(All photos by Anthony Bauer)
On the second night of the 2017 Northside Festival, we were treated to a special performance at Rough Trade from Brooklyn’s own Big Thief. Not only was this a special show for Northside, it was a special show in that it was the unofficial album release show for the band who put out their absolutely fantastic new album Capacity (out now via Saddle Creek), which is bound to end up on many year end lists. Along for the ride and kicking things off were openers Really Big Pinecone and Mega Bog.
Fellow Brooklyn band Really Big Pinecone kicked off the night bringing all the fun vibes to the Northside crowd. It was the first time we’ve caught the band live and was certainly a treat to see them opening up for Big Thief. Both members Mikey Buishas & Zannie Owens shared vocals throughout their set, which bounced off one another in a fun manor that was a blast to see. We got dizzy there for a minute watching Buishas play guitar while twirling in circles without his shoes on (and somehow without getting tangled up in any cords, which was an impressive feat in it by itself).
Next up was the quirky Mega Bog, the project from Pacific Northwestern Erin Birgly who now resides and in New York City. Birgly, a friend of Adrianne Lenker of Big Thief, was in good spirits, keeping the crowd on their toes throughout her entire set with her eccentric vocals and interesting musical arrangements. At one point the crowd began to get a little too loud during one of the songs and she got wide eyed, looked into the mic and said “SHHHH” which stopped the crowd in their tracks. Confused, everyone stopped what they were doing and Birgly regained command of the crowd and continued on with her set. Whether it was intentional or sarcastic, it was worth it to keep the crowd in check as near the end of their set Lenker emerged from backstage and joined Mega Bog to play on one of their last songs.
After Really Big Pinecone and Mega Bog, the time had come for Big Thief to take the stage. Anticipation was at an all time high inside the very sold out capacity crowd Rough Trade (see what we did there?), as everyone was eagerly awaiting the arrival of the band. As soon as they took the stage and jumped right into the hauntingly beautiful opening track off Capacity, “Pretty Things,” we knew we were in for a treat.
It was a few songs in when I realized the first 3 songs were in order off of the new album, to which Lenker later confirmed to the crowd between “Coma” and “Great White Shark,” that they in fact were playing the album from start to finish. She told the crowd “That was side A, this is the break between sides to go grab some water before flipping over to side B,” which brought some cheers from the sold out crowd. Big Thief didn’t talk much during their set, but was all business powering through their 16-song set which included standout tracks from their debut, Masterpiece as well.
As if I hadn’t already listened to Capacity enough that day leading up to the show, hearing the album played in full was truly something special, especially in the small space of Rough Trade. Capacity is an album that is amazing first listen in, and only gets better with time the more you listen to it. It’s impressive that Big Thief are only two albums in and are already 2 for 2, and frankly I can’t wait to see whats next for the band who is currently on tour in support of Capacity until the end of the year. If they make a stop in your neighborhood at any point this year, I’d highly suggest making your way to their show (…you won’t be sorry).
Find the setlist posted below, along with a full gallery from the Really Big Pinecone, Mega Bog and Big Thief.
Big Thief Setlist:
1. Pretty Things
2. Shark Smile
3. Capacity
4. Watering
5. Coma
6. Great White Shark
7. Mythological Beauty
8. Objects
9. Mary
10. Black Diamonds
11. Masterpiece
12. untitled new song #1
13. Parallels
Encore Break
14. Real Love
15. untitled new song #2
Really Big Pinecone:
Megabog:
Big Thief:
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