Black Francis doesn’t like talking, and he isn’t afraid to let you know that.
“We’re happy to be here. Many people think we aren’t because we don’t talk much, but we are,” he says casually into the microphone before his band, Pixies, give us two nonstop hours of snub-nosed rock & roll.
“When you talk, no one understands you anyway,” he grins. “But yeah, we’re just going to play music.”
And music they played.
Pixies have carved out an incredible legacy since they first formed in 1986, spurring us classics like “Where Is My Mind?” and “Debaser” while incorporating many different sub-genres of rock & roll into their sound. Punk rock, surf rock, grunge. If it has a crunchy riff and can knock your socks off live, Pixies have experimented with it and alchemised these parts into a wholly original sound.
And it was about time Sydney was reminded of that.
Pixies aren’t often mentioned in the same breath as classic rock bands like Oasis and The Beatles, and I guess that’s kind of fair. They don’t make memorable songs in the sense that you’ll rarely hear Pixies plastered on the radio (outside of “Where Is My Mind?”). But when they sledge into a live setting, it’s easy to forget that every other band exists.
They have nothing left to proof, but they sure acted like they did.
Because as a live band, Pixies are mesmerising. They are as blunt and straightforward as Francis’ brutal mic work, elevated to a level unseen by most of their peers due to the sheer talent in the band. Joey Santiago’s highly textural guitar work plays with intensity in a way that’s perfectly formed for a space the size of Sydney’s Liberty Hall, which can only fit 1,200 fans. David Lovering is a drummer’s drummer, pounding his kit with an outrageous amount of energy. Kim Deal is often the glue for the band, her basslines as seething as Joey’s crunchy guitar work, with vocals perfectly pitched to balance Black’s oddball growl.
All they needed was a crowd-pleasing set list and this would be the show Pixies fans have needed since they last toured here in… god knows when.
Fortunately, that was perfectly crafted as well. In fact, Pixies were so confident that they had chosen the perfect set list that they got their biggest song out of the way first. The discombobulating riffs of “Where Is My Mind?” bounced off Liberty Hall and really showcased the venue’s value in Sydney’s live music circuit.
I was last here when The Killers performed a special midnight show after their Qudos Bank Arena gig in 2022. I’m not completely sold on seeing a big band here, as rare of an opportunity as that is.
I fear Pixies wouldn’t be as impactful in a stadium. But in a venue like this, those riffs really wrap themselves around you and pull you into their shockingly brutal sound, which punches you in the face with tracks like “The Vegas Suite” and “Tame.”
They even take The Jesus and Mary Chain and make it sound truly like a Pixies song, peppering the shoegaze classic “Head On” with a grungier, rougher bent.
It’s the perfect example of Pixies live. When you listen to them on record, the relatively calm, psychedelic side of them comes through. In a live setting, I’m surprised there wasn’t a circle pit.
FIVE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Photos: Pete Dovgan
