Free The Celestial Body: Big Thief’s second night in O2 Academy Brixton
Written by Maelou Pugh
The second of four sold-out shows at the 5,000-capacity O2 Academy Brixton retained an intimate and raw atmosphere. Differences in reviews have noted the unpredictability and fluidity of the setlist and direction of some tracks, with new songs appearing at each show alongside revisited and reworked fan favourites.
Big Thief performing to a sold-out O2 Academy Brixton | Credit: Maelou Pugh
My introduction to Josh Crumbly, their touring bassist, was fond. Their performance of ‘Not’ on Friday’s show incorporated bass chords with Adrienne’s expert shredding over the top. Adrienne Lenker, frontwoman of Big Thief, and guitarist and backing vocalist Buck Meek, hold the emotional core of their shows with their unbreakable chemistry.
Meek’s intuition on placement with his vocals as well as lead lines benefitted some reimagined tracks that evening, such as ‘Real House’ from Lenker’s 2024 album, Bright Future. The fragility and dissonance present in Big Thief’s live performances, whether sonically complex or not, can be largely credited to Meek.
Lenker’s ‘favourite song to play at the moment’, ‘Pterodactyl’, was a pleasant surprise as one of the more polished unreleased tracks played. There’s nothing better than seeing the excitement of a band playing new material! Unpredictable and playful, it’s fascinating to see Big Thief tracks in their early stages before they become more structured and tweaked in the studio.
‘Pterodactyl’ embodied the rockier direction prevalent during the show. In the past few years, TikTok has held Big Thief up with songs like ‘Not’ and the infamous out-of-tune performance of ‘Vampire Empire’ on Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show two summers ago; the instability and violent passion from this band seem to have made a lasting mark on them as they work out the direction of the next album.
For most of the evening, the atmosphere was generous and attentive, especially during quieter passages. There were moments of distraction and poorly timed cheering, though, as any concert includes. When Lenker’s ‘Real House’ was drawing to a close, a few inappropriate cheers punctured the mood of a deeply personal song. I’m not sure if this was a mistake or a jest towards the use of deep cuts in their setlists, but it was a shame nonetheless.
On that same note, the fifteen-minute version of ‘No Fear’ from their 2025 album Double Infinity seemed to cause division, too. Reddit discussions that I’ve followed to gather some recurring themes when planning this review have expressed this, with thoughts ranging from awe to impatience. That being said, the polarising intensity from ‘No Fear’ to happy-go-lucky ‘Spud Infinity’, with Meek and Lenker’s brothers joining in, really embodies the array of experiences that Big Thief can present in just one performance.
My first attendance at a Big Thief concert was positive, and I enjoy following tours that change directions each show, as it feels like you’ve had your own unique experience. Whether others may have preferred more of a ‘greatest hits’, this epic, improvisational peak shows Big Thief drifting further and further into expansive and noise-driven territory.