Big Thief
O2 Academy Brixton, London
23rd April 2026
Photography by Izzy Reeve (@izzymayv)
Izzy Reeve
I’m a London-based music photographer and occasional writer and I love documenting gigs and people enjoying them. Having just moved back to London from Scotland, where I first started shooting concerts, I’m looking forward to exploring what the scene down south has to offer with CLUNK! From new acts to festivals, I love what clunk champions and I can’t wait to get started.
Adored folk trio Big Thief are a force to be reckoned with as they take up residency at Brixton’s O2 Academy for four nights
Big Thief’s sixth studio album ‘Double Infinity’ saw the folk chameleons collaborating with ten session musicians to create an experimental psych-folk album. However, the opening night of their four-night London residency made clear that Big Thief are eager to rock.
Adrianne Lenker, Buck Meek and James Krivchenia were joined by touring band bassist, Joshua Crumbly. Through six brand-new songs, reimaginations of Lenker’s solo material and older Big Thief tracks, they were living in the heavier motions, with extended outros revelling in winding, warped guitar.
The night opened with Dylan Meek, a solo set featuring brother Buck for a performance of ‘Brotherhood’. Dylan returned the favour, appearing in the band’s first new song, ‘What I Only Dream Of’. After this quiet moment to ease in, the crowd fell truly silent for Lenker’s ‘Anything’, now a mainstay of the Big Thief set.
A suprising performance of first album’s ‘Real Love’ felt like a nod to the band’s rockier roots and a reflection on their journey. Lenker’s vulnerable lyricism paired with her signature intrinsic, complex guitar style, effortlessly dueted with Meek, seamlessly flowed into new track ‘Shoulders’. Staged in a crescent shape, the audience were encompassed by Big Thief’s energy, let into the creative flow that emanates from the band.
The haunting, vulnerable ‘Real House’ from Lenker’s latest solo record had an injection of energy, a far cry from the minimalistic album recording. There were moments where each musician shone, with Krivchenia and Crumbly letting loose on ‘Christmas Day’ and ‘Mr. Man’. The latter reminded me of Bob Dylan, so I look forward to its release to see if this holds true.
Representation for the band’s ambitious and kaleidoscopic fifth record ‘Dragon New Warm Mountain, I Believe In You’ came in the form of rousing renditions of ‘Simulation Swarm’ and‘Sparrow’.
There was a suspicious absence of the band’s latest record ‘Double Infinity’ from the setlist, rectified by the encore, with the band joined by album collaborator Laraaji. With the stage bathed in Laraaji’s orange glow, the crowd were taken on an uplifting synth-accompanied journey through ‘Double Infinity’, with performances of ‘Words’, ‘Los Angeles’ and the life-affirming anthem, ‘Incomprehensible’.
There’s a reason tickets for the remainder of the tour are hard to come by. Bringing a live show full of adventure and joy, Big Thief’s residency at O2 Academy Brixton affirms their position as the most exciting band around.
Photography by Izzy Reeve (@izzymayv)