The Pixies – Vector Arena March 11, 2017

I first encountered Pixies by way of a burnt CD thrust into my hands by a classmate after a Classics lesson in 2005. “You’ll probably like these guys they’re weird” he said as he disappeared into the throng of teenagers.
What I later found on my Discman was back-to-back copies of Doolittle and Surfer Rosa. I was struck by the surreally biblical lyrics and fuzzy guitar work that created songs filled with existential angst, songs filled with nothing at all. Their music was absurdly chaotic, much like life. In the case of Doolittle, there was not a single track I didn’t like, and it fast became one of my favourite albums, one which seemed to grow and mature with me, that I was constantly finding new depths in.

Black Francis almost moved to New Zealand to become an astronomer, but he ended up forming the Pixies instead thank goodness. I found it surprising that they hadn’t been to New Zealand until 2010, when I was up the front of the Vector Arena, pressed against the bar directly in front of Kim Deal who was drinking beer throughout the set and having a whale of a time. Playing Doolittle in its entirety, and only the choicest cuts from other albums and b-sides, it was an otherworldly experience, and undisputedly one of my top three live music experiences to date. Kim’s bass pick and my ticket stub from that show are proudly framed and displayed to this day.

So when I heard that the Pixies were coming back to support the release of Head Carrier, I was in two minds. I didn’t want to mar my previous experience and probably out of loyalty to Kim, I was sceptical about how her replacement Paz Lenchatin, formerly of A Perfect Circle would translate live. But on the other hand, after a spate of misses, their latest album was good, and it was the Pixies.

So this time I found myself sitting just to the side of stage closest to Paz. The lights dimmed, the crowd roared, and Pixies, one of the most influential bands of the last 30 years, one of the cornerstones of Grunge, who are probably on every discerning Hipsters playlist, traipsed onstage and wordlessly opened with Where is My Mind? It was a gut wrenching, breath-taking, bold moment to open with their signature song. The Pixies rarely work with set lists, so each night is different. We were treated to a cross section of their seven albums to date, churned out with unrelenting professionalism and musicianship.

Everything seemed much simpler than their last show here, the stage set up was some strategic lighting and dry ice. Without the trappings, all there was to focus on was their technical skill, their songs, and their delivery, which seemed a lot tighter, a lot more assured. As you would expect from a Pixies concert, the tempo and mood ebbed and flowed throughout the evening. Highlights included Gouge Away, Hey, and Neil Young cover Winterlong. Black Francis’s voice can still reach the desolate, angry howls, and plummet to a menacing whisper in a single breathe as Joey Santiago’s guitar wove in and out of focus.  They didn’t utter a single word throughout their set, and they didn’t need to- to speak would have broken their spell over the audience, some who were crowd surfing like it was 1989 all over again.

Finally I owe Paz an apology and acknowledgement. She was fantastic, and took charge of their encore- the b-side Into The White.  Dare I say her performance was better than Kim’s some seven years ago.

While this performance hasn’t replaced their Doolittle show in my “best live show’ list, it’s probably because of my emotional attachment to that album more than anything. Last night was still a gritty, fun, nostalgic nods to one of alternative rock’s (and my) most important artists.

Kate Powell

Click on any image to view a photo gallery by Michael Flynn:

Pixies set list:

1. Where Is My Mind?
2. Here Comes Your Man
3. Winterlong
4. Blown Away
5. Mr Grieves
6. Nimrod’s Son
7. Indie Cindy
8. All The Saints
9. Vamos
10. Gouge Away
11. All I Think About
12. Debaser
13. Broken Face
14. Ilsa de Encanta
15. Magdalena 318
16. Head Carrier
17. Monkey Gone To Heaven
18. Classic Masher
19. Wave Of Mutilation
20. Oona
21. Might As Well Be Gone
22. Um Chagga Lagga
23. Crackity Jones
24. Bel Esprit
25. Velouria
26. Hey
27. Bone Machine
28. Into The White