LIVE REVIEW + GALLERY | THURSTON MOORE @ OSLO HACKNEY

Thurston Moore | Big Joanie

Oslo, Hackney

13th September 2025

Photography by @Roelsman

Toby Furlong

I’m a writer hailing from the distant land of Norfolk. With a deep love for vinyl, currently standing at over 100 in my collection. When it comes to picking a favourite artist, it will always be the sounds of Trish Keenan and Broadcast.

THURSTON MOORE BLOWS THE ROOF OFF HACKNEY’S OSLO, FEATURING SUPPORT FROM BIG JOANIE

CLUNK are making a return to London, this time it was Hackney’s Oslo and what a special night it was. In his fifth decade as a boundary pushing artist, Thurston Moore continues to innovate, unravelling moments of crystalised genius across a fierce live set.

Those who travelled down to Hackney tonight were anticipating a thunderously noisy headline set, and the supporting London punk sensations Big Joanie were more than happy to oblige, lighting the fuse for a fantastic gig.

The punk trio, who have supported groups such as Bikini Kill, delivered an incredibly lively set that included the bombastic ‘Happier Still’, which managed to sound equal parts The Ronettes crossed with The Hot Rock era, Sleater Kinney. The set also included a cover of Solange’s ‘Cranes in the Sky’ with a suitable infusion of hypnotic fuzzy guitar work.

It was the perfect prelude to a Thurston Moore gig and you can imagine him listening to the set and feeling at home in the psych-drone sound.

As Big Joanie departed the stage, leaving a revved up crowd in the zone for further frenzied sounds. Following a short break, noise rock royalty took the stage as Thurston Moore flanked by bassist Debbie Googe of My Bloody Valentine fame plus fellow former Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley. Talk about having serious mettle on display!

Kicking things off was the excellent ‘Forevermore’ from 2014’s ‘The Best Day’, standing tall at nine minutes long, it’s the perfect introduction to the world of Thurston Moore – bubbling guitar fuzz that always sounds like it’s about to fall apart if not for the impenetrable rhythm section of Googe and Shelley.

Next up came a double header from 2020’s ‘By the Fire’, ‘Hashish’ followed by ‘Siren’. Thurston portrayed himself as a figure of perfect calm, navigating his fingers around his Jazzmaster, as the latter track transformed into a relentless, thudding assault.

The band who acknowledged their own hushed stage presence, broke from this silence to introduce two furry friends up on stage. Thurston‘s own Apollo and Vinkenoog were lifted to the air for a rapture of adoring cheers.

One of the highlights of the evening was a wonderful rendition of The Velvet Underground‘s ‘Temptation Inside Your Heart’. Thurston Moore who has long had his kneeled place besides the fountain of The Velvet Underground, ensured that the cover was performed in all its glory.

As relentless as a runway train, the night showed no sign of slowing down. It was the performance of the spectacular freakbeat-esque ‘Aphrodite’ that pushed the evening into overdrive mode, capped off by the euphoria of standing mere metres away from the group pushing their instruments to the sonic edge.

After the shortest of short breaks, the set was to conclude in appropriate fashion, out came ‘Locomotives’, hypnotic rhythms and crashing symbols conceal a creature hiding beneath the water, you wait for something to break the surface and eventually a fuzzed up guitar blowout has disappeared as quickly as it arrived.

It may have long been known but, Thurston Moore continues to remind audiences that he is a bewildering, unconventional, genius, that seems to always have a new trick (or riff) up his sleeve.

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