Moments of spellbinding beauty, but I still felt a bit robbed by Big Thief

In a pop and rock landscape dominated by solo troubadours and urban acts, a four-piece indie band is something of a rare beast these days. And Big Thief are fêted like an endangered species, if the first of the US folk-Americana group’s two nights at London’s sizable Hammersmith Apollo was anything to go by. With five albums under their belt and four Grammy nominations to their name, they are a big deal. One fan on Twitter was going three nights in a row, keen to see the “magic telepathy” that the band exudes on stage (they’re also playing in Brighton on Thursday), and the air was certainly thick with anticipation.

But I couldn’t help feel something was missing. This was a show that contained moments of spellbinding beauty and thrillingly chaotic intensity. Yet it sagged too, with periods that were neither revelatory nor joyous. Concerts like this – with the sparsest of stage sets, no screens and little between-song interaction – work when they revel in their pared-back fragility or their stark directness. Yet rather like the double bass that sat untouched behind the band, I too often felt like a spare part. I wanted to be moved, walloped and my emotional strings played. And it was to my intense disappointment that I wasn’t.

Big Thief comprise singer and guitarist Adrianne Lenker, bass player Max Oleartchik, drummer James Krivchenia, who produced their last album, and guitar player Buck Meek, who was married to Lenker until 2018 and featured in the band in Bob Dylan’s Shadow Kingdom concert film in 2021. They are prodigiously talented musicians. Lenker in particular has a fascinating story – she was raised in a Christian cult and released her first solo album aged 14. Their songs range from hushed ballads to country rock to squally stomps. Their latest album, 2022’s Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You, comprised 20 tracks from across this broad musical spectrum.

Meek’s guitar soloing was often fantastic. He was quite something to watch: his stance involved leaning forward and balancing on the balls of his feet, his guitar clutched high on his waist with his torso almost enveloping it. And his guitar interplay with Lenker on Simulation Swarm was crisp and funky.

Lenker herself had a voice capable of both power and delicacy. It reminded me of the late Dolores O’Riordan from The Cranberries. Free Treasure – played solo by Lenker with an acoustic guitar – was lovely. And the opening song of the encore Change, about embracing the inevitability of change no matter how hard it is, was the gig’s undoubted highlight.

But I wanted more moments like this. The blistering song Not, which was included on Barack Obama’s Songs of the Year playlist in 2019, sounded muddy to me. The lo-fi hoedown was fun – but not quite as momentous as everyone else appeared to find it.

The reasons behind Big Thief’s popularity are obvious: they play serious, intense and big-hearted music. They have an authenticity and honesty that many current musicians lack. But I wanted endless sucker punches of soul-shattering emotion. I only got a few. I suppose I felt a little bit robbed.

Playing London and Brighton until April 13; bigthief.net