Big Thief

Fantastic set by one of the best bands on the planet. So inventive, such a unique blend of free-flowing and tight sound. The new album ("Dragon") is great and it was well represented in the set list along with some previous favorites. ("Not" and "Shark Smile" should be on every BT set list, forever.) The venue is good for a decent crowd of dedicated fans.

Like genuinely transcending. I said I would believe in Jesus more if they played change and she played it as the last encore song dedicated to Kim so I have repented and given up swearing.

I have to admit, I had only heard Shark Smile and Vampire Empire before seeing them, but knew I was in for a treat as they sounded like they'd be good live. Yes, I was a newbie to BT. I'm 60 and couldn't find anyone to go with as no one heard of them. Finally I found a friend who was up for the adventure. We both were blown away and now huge fans. I haven't stopped playing them and now converted 3 friends who also have them playing all day. The thing is, now that I know them better I want to see them again, and it seems like they're tour is done. I put them on alert and will be seeing them again. There's no hype to describe the brilliance and soulfulness of Big Thief.

I loved Big Thief! The music was even better in person! Not to mention, there was a medical emergency in the crowd, and Big Thief stopped the show until help arrived. Talented, thoughtful, and rocked our worlds! Thanks, Big Thief! ❤️

First time seeing Big Thief in concert after being a HUGE fan for about 2 years. I was blown away, the atmosphere was electric, crowd hanging off every word. It was one of those nights that changes the way you think, feel, experience the music. I cannot wait till I see them again, hoping they hit Brisbane again soon! I know I'll be there front and centre <3

A great band showcasing the songwriting talents of the incredible Adrianne Lenker and my second time of seeing them. The evening did not go without hitches though, some of them customary and some of them new. First was the support L’Rain. Big Thief champion some pretty left- field talent but I felt that L’Rain were really poor - incomprehensible vocals and unconvincing sound-making. I like experimentation, but this was like wandering into someone’s bedroom where someone’s mates were noodling away at untuned instruments, making stuff up on the spot, much like the ambient drone of the support for their last British tour. Just as they were about to come one someone fainted in the crowd and delayed the start a little, but finally they arrived. They worked their way through various strong Big Thief tracks focusing on their latest album release ‘Dragon New Warm Mountain I believe in You.’ So far so good, but the idiosyncrasies of their performances do creep in - long delays between songs for tuning, discussions between band members and then some songs either repeated or abandoned due to some perceived imperfection or misjudgement of tempo. They do warm up though and the tracks progress from acoustic folk to heavier rock, Then as they begin their best known track ‘Not’, another person faints in the audience requiring a delay to extricate them. Lenker attempts a do over of ‘Not’ but the moment has passed and it is abandoned in favour of an acoustic sing-a-long to ‘Change’ after which they walk off stage. An encore delivers 2 more tracks with a rousing version of ‘Spud Infinity’ at the end and it’s all over. I don’t think this evening is atypical for them but you have to accept big thief for what they are: a prolific and talented studio outfit who bring a homespun charm to their live touring. Lenker is an artist for the current times: androgynous and possibly neuro-diverse to boot, which means focus and flow are sometimes lacking. I forgive them though.

This show was intense--in the best way possible. Their music is compelling, intelligent and really fun live. Also--bonus shout out for the crowd which was 100% there for the music. No sloppy drunks to be found.

Big Thief never disappoints. Every time I see them, they sound even better than they do on their albums (which is really frickin good). Their high energy is contagious, the lighting design is flawless, and their spirit is one to be envied. I should've arrived earlier for a closer view, but 10/10 will see again!

It was amazing!! Big Thief were very nice to the audience and their performance was awesome. Also, the supporting act Mess Esque were very good too. Only issue was that it was very very loud, so I recommend bringing earplugs (they're also available to get at the theatre).

There is no doubt they are amazing musicians and I loved their performances so much but they played only a couple of their popular songs. They didn’t play Paul or Real love or Simulation Spawn or much of their album masterpiece which is my favourite album. This was a bit disappointing and I don’t really know why - maybe I’m not smart enough or a big enough fan. Still a great gig tho.

Unnecessarily long opener. BT performance was not overly inspired. Adrienne even admitted to being offput by the size and expanse of the hall. Buck was on the sidelines too much. Venue was packed and not well ventilated at all. Good but disappointing.

Great live band! I didn't know Adrianne was that shy, but only between one song and another. Because her performance was powerful as expected. You can feel how band members support each other, and they put a lot of passion in what they do. Love them!!

It was simply a little bit of magic. The band brought an incredible energy to the room, new song arrengements slapped hard and they played some of my favourites. I was afraid of getting my hopes up too high prior to the show but they played just as skillfully as on record but with even higher energy. The Warm-up artist played beautifully dissonant ambient noise that helped transform the mood of the venue in just the right way in preparation for the main performance, in a way that can only be achieved with larger than life, ethereal sounds not contained or restricted by human words or conventional song structures. Would highly recommend seeing them live if you ever get the chance; A one of a kind experience.

The band was very forgiving during a technical challenge involving the venue’s PA. Thinking that the delay would reduce their performance time Adrianne announced that there would only be 45 minutes of the set they could play due to curfew. Good news came immediately when the venue took the hit and extended time for the full set. So many highlights. I had always heard that Big Thief were phenomenal performers and I wholeheartedly agree. Excellent sampling of “Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You”. including “Simulation Swarm”. “Not” was a tremendous crowd pleaser and I really started to believe that Adrianne was one with the guitar. The sound quality and mix were brilliant allowing the subtlety of the high hat touches to resonate as much as the high volume guitar solos. Mildly Disappointed that they didn’t play “Shark Smile”, but what they shared more than made up for the absence.

Big thief is a band that I can not put into words. My first show was at Union Transfer in Philly and ever since then, I've never been able to hear music as articulately and beautiful as how these people make sounds

Just shy of 5 stars because they played 15 under the time limit. Not that an encore should always be expected, but the crowd was definitely hopeful and then quickly disappointed. But overall Big Thief was PHENOMENAL.

5 stars for Big Thief, they were fantastic, but 1 star for the video feed, the steaming was very poor but thankfully audio was still good. Watched the replay and it was much better though! But live, it was quite delayed and very minimal fps despite multiple browser attempts and high speed internet.

Adrianne seemed very sweet and they played lots of bangers. Dragon new warm mountain I believe in you and Spud Infinity were highlights for me. Would have been nice if they'd have played Cattails or Orange as UFOF was the first album I liked, but the set list was mostly from Dragon which was nice. Manchester Academy is a really rubbish venue though and tall people are the bane of my existence, could not see a thing.

Amazing opening act. The waiting period between Ithaca (opening act) and Big Thief was a bit long and there was no crowd interaction until the very last song (before the encore). Then the singer opened up and revealed that she didn't acknowledge the crowd because she "was falling apart up here", which was very charming. From that point on the atmosphere soared, with an air of mutual appreciation and support between band and audience. So after an amazingly energetic opening act, a waiting period that let 80% of that energy and good will dissipate, and a rather lackluster beginning, the show really turned around half time and left me very satisfied.

Support act inappropriate! Awful hardcore thrash metal - no bloody thanks! Great perf from Big Thief - though hope next wave of new material will have a few faster songs like Snake Smile and Not which were both amazing!