On Sept. 5th, indie folk and rock band Big Thief released their sixth studio album, “Double Infinity.” The band, comprised of singer-songwriter Adrianne Lenker, guitarist Buck Meek, drummer James Krivchenia, and touring bassist Joshua Crumbly, is in the midst of performing this new material on their Somersault Slide 360 Tour. Recently, I was able to see them at the Atlanta stop on the tour, a performance held at the historic Fox Theater. Given that the group is one of my all-time favorites, this was one of my most anticipated concerts ever. After thoroughly enjoying the majority of their new album, I was even more excited to see the show and hear how this new music—as well as their older music—translated live.
The night started with a short performance from Lomelda, the musical project of singer-songwriter Hannah Read. Accompanied by five other musicians playing instruments ranging from a violin to a shruti box, Read performed several of the band’s biggest hits along with some unreleased tracks. While the musical palette of Lomelda is certainly different from Big Thief’s, enough vocal, lyrical, and instrumental similarities presented themselves to act as a great “warm-up” for the performance to come.
Following a short intermission to set up for the headliners, Big Thief took the stage and kicked off their set with “No Fear,” a new track from “Double Infinity.” This being one of my least favorite songs from the album, I came into the performance with a somewhat indifferent attitude. However, the band completely transformed this song from a fairly sleepy track to a noisy, hypnotizing, and psychedelic extended version that not only completely won me over but also proved to be a standout moment of the night. Lenker and Meek’s incredible guitar work shone on this song, starting the show off strong and getting the audience ready for what was to come. Following this, three more cuts from the new album came in the form of “Incomprehensible,” “Words,” and “Happy with You.” As the precedent set by “No Fear” suggested, these songs sounded just as good, if not better, with live instrumentation and vocals.
After this, the band turned up the energy and got the crowd on their feet with “Vampire Empire,” one of the most popular and rawest songs in the group’s discography. This proved to be one of the most cathartic, emotional moments of the show and was backed up by a great performance from the band. “Simulation Swarm,” one of the group’s most widely acclaimed songs and a personal contender for the group’s best song, came next. Unsurprisingly, the group delivered a performance that perfectly displayed the devastating yet hauntingly beautiful track that it is. Next, following a performance of the unreleased “Muscle Memory,” came a fantastic string of songs. The first of these was “Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You,” an underrated track I consider to be one of the band’s most beautiful and emotional. This personal favorite of mine was one of the more low-key moments in the show yet it remained just as impactful as the other performances, thanks to the potency of Lenker’s poetic lyricism, angelic vocals, and soft guitar work. Next came “Certainty,” a sweet moment that was followed up by “Not,” a performance that perfectly demonstrated why Big Thief is such a special group. This song, one of the band’s strongest and a track that is brimming with a complex tangle of emotions, featured some incredible guitar work by Lenker and Meek, fiery drumming from Krivchenia, great bass playing by Crumbly, and a fierce vocal performance from Lenker.
Following their performance of “Masterpiece” came “Forgive the Dream,” an unreleased tour debut, “Carry,” an unreleased solo song from Lenker, and a cover of Georgia native Vic Chesnutt’s “God Is Good.” These three songs acted as a nice change of pace tonally, offering a slower yet just as emotional experience. These songs allowed Lenker’s voice and the band’s playing to shine in a softer, more measured context. Their consistency with these songs—despite their differences from other performances that night—showed just how multifaceted the group is. After this came “Los Angeles,” my personal favorite off their new record and one of my most anticipated songs of the show. Their performance didn’t disappoint, as each aspect of it perfectly captured the bittersweet acceptance of change that the song explores.
The final leg of the show delivered some of my favorite moments of the night, starting with their performance of “Spud Infinity.” This being one of the band’s most fun and lighthearted songs, I was incredibly excited to hear it live. They completely exceeded my expectations, though, as a mix of fun instrumental solos, playful vocal effects, and joyful energy created one of the liveliest performances of the night. The crowd was completely engaged, singing and dancing in one of the most communal moments of the show. The concert then seemingly came to an end with “Beautiful World,” an unreleased song that has quickly become one of my favorites of the band’s more recent work and has me eagerly awaiting an official release. Its lyrics tell a story that laments the current state of the world before eventually highlighting the beauty of life and offering a glimpse of hope for this beauty to prevail. Despite this being the official end of the show, the band returned for an encore song in the form of “Change.” Nothing less than a perfect closing song, this was one of the most heartfelt moments of the show and was a simply beautiful note to end on.
Although it might be my love for the band talking, this concert is undoubtedly one of the best I have ever been to. The fantastic performances from each member of the group, stellar selection of songs, great flow and pacing, and raw intimacy in both the writing and instrumentation made it a truly unforgettable night. This performance just further solidifies the group’s importance to me; through their explorations of humanity in songwriting and composition, the band continually proves their genius and demonstrates why I and so many others consider them to be such a special group.
Written by: Nathan Knoll