It’s always a good vibe when a band you love put out a genuinely killer comeback record and come to your city days after its release. Boston alt-rock heroes Pixies released their seventh album ‘Beneath The Eyrie‘ last Friday and many have called it their best set since their reformation. I would agree with this wholeheartedly. It’s classic Pixies, but its production is chunkier and the ideas are definitely more forward thinking. So as you can imagine, I am stoked to catch them play a sold out show in the grand old hall they call the Manchester Apollo tonight.
Before we get to Frank and the gang, I am delighted to be finally catching The Big Moon who are in support tonight. The LDN based foursome have been on my radar since their debut single release at the back end of 2015. Their 2017 LP ‘Love In The 4th Dimension‘ was a perfect indie pop set and I’ve been eager to catch them play these tunes live ever since. Finally, the stars have aligned! I’m extremely happy to hear ‘Sucker‘ and ‘Cupid‘ blasted out, which are a perfect indie rock and pop blend that sound like The Shins with the Deal twins up front. I am instantly suckered into the energy that the band exude, especially when vocalist/guitarist Jules takes to lead vocals and jumps over the monitors to dance front of stage on indie-punk banger ‘Bonfire‘.
However, it’s very clear to see that The Big Moon are moving into new territory with their second record which is due early next year. We get two new tracks released in the past few weeks which display a much shinier, synth pop sound. Personally, I absolutely love it, the gentle sway of ‘It’s Easy Then‘ is just delightful and the chorus in ‘Your Light‘ is super euphoric. I get such a sense of unity when watching this band, they play every note with conviction and ear to ear grins. I can honestly see them translating to these bigger rooms as a headliner this time next year.
It’s a nice quick turn around this evening as The Big Moon make way for the Pixies, who hit the stage at 9pm and keep playing right up to the curfew. When I mean keep playing, I mean there is no in-between chat, no tuning up or fucking about. They just blast it out for two hours, paying homage to their 30 plus year career. What blows my mind straight away is that they open on ‘Debaser‘. I mean, what the fuck. Opening with one of their biggest tunes? Bands just don’t do that. But they should. Everyone in the room erupts, the guy next to me actually screams “YESSSSSSSS!!!!” in pure excitement when bassist Paz opens up with that iconic bass line.
For the first half hour of the set, the band play as frantically as possible. I wasn’t expecting them to sound so raging but tracks like ‘Rock Music‘ and ‘Crackity Jones‘ sound punk as fuck. Although I’m sat up in the balcony, it’s moments like this that actually make me wanna jump off the balcony and into the pit! It’s just amazing to see the band not miss a beat, as soon as the last note rings out, drummer David counts in to the next tune without a second thought. The stamina is just astonishing and although I’m far away, the band don’t look as if they’ve even broken a sweat. The rest of the set is the band’s usual mixed bag, delving into their full discography. The beauty of a Pixies show is that you never know what you’re gonna get as the band mix it up every night.
The set seems to go in favour of their seminal second LP ‘Doolittle‘ (which turned 30 this year) and of course the new album, which they play (bar one tune) in full. It’s really great to hear this new record live as it’s not left my head since I first heard it a few weeks ago. ‘On Graveyard Hill‘ and ‘Catfish Kate‘ sound HUGE, the former ripping through with guitarist Joey’s signature guitar licks while the latter has the most sing-alongable chorus of the year; the lady in front of me actually stands up and giddily sings along as soon as it comes in. All aspects of the record really shine here, the heavier stuff like ‘St Nazaire‘ works well against the older, gnarlier material, while ‘Ready For Love‘ and ‘Silver Bullet‘ fill the room with their widescreen indie rock prowess.
We don’t get much interaction from the band, which to be honest, I’m not offend by as they play nearly 40 tunes without a break. I mean, that’s impressive. But there is a moment when Joey rips into a guitar solo, thrashing his guitar around the stage, pulling his lead out and chucking his flat in the air. He does it all with a wry smile which I find extremely amusing and it’s nice to see him messing about with his old college room mate Frank on stage after nearly 40 years of friendship. David and Frank also joke around with the crowd as they bow as a band after their final tune, putting their hands to their ears to encourage more applause, big laughter ensuing from the rest of the band.
My only gripe is that the band do slow things down a bit for their finale. I was hoping for a few more ragers off ‘Surfer Rosa‘, but instead Frank keeps his acoustic with him, but hey, ‘Here Comes Your Man‘ is still the perfect pop song and closing on a Neil Young cover is pretty punk rock in my eyes. So yeah, I guess I can’t fault this set at all if I’m honest. Pixies sound incredible tonight, so much louder and prouder than I could have ever imagined, totally proving their worth as one of the most influential rock bands to grace the planet.
Read our review of new album ‘Beneath the Eyrie’ here!
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