Big Thief - the analogue, heart-on-sleeve thrill which Gen Z are connecting to

It's 2026 - the ding of a WhatsApp notification is more ubiquitous than the ding of a microwave. The gesture to scroll up through nonsensical short-form content is now wired in, part of, fused.

Meanwhile, Big Thief have just concluded a four-night triumphant residency at Brixton Academy. Some 16,000+ tickets to see an analogue, heart-on-sleeve thrill. And beautifully, a lot of Gen Z turned out too.

I went to see Big Thief on the first night of their tour in Oslo earlier this month. Groups of Norwegian twenty somethings packed out the venue, around half the size of Brixton but an eerily similar shell. The show has since been replicated across Europe, the positive spirit visiting the aspirational who feel the pull of their music.

The venue clubbed together to listen to Adrianne Lenker and Buck Meek meander through their eclectic catalogue, transfixed. The band transcend generations, sounding painfully familiar but incredibly fresh.

I had seen Lenker before, in Manchester. The homely setup on stage at Aviva Studios was dwarfed by the enormity of the venue. She held everyone in astonishing intimacy. The live show built on the idea, a wall of sound to match the bite of the songs. It is wonderful to compare the acorn and the oak tree.

They are the antidote to the increasingly predictable pattern of living, despite amazing advancements in technology. Who would have thought, although we are more connected than ever, one of the most spirtual, the most resoundingly positive things is to witness live music.

Big Thief are defiantly themselves. They change the setlist every night, like the Pixies. They play new arrangements of songs, evolving as they go. There isn't a veneer - it's clear they live the songs they have written.

A rare talent, the band should be savoured. I can't wait to go and see them again.

Read my review from Sentrum Scene in Oslo on devolvedmusic.com