Experiencing Big Thief live has, remans and always will be nothing sort of transcendental. When performing live, their songs become amorphous. They twist, turn, protract and retract almost at will. On stage, the songs become fluid compared to the studio recordings. If a band has ever typified the concept that recordings are merely just moments of songs captured in time then it is Big Thief. The band set up in a semi-circle on stage and made the massive Aviva Studio’s feel like their own tiny rehearsal room. It was a joy to witness and the second they stepped onto the stage they held the audience in the palm of their hands.
Big Thief are not afraid to be bold. They started out with two gorgeous new songs before firing into ‘Two Hands’ highlights ‘Shoulders’ and ‘Not’. It speaks to not only their confidence but also their bravery that they are able to disarm an audience with new material right before they fire themselves into two of the most blistering and cacophonous songs from their back catalogue. Generally, the night was full of new, unreleased material mixed alongside highlights from their fantastic 2025 record ‘Double Infinity’. As someone who has seen the band several times, it always feels like a gift to be able to witness the band working out their new material in real time live on stage. They are a band that exists moment to moment. Even their older material sounds like it is being reborn again on stage. Each performance feels singular. You wait on every move because, unlike a lot of bands, you genuinely don’t know what is going to happen next.
Unfortunately, the gig did feel a little odd and uncomfortable at times. There were three songs that were interrupted because of audience members fainting. One of the new songs was aborted because Lenker didn’t want to perform such a loud song whilst recovering from an ear infection. Finally, the show ended abruptly as the band stopped ‘Incomprehensible’ towards its conclusion to address another medical issue in the crowd. All of this did lead to the band lacking a bit of their usual intuitive flow. As ever with Big Thief though, the highs throughout the evening more than made up for it.
When they’re at the top of their game, there simply isn’t a band better than them. Period. At their absolute best, Big Thief are capable of transcending time and space. Whatever you do, they are not be missed.
