100 Artists To See Before You Die: Pixies

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Boston alt-rockers Pixies rank among history’s most important bands. Released in 1988, their seminal debut album ‘Surfer Rosa’ patented a spiky songwriting style filled with thrilling loud-quiet-loud dynamic shifts. Over the years, it’s influenced everyone from PJ Harvey to Radiohead and The Smashing Pumpkins. Kurt Cobain even admitted that he channelled Pixies’ explosive approach on Nirvana‘s era-defining 1991 single. ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’. “I was trying to write the ultimate pop song. I was basically trying to rip off the Pixies,” he said in 1994. “We used their sense of dynamics, being soft and quiet and then loud and hard.”

Pixies’ legacy is already secure, so seeing them live is a bucket list moment for every ‘Indie Cindy’ – to namecheck the title of their 2014 comeback album – and explains why fans from 31 countries have already bought tickets for their upcoming UK run on viagogo.

What to expect

When Pixies hit the stage, they don’t hold back. Frontman Black Francis is known for his piercing screams and bandmates Joey Santiago (guitar), David Lovering (drums) and Emma Richardson (bass) are masterful noise merchants. Richardson only joined the band earlier this year, but she’s already cemented her place by taking lead vocals on live versions of ‘In Heaven’, a song from David Lynch’s Eraserhead movie that Pixies love to cover.

Francis has never been big on stage patter. He prefers to deliver Pixies’ sinister and surreal lyrics – which touch on everything from witchcraft to alien encounters – with a searing intensity. Every Pixies concert offers a ferocious assault of white noise mixed with rousing audience holler-alongs. For such an uncompromising rock band, they have a surprisingly deft way with a pop melody.

Their best moments

Crystal Palace Bowl, 1991

Francis has hailed this massive outdoor gig in south London as one of the band’s best ever. Taking to the stage after four formidable support acts – The Boo Radleys, Milltown Brothers, Cud and Ride – Francis and the gang blasted through 29 bangers including their beloved cover of The Jesus And Mary Chain‘s ‘Head On’. Two years later, Pixie would disband and OG bassist Kim Deal would score the huge hit ‘Cannonball’ with her band The Breeders.

Glastonbury, 2014

Twenty five years after their first Glastonbury appearance, Pixies made a triumphant return to Worthy Farm. Rocking the Other Stage to its foundations, they delivered a steady succession of Pixies classics peppered with highlights from their 2014 comeback album ‘Indie Cindy’. Santiago’s grinding guitar parts were especially rousing that night.

Tiny Desk Concert, 2014

When Pixies signed up for the super-cool, super-intimate Tiny Desk Concert series, they really understood the assignment. Santiago was the only plugged-in group member; his bandmates all played acoustically to maximise the raw immediacy of the gig. They kicked off with two killer songs from their then-upcoming album ‘Indie Cindy’, ‘Greens And Blues’ and ‘Silver Snail’, then brought it home with ‘Monkey Gone To Heaven’. If you were there, you’re probably still talking about it now.

Their biggest bangers

‘Where Is My Mind?’, 1988

Though it was never released as a single, this ‘Surfer Rosa’ standout has become one of Pixies’ signature songs, especially since it soundtracked the climax to David Fincher’s cult 1999 movie Fight Club. Driven by Santiago’s languid guitar riff and flecked with spooky backing vocals, it’s an evocative exercise in tension and release. In typically offbeat Pixies fashion, the lyrics were actually inspired by a snorkelling trip Francis took in the Caribbean. There really is no other band like them.

 

‘Here Comes Your Man’, 1989

Francis wrote ‘Here Comes Your Man’ as a teenager and the band recorded a demo version in 1987. It was initially passed over because label boss Ivo Watts-Russell felt it was “too obviously commercial”, but eventually found a home on their stellar second album ‘Doolittle’. An especially accessible example of Pixies’ biting pop style, it’s become a stirring staple of their live set.

‘Hey’, 1989

Tucked away in the final strait of ‘Doolittle’, ‘Hey’ is another non-single that became a fan favourite. Francis has called it the band’s “only R&B song” and a “slow jam” that’s about relationships. When he sings the dark but anthemic chorus refrain – “we’re chained, we’re chained, we’re chained…” – everyone in the crowd will be singing along.

Setlist study

Pixies play hard and fast as they rattle through around 25 tracks. They now have eight studio albums to draw from, including their most recent LP, 2022’s ‘Doggerel’, but it’s safe to expect fan favourites from ‘Surfer Rosa’ and ‘Doolittle’. So, get ready to head-bang to ‘Where Is My Mind?’, ‘Cactus’ and ‘Monkey Gone To Heaven’, plus their barnstorming covers of The Jesus And Mary Chain’s ‘Head On’ and Neil Young‘s ‘Winterlong’.

Where to see them next

AUGUST 2024
24 – Victorious Festival, Old Portsmouth
28 – Custom House Square, Belfast

Following an uproarious UK tour in March, there was a sharp spike in ticket sales on viagogo – with numbers far outstripping that of a year ago. No two shows will be the same on their UK run, which includes a short run of festival sets and headline gigs, but they’ll all be charged with plenty of righteous rock energy. Tickets are already in hot demand, so don’t dither if you want Pixies to bring your summer to a bewitching end.

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