mystery of what would come next, as the band journeys through a different setlist every night entirely at their own discretion. Kicking off their final night in the Big Smoke with one of Lenker’s originals, the first fragile notes of ‘Real House’ flowed unabetted through their audience like the voice of an old friend. The group’s clothes and lighting choices equally gave precedence to the music, each wearing muted, neutral tones backdropped by solid colourful hues adorned with sparing effects.
Big Thief’s desire to distil their true essence over what we know it to be was perhaps most cemented in all the unreleased numbers they played, placing ‘Christmas Day’ and ‘Forgive the Dream’ in the line-up’s second and fourth slots, interspersed with Grammy-nominated ‘Not’. Unlike many other artists, they didn’t announce these songs weren’t yet in the public sphere, unbeholden to spectators who think they’re owed their favourite tune. As they play their unpublished repertoire, their shift away from their cult indie-folk past to their “rocked-up” present was clear – Lenker’s notoriously airy yet piercing tones are displayed viscerally in her pinched nostrils, closed eyes, and light headbanging. The crowd was nothing but accepting, cheering from the heart as the first guitar solo coursed through the room.
Interwoven into their sonic showcase was their latest album’s title track, followed by old classics ‘Simulation Swarm’ and ‘Vampire Empire’. Even when ‘Double Infinity’ was interrupted and restarted due to an incident in the crowd, Lenker rejected any air of desperation to be liked by those perceiving her and told them assertively to quiet down. While the crowd was consistently receptive, loving Big Thief in whatever form they come, it felt like it was collectively sighing when the guitar riff of ‘Simulation Swarm’ started to twinkle through the space. While the mellow instrumental remained true to its origins, Lenker’s voice was fuller, marking her evolution from traditional Americana-style storytelling to emotive, unvarnished delivery within a single song.
Her vocal transformation continued to shine through in additional unrecorded art, her deep belts cracking and wavering honestly through ‘Mr Man’ and ‘Pterodactyl’. When she sometimes skipped a phrase for a breath, singers in the crowd filled in for her. Given that these lyrics had only been premiered at other live shows, it’s evident that bridging past a cult sound doesn’t mean losing your cult following. The veneration fans have for Lenker was most perceptible in the venue’s silence as she sang her very own ‘Not A Lot, Just Forever’. While crooning her second most successful independent track, almost just as it sounds on the record, she gave her audience a much-welcomed glimpse into how her poetry and timbre have changed over time.
As Big Thief moved through every era of their discography and beyond, they maintained a sense of serenity and security in their choices. In their final three songs, they were joined by ethereal, hazy multi-instrumentalist Laraaji, one of the ten artists to join them for their Double Infinity recording sessions.
Their encore, pairing 2022’s ‘Time Escaping’ with Double Infinity’s ‘Incomprehensible’, shows you who they were and where they’ve come now. There are signs in the front begging for unheard fan favourites, but a smiling, soft Lenker said, “they have a curfew”, before quietly exiting the stage with her friends.
Big Thief are undeniably real, raw and rebellious by today’s standards, providing a much-needed sense of connectivity that has become rare in the modern live music scene.
Written by Justine Noble
GEM Magazine 