The Big Thief sound is built around the stunning voice of frontwoman Adrianne Lenker. Equal parts fragile and heart-shatteringly strong, their low key indie anthems hang raggedly around Lenker's shimmering vocals on record and at their live shows those vocals are pushed even further to centre stage.
In the UK to support label owner Conor Oberst before their own UK headline tour later in the year, Big Thief aren't the most obvious choice to play to a crowd other than their own in a cavernous O2 venue. Their material is powerful, but it doesn't exactly have the bombast which can often be needed to engage a neutral audience. Tonight in Liverpool, it might be the Saddle Creek connection or simply the breathtaking performance, but you'd be forgiven for thinking that the crowd was entirely there for a Big Thief headline show. The true test comes with closer, and new song, 'Mary'; one of their most brittle and stripped back musical moments, it could easily be lost amidst the idle chatter of a disinterested audience, but tonight you could hear a pin dropped by any of the 1,000 people in attendance.
It's this impact which sums up why Big Thief are destined for big things. Theirs is not a gimmick or a set laden with over-the-top performance; they simply let their songs speak for themselves and tonight they positively shout from the stage for people to sit up and take notice. Much earlier in the set, another track from new album 'Capacity', the stunning 'Great White Shark', is one of the first offerings to draw the audience fully into Lenker's world.
Big Thief may hail from the city that never sleeps, but they manage to find a quiet moment to build a world all of their own. When they return for their headline shows in November, we suggest that you join them there.
November
1st - Thekla, Bristol
2nd - Hare and Hounds, Birmingham
3rd - The Deaf Institute, Manchester
4th - Think Tank, Newcastle
6th - CCA, Glasgow
8th - Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
9th - Patterns, Brighton
10th - Islington Assembly Hall, London
It's this impact which sums up why Big Thief are destined for big things. Theirs is not a gimmick or a set laden with over-the-top performance; they simply let their songs speak for themselves and tonight they positively shout from the stage for people to sit up and take notice. Much earlier in the set, another track from new album 'Capacity', the stunning 'Great White Shark', is one of the first offerings to draw the audience fully into Lenker's world.
Big Thief may hail from the city that never sleeps, but they manage to find a quiet moment to build a world all of their own. When they return for their headline shows in November, we suggest that you join them there.
November
1st - Thekla, Bristol
2nd - Hare and Hounds, Birmingham
3rd - The Deaf Institute, Manchester
4th - Think Tank, Newcastle
6th - CCA, Glasgow
8th - Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
9th - Patterns, Brighton
10th - Islington Assembly Hall, London
RSS Feed