To say that I was looking forward to going to the first two nights of the Pixies Sell Out four night residency at Brixton Academy was an understatement of such proportions, that, to say Id fail a drugs test if pure euphoria was an illegal substance gave a clear indication of the height of my anticipation and excitement at the prospect of attending the social event of the year; to witness one of the most influential bands of the last twenty years, twelve years after they had officially disbanded.
The two nights uniquely encapsulated the two sides to the Pixies and both gigs neatly demonstrated the two ambiguities of the tour title (Pixies Sell Out tour). With the first gig suggesting that monetary reasons were the sole motivation for performing together again, and the second gig thankfully providing inspirational evidence of why all four concerts were sold out virtually immediately and why fans on E-Bay were willing to pay 200 for a golden ticket.
Wednesday evening began in ant-climactic fashion with Winterlong (a Neil Young cover) meekly opening proceedings. The lack of interaction with the crowd didnt really improve the atmosphere, however, everyone was suddenly awoken from their slumber six songs into the set with a beautifully haunting rendition of In Heaven (The Lady in the Radiator Song), with Kim Deal on lead vocals. The show plodded on regimentally from then on and although the songs sounded amazing there still appeared to be a spark missing. The mood dramatically changed with the performance of Debaser, a rendition that highlighted the genius of the Pixies and which finally enabled the adoring and expectant crowd to really let their hair down. Sadly, though, this was near the end of the night, and after one encore our heroes left the stage and everyone had to go home, still excited, but at the same time subdued.
If the first night was ridiculous then the second night was purely sublime. Opening with the more uplifting La La Love You the exuberant crowd immediately got into the swing of things and we all knew then that the real Pixies had finally come back into our hearts. With a set list unsurprisingly different from the previous nights fare, the Boston super group rattled through their back catalogue (predominantly tracks from Come on Pilgrim, Surfer Rosa and Doolittle) at breakneck and exhilarating speed, treating the eclectic crowd of twenty and thirty somethings to a show of unsurpassed mayhem and adrenalin fuelled music not seen on these shores, since, wellsince the Pixies had last toured here twelve years ago.
For 90 minutes we were all eighteen years old again; Black Francis screamed into his microphone like a man possessed, Kim Deal oozed cool like only she knows how, Joey Santiago continually obtained sounds from his guitar unheard anywhere else and David Lovering didnt let the side down with a display of accomplished drumming that left the audience purring with satisfaction amidst the controlled chaos. They may have all aged in terms of appearance, like we all have in the intervening period, but ultimately the Pixies still rock. And after the punk-pop combo had generously played three encores, we all disappeared into the summer night, still brimming with excitement, knowing that we had all witnessed a piece of musical history that wed all store in our archived memory banks for years to come.
The Pixies played like theyd never been away and the world was a better place for their surprising reappearance into everyones lives. The first night may have been a let down (so, lets put that down to first night nerves) but the second night more than made up for any disappointment. The Pixies literally lit up the stage (ably assisted by an impressive light show mid way through the set) and as well as appearing to really enjoy their performance, the band visibly got on so swimmingly together that there was enough evidence to suggest that Black and Kim had finally buried their differences of opinion with each other (allegedly). Added to this the fact that their first new song together for twelve years, the Kim Deal penned Bam Thwok, has been released independently on various websites recently, then who knows what the future may bring. If nothing else comes out of this comeback tour other than a healthier bank balance for the four members of the Pixies then thats fine, but that doesnt have to mean that I wont be down at the front of the stage in 2014 for their next show, manically singing along to Monkey Gone To Heaven, pretending Im a teenager again. Submitted by Jon Henderson |
