As the Pixies take to the stage at the Royal Albert Hall, they immediately launch into The Holiday Song. Something’s wrong though. Halfway through, the track falls apart. It’s aborted by the band. Black Francis smiles. “Sorry, give us a minute, we’re playing with two different tunings or something.” It’s an inauspicious start to the show but, if the the band is phased, you wouldn’t know it - they quickly reset and begin a blistering Nimrod’s Son, complete with Francis’ maniacal, cackling “hahahas” and a howled "You are the son of incestuous union". The rest of the night is a flawless reminder that the Pixies remain an unmistakably singular and seminal force.
You know the Pixies. Black Francis’ surreal, shrieked lyrics about Old Testament Christianity, UFOs, good, evil, death and incest. The loud-quiet-loud dynamic of their sometimes punk, sometimes hardcore, sometimes even surf rock sound. Across 29 songs, it’s all here tonight. This, the first of two shows at the Royal Albert Hall, is to celebrate 40 years since their genesis in 1986 - before their split in 1993.
