Big Thief have been prolific of late. They are set to release two albums this year alone, which along with solo efforts from frontwoman Adrianne Lenker and guitarist Buck Meek represents a significant output for any group. The solo efforts are comparatively minimal, with Lenker’s craft refined to a more focussed melancholy and Meek putting out sparser country songs. Yet given their previous LP Capacity only came out in 2017 and the fact that they have been touring most of the time since their efforts are not to be underestimated.
Meek supports his own band at their intimate Bush Hall gig in London in late August, late summer rays flittering through a beckoning autumnal breeze. In his performance, you can hear some of the folk and country influence that filters through into Big Thief’s previous release UFOF. On Lenker’s 2018 release, abysskiss, you hear the more alt-folk influence that has been present throughout the band’s discography. Throw in the 60s influenced basslines of Max Oleartchik and the adaptable drumming of James Krivchenia, switching between jazzy shuffles to crashing rock-outs, and you can see how a sound like Big Thief’s would emerge.
However, in their effervescent interplay and clear bonhomie, Big Thief elevate themselves to a sum that is certainly greater than their parts – which is some achievement when the parts are considered in isolation. Oleartchik and Krivechenia’s natural back-and-forth through various genres and timbres creates a drive and purpose that perfectly complements Lenker’s power and sincerity as the band’s leader, while Meek on guitar creates the dreamy textures that are essential to Big Thief’s grander moments. Though Lenker’s talents as a performer and songwriter are an essential front and access point for the band, this is undoubtedly a group effort.
At Bush Hall they play through their upcoming second release for 2019, Two Hands, from top to bottom. This is the first time they have played the new album in this way and many of the songs have never been played in live performances till now. It’s therefore a little tricky to gauge accurately what the album will exactly sound like, given many of the live versions of these songs will undoubtedly mature and change as the band play them more in the months and years to come.
Some of the songs do sound a little thicker and grungier than you’d expect from Big Thief – certainly compared to the myriad UFOF offerings from earlier this year – particularly in the first half of the performance. Whether this is due to their early stage in development as live performances or due to a shift in sound for the upcoming album we won’t know till the autumn. It was, though, slightly surprising, guitar-wise, not to see rocky electrics swapped for folky acoustics until the 8th song.
The songs nonetheless sound quintessentially Big Thief, blending 90s and 00s alternative rock grit and drive with laid-back 60s folk and occasional psychedelia. Opening track ‘Rock and Sing’ is a short and sweet entrée before ‘Forgotten Eyes’ sees the band enter full swing, with driving guitars and drums underlying Lenker’s typically bittersweet vocals. From the Bush Hall set it sounds as though the album will be all about upward momentum, as they dynamically build towards a peak in the middle, with the pretty interweaving of jaggedly guitar riffs on the fourth, album-title-song, ‘Two Hands’, the first stand-out track. The sixth track, ‘Shoulders’, is the next highlight, with sprightly riffs and a singalong chorus combining in a way that is reminiscent of the best 90s alt-rock bands at their catchiest.
This is shortly followed by the sole release from the album so far in ‘Not’ – a visceral, pumper of a song. Lenker’s full set of emotional performative strengths is on show here – from anguished vocals straining towards shouting, to commanding lyricism, to a gargantuan noise-guitar solo reminiscent of Ira Kaplan’s Yo La Tengo backlog. It’s a truly powerful piece and is already a favourite among Big Thief’s fans, many of whom were already singing along to it here despite its relatively recent release.
‘Not’ will no doubt be the peak of the album’s ascendancy, as it is followed by a slower, solo acoustic effort from Lenker in ‘Wolf’. It’s from hereon in within the set that the lyrical motifs of the LP became more apparent, Lenker howling a chorus that hints at a self-situatedness within a nightly and far-reaching landscape. The last two tracks, ‘Replaced’ and ‘Cut My Hair’, strip things back as the powerful dynamic of the album’s first 7 songs gives way to a laid-back groove, with drums cooling from thud to shuffle and Oleartchik’s bass taking on greater prominence. On these tracks, the group seem to play with a self-contentedness befitting the fact that they’ve been playing together non-stop for years on end now, and, upon the album’s release, Lenker’s lyrics towards the album’s close will be worth paying close attention to.
As their encore saw them return to more familiar songs from UFOF and their debut album Masterpiece it became clear that the songs from the upcoming Two Hands will undergo quite a journey in the months ahead. From UFOF in particular, ‘Cattails’, ‘From’, ‘Century’ and ‘Magic Dealer’ each sounded less raw, more varied and more intricately composed as live performances. Each showcased the band’s adeptness at swapping between timbres and paces, all the time highlighting a band at ease with itself despite the bittersweet power and fragility of Lenker’s charismatic leadership.
Big Thief return to the UK in February, with dates in London, Nottingham, Manchester and Glasgow.