Øyafestivalen: Big Thief Review

Sleeping in after eating a bit of whale is understandable, but missing out on Air playing Moon Safari is a tough consequence. Stick that episode of The Sopranos on then, but do not be late for Big Thief. Their recent tour of the world has seen them reduce the known songs and instead tease a bulk of new material with a slightly altered lineup. It has been a massive year for Adrianne Lenker and the rest of the band, but few can release one of the best solo works of the decade and return to fronting a group of equal credibility and importance that same year. To have more to provide, new songs worth teasing in the heat of Øyafestivalen, is a real pleasure. Big Thief is a live band exceptionally well-versed in holding immense instrumental tension. 

Their swaying and often vibrant charm come from those mixtures of multi-instrumental breaks. Lenker is still a powerhouse vocalist but even they are keen to operate with the rest of the band in those moments of guitar and percussion-heavy moments. There are more than a few and for new songs like How Could I Have Known, the response from a packed crowd is all the same. Warm and welcoming artists are met with much the same from their hundreds in attendance, and Big Thief is one such audience. Somewhere a festival promoter is nodding their head in sheer glee at the chance to book these relaxing artists in an environment as sunny and supportive as this. 

For Big Thief it means playing a stage where they can relax a little. They bump two new songs off the end of the show and instead play their immensely underrated Vampire Empire, a 7” of which was all but sold out at the pop-up record store just a few steps away from the performance. All that is left are The White Stripes. But take in the smell of popcorn and notice all the mud, and torrential rain from earlier has not deterred those desperate to see Big Thief, who are happy to change their setlist as they go from show to show. Shortchange for those wanting to hear Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You but incredible for those wanting deeper cuts like Shoulders and Not. A firm mix is put to the test, ten wonderful tracks of expected, high quality. 

Big Thief remains a contemporary powerhouse, with a stage presence made up more of their instrumental prowess than their friendly faces. They have an elusive quality to them, something shadowy and firm which keeps them separated from a dedicated audience. This layer is needed, and it makes their shows even more intense. Incomprehensible marks another new song from Big Thief, a release date not in sight. But their conviction in these new tracks, their convinced notions of them being the next step for their career, is a confidence few have. To take to the stage with songs people must listen to, at a festival where the pounding Klubben music is overlaying the field no less, is bold. Big Thief has always danced through with daring choices and their ten-track set at Oya Festival is no different to the very essence of what they always do.