Kim Deal is documenting her 2025 Barbican concert with a live album and a companion concert film, both built around her solo debut, Nobody Loves You More. The concert—her first performance with a full orchestra—has been captured on film by director Cuán Roche, and a trailer for that film has just been released.
Fans should take note: this release not only preserves an unusual moment in Deal’s career but also presents new arrangements of material spanning her solo work and classic Breeders songs. The project highlights how artists from alternative rock’s 1990s era are reworking their catalogs for larger, more orchestral settings.
How the Barbican show came together
Deal approached the Barbican team herself after learning a former colleague there was open to the idea. She wanted to present the record with orchestral backing, and the venue agreed to host the performance. The stage featured the Shards choir alongside a band of frequent collaborators and guest players.
The film of the event was directed by Cuán Roche and is intended to accompany the live LP. The trailer, now available, gives a glimpse of the arrangements and the concert’s atmosphere without committing to a release date in the announcement materials.
Why this matters now: the recording captures a first for Deal—a full orchestral presentation of her solo material—and offers listeners new interpretations of songs long associated with the Breeders and her post-band work.
Who played onstage
Performers included several familiar names from Deal’s musical circle: Breeders bassist Mando Lopez, violinist Susan Voelz, guitarist Rob Bochnik, keyboardist Nick White, Lindsay Glover, and Raymond McGinley of Teenage Fanclub, plus the Shards choir. The lineup blends rock instrumentation with choral and orchestral textures, shaping a markedly different sound from Deal’s earlier live sets.
The concert marked Deal’s first time presenting her songs with full orchestral forces, a move that may influence how her recent and older work is revisited by audiences and critics alike.
Live at the Barbican — tracklist
- 01 — Nobody Loves You More
- 02 — Coast
- 03 — Crystal Breath
- 04 — Are You Mine?
- 05 — Disobedience
- 06 — Wish I Was
- 07 — Big Ben Beat
- 08 — Summerland
- 09 — Come Running (featuring Raymond McGinley)
- 10 — A Good Time Pushed (featuring Raymond McGinley)
- 11 — Beautiful Moon
- 12 — Night of Joy
- 13 — We’re Gonna Rise
- 14 — Safari
- 15 — Walking With a Killer
- 16 — Biker Gone
- 17 — Off You
- 18 — Do You Love Me Now?
Several tracks pair songs from Deal’s solo record with older material, offering listeners both fresh arrangements and familiar highlights. The inclusion of collaborative performances—most notably with Raymond McGinley—adds another layer to the set.
For collectors and longtime followers, a live orchestral document like this matters beyond nostalgia: it reframes the songwriting and can introduce Deal’s catalog to listeners who prefer more expansive sonic palettes. As more artists explore orchestral reinterpretations, projects like Live at the Barbican could shape how alternative rock repertoires are archived and appreciated going forward.
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