Gig review: PIXIES – Roundhouse, London, 21 March 2023

The last time I saw Pixies live, they played the Forum in Kentish Town which was still called the Town & Country Club, and when the band’s brand of punky, indie, noisy alternative rock was still in its first flush. I loved them.

They split in 1993 for a decade to pursue other successful projects and came back bigger than before. This was the second night of a sold out Roundhouse stay on a lengthy European tour. Negligently, I had not seen them since those glorious days in the 1990’s.

Some things have changed. Kim Deal, bassist and singer, left in 2013 to concentrate on her other band The Breeders. A tough act to follow, she was replaced by Paz Lenchantin who seemed to fit in well here, though without Kim’s gravitas.

Some things have not changed. Black Francis remains the lead singer, rhythm guitarist and driving force. Joey Santiago is still the mercurial lead guitarist, throwing light and shade, sharp and smooth, dirty and clean, thick and thin. David Lovering, rock solid, is the original drummer.

Another thing that hasn’t changed: The band do not banter. The set was a full, intense two-hour sweep of their career and no-one on stage verbally engaged with the audience at all. It was ever thus. Don’t come to a Pixies gig and expect a toe-curling ‘let see which side of the hall can sing the loudest…’ experience.

There was a moment prior to the track ‘Hey’, when Black Francis said ‘Hey’ and we laughed knowingly, because it wasn’t an introduction, it was just the start of the song.

This eschewing of frivolities leaves room for the tunes. And we got 38 of them. Smashed out with efficiency, verve and a bit of anger. Everything from the new album ‘Doggerel’ was played. ‘Nomatterday’ a real standout with ‘Who’s More Sorry Now’ and ‘Dregs of the Wine’ also amongst the best of them. It is a strong album, maybe a touch more melodic than earlier outings, and I wondered if Francis’s voice had mellowed a little. But no. The caustic, coarse projection was there, when needed, on early tracks like ‘Bone Machine’ and ‘River Euphrates’ and others.

Tunes from that debut album ‘Surfer Rosa’ and follow-up ‘Doolittle’ featured prominently. Set openers ‘Gouge Away’ and ‘Wave of Mutilation’ set the pace and tone. At the close, it was ‘Dabaser’, ‘Vamos’ and ‘Where Is My Mind?’ that had the crowd dancing. A second, stripped back version of ‘Wave of Mutilation’ had us crooning the words in a beautiful melody, counter-pointed deliciously with the brutality of the lyric.

No ‘Gigantic’, which would have been the icing on the cake, but that was always Kim’s song and was never realistically going to be aired tonight. Instead a cover of Neil Young’s ‘Winterlong’ brought proceedings to a close, with the first and only extended solo of the night from Joey Santiago.

And no encores, of course. Antagonistic, influential, contrary, unsettling, brilliant. Pixies are one of a kind.

Review by Dave Atkinson

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.
In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.

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Power Plays w/c 28 October 2024

THE RASMUS Rest In Pieces (Better Noise Music)
THE PLAGUE What Else Can I Do (FiXT)
STAR CIRCUS Turn The Tide (indie)
DEFENCES Breathe It In (Long Branch Records)

Featured Albums w/c 28 October 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Singer Songwriter)