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guy_nolan
= Cult of Ray =
United Kingdom
417 Posts |
 Posted - 06/11/2004 : 06:46:49
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Sorry if this has been posted already, I hadn't seen it yet. A very positive review albeit the balder, fatter comments.
http://www.xfm.co.uk/Article.asp?id=27494
Pixies, Brixton Academy, June 4 2004
Received wisdom has it that re-unions are really best given the wide berth they so obviously deserve. Like the Replicants of Blade Runner, there exists an element of reliving someone else’s memories and more often than not, the weight of expectation is rarely justified or matched.
Take, for example, The Velvet Underground’s re-union that revealed a band sounding like a great Velvet Underground tribute act, or the farce of the Sex Pistols’ indecently paced descent into pantomime punk. And as for The Cult’s brief re-appearance, you’d be well within your rights to ask, “What re-union?” And yet, for all the worries and doubts, it’s as if the Pixies have never been away.
For sure, Pixies are older, balder and wider than ever and the effortlessly cool Kim Deal looks more like Mrs John Murphy then she ever did, but age has not withered their fearsome maelstrom one iota. Their heady and downright exciting fusion of surf, punk and joyous harmonies, blended with stories about, amongst others, UFOs, incest and mutilation, has weathered the years well, and having transcended their influences have inspired countless bands to this day.
Soaking up the euphoria and delirious screaming from the capacity audience, Pixies launch into a thumping ‘Bone Machine’ before moving on to an untamed ‘Crackity Jones’. What’s most apparent is how fresh this material still sounds after all these years. Joey Santiago’s minimalist guitar licks are as impressive as ever and, as evidenced during a magnificently crazed ‘Vamos’, manages to create a relentless vortex of howling sound that grips with the force of some extraterrestrial monster fist.
What’s also striking and comforting in equal measure is The Scream. When Black Francis opens his mouth and lets rip during ‘Tame’, The Scream still makes the hairs on the back of the neck stand to attention. Perhaps he needs to save the energy, but Francis barely exchanges a word with the audience and it’s certainly evident by the gulf between him and Kim Deal that not all wounds have been healed. Whatever the state of their relationship is, it thankfully doesn’t affect the beautiful blend of their voices on an apocalyptic ‘Where is My Mind’, the Herculean ‘River Euphrates’ while ‘Gigantic' simply does what it says on the tin.
As they finish their hour long set, Pixies are genuinely taken aback by the crowd reaction: a sea of hands claps relentlessly, faces are smiling everywhere and the balcony threatens to fall into the stalls. Without leaving the stage, Pixies simply pick up their instruments, launch into a stunning ‘Into The White’ and proceed to play for another half hour.
It could have been such a dog of a gig; Black Francis has made no secret of the reunion’s motivation and if any band deserves a payback, it’s Pixies. That said, Pixies return is a triumph on a grand a scale. Outstripping all expectations, Pixies proved beyond all doubt just what is was that made, and still makes, them one of the all-time greats.
Roll on the Husker Du re-union.
Julian Marszalek
For ten thousand years he slept, his mind feeding on the nightmares of the weak. Now he has awakened. As the night turned crimson, the fire-blade shattered and his power died. Then, the slaughter began... |
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XFM show review for Brixton 04.06.04
