When Big Thief’s Buck Meek poked his head into Crake’s dressing room after his solo show and asked them to support the Big Thief UK tour, the Leeds quartet must’ve thought they were in some sort of dream. It’s no surprise that Big Thief, a band with lyrics like ‘Worm will you return me to the robin’s beak? I’ll be a bird‘ chose Crake, who write songs about ‘flora, fauna and the tough stuff’, to warm up for them.  

But on the evidence of ‘Glycerin’, the first single from their Dear Natalie EP, it’s clear that it isn’t just a shared interest in nature which has earned Crake their spot on the bill. With plucky percussion, the verses sound as if Crake are climbing a rugged hill, grabbing onto craggy rock after craggy rock. They reach the ascent on the chorus, when Rowan Sandle’s hoarse, faltering vocal is backed by Rob Slater’s haunting, monotone as they sing “If you see I’m struggling then cast me out of line.” That Big Thief show you’ve got coming up just went from amazing to legendary. 

Dear Natalie is out on June 14

Tour dates:

MAY

18th Brudenell Social Club, LEEDS

19th SWG3, GLASGOW

21st Vicar Street, DUBLIN

22nd O2 Ritz Manchester, MANCHESTER

23rd Roundhouse ,LONDON

24th SWX Bristol, BRISTOL

26th Cambridge Junction, CAMBRIDGE

27th Trabendo, PARIS

28th Botanique, BRUSSELS

JUNE

3rd Lido, BERLIN 

4th Bogen F, ZURICH