Pixies review: A night of non-stop nostalgia

Effortless: Pixies frontman Black Francis
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Gemma Samways31 October 2018

Increasingly, it feels like it’s almost standard practice for bands to mark the anniversaries of classic records by revisiting them in full before paying audiences. But if any band should be given carte blanche to indulge in nostalgia, it’s Pixies, whose seminal debut turned 30 back in March, and still sounds as vital now as it did on release.

Alongside 1987’s EP Come On Pilgrim, the abrasive Surfer Rosa helped position the four-piece as one of the most influential alt-rock outfits of all-time. Both collections were faithfully replicated in chronological order last night, for the first show of the Boston band’s five-night Roundhouse residency.

Preceded by a short film detailing the design process behind the iconic artwork for both records, the band appeared silhouetted against a giant screen displaying frenetic video visualisations of Pixies artwork. The set then kicked off with the muscular surf-rock of Caribou, with frontman Black Francis effortlessly alternating between his goblin falsetto and monstrous growl.

There was scarcely a pause between songs all night, save for Black Francis re-enacting the spoken-word sections at the end of Oh My Golly and beginning of I’m Amazed, with bassist Paz Lenchantin delivering the lines originally ad-libbed by ex-member Kim Deal. That they performed these superfluous interludes at all was testament to their meticulous approach to re-constructing both records.

From the frantic punk of Isla De Encanta to the barbed groove of Gigantic, all night they despatched flawless renditions of fan favourites. Conversely, this carbon copy approach resulted in a dearth of spontaneity and — coupled with the total absence of audience interaction — meant the atmosphere for what should have been a celebration often felt flat. Hopefully, they can put this right for their remaining nights.

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