Neko Case @ Beanfield Theatre▪

I’ll be honest; I’ve known about Neko Case for over 20 years, but this is the first time I’ve gone to one of her shows. I never really listened to her solo work as much as I’ve listened to her day job with The New Pornographers, and every time she toured, it always seemed to be in the Spring or Fall when the gig calendar is too full of shows I can’t miss, and I just can’t see everything. So when she announces a show for the 8th of January, in that dead spell after New Year’s when there is zero competition on the gig calendar, I can finally make it out to see her. And I’m glad I do!

It’s a relaxed way to start 2026, right down to Neko’s lounge attire of track pants and a loose zip hoodie. Her voice in the live setting is identical to her records, absolutely flawless on the glorious Deep Red Bells, which garners the loudest applause of the night to that point as her howl fades out. Maybe Sparrow sounds spectacular, especially on that second verse and that angelic vocal that fades away in eerie fashion; Rusty Mountain sounds equally perfect. Wreck, my personal favourite from the new Neon Grey Midnight Green record, is every bit as wonderful as I hoped it would be, Neko laying down the echo to her own vocal that I always assumed was someone else!

Even her mistakes go down a storm with the packed-out Beanfield crowd. On the encore song I Wish I Was the Moon, she messes up the first verse to necessitate a do-over, but then midway through run-through #2, she sings over the verse, “I f**ked that up…” The supportive cheers that greet the honest appraisal show just how good it sounds despite the mistakes! Even guitarist Paul Rigby is impressed at the end of Destination: “Not to be that guy, but that was a really good version of that song!”

Which reminds me, special shout-out to Neko’s five-piece touring band, too; they sound exquisite. Nora O’Connor provides harmonies on most of the songs, as well as the bulk of the acoustic guitar work, while Paul rocks the electric and some harmonies too; the triple harmony of those two plus Neko on Star Witness as the instruments fade out sounds magical. The chill intro of Oh, Shadowless is obliterated by an absolutely filthy bass line courtesy of Andrew McKeag, while Match-Lit sounds even more ominous in the live setting thanks to that metronomic drum beat laid down by Kyle Crane. Serj Tankian-alike keyboardist Adam Schatz rolls out saxophone sections on songs like Louise and Lady Pilot, giving a total jazz club vibe to the place, and a departure from those Waxahatchee country vibes.

All in all, it’s a great 85 minutes and a great start to the 2026 live calendar. And in future, I will definitely give more priority to Neko’s shows; on tonight’s evidence, I’ve been missing out!