Pixies: to go or not to go?

[Brendan]

There you go, hating the Pixies again.

[giggirl]

I was so excited about seeing The Pixies again and I wasn't disappointed. Brilliant band, brilliant set. I also have a couple of negatives - mostly to do with the venue:

I remember the days when you could go to the bar downstairs and then get back to your space on the floor OK - those days are gone; there's just too many people packed in - it's an accident waiting to happen. I chose the circle on this occasion - not a decision I was entirely happy with but the floor is just to scary. We got there early (foregoing Nandos!) so we could get good seats, as I swear that the rear of the circle has a whole different post code to the stage so I didn't want to end up there. We found seats on the 2nd row so we had a great view, but were't allowed to stand up of course. Not very rock and roll. The row in front of us (row A) was reserved for guests. There were 16 seats and the maximum number of occupants all evening was 3. Great seats but security wouldn't let anyone sit in them. Even when someone tried to sit down there for the encore he got moved by security. Anal jobsworths would rather look at 13 empty front row seats than let someone sit there for a few minutes and get a great view.

Looking down at the mosh pit from the circle the place was mad. My friend and I decided that that would have been us 20 years ago, but not now. On reflection though, I've been in mosh pits relatively recently and had a great time - but Brixton is too packed and the mosh pit is mad.

Keef - well done you for going to see a band that you're not a fan of and giving them a chance to change your mind. I salute you. Honestly. BUT - I think with the whole encore thing you're straying into "Grumpy Old Men" territory. Maybe the guys just needed to pee (I know I did) - they're not getting any younger you know.

Brendan's review on the Joy thread made be grin from ear to ear - very James Joyce of you Brendan.

Finally, and this is a little shallow I'll admit, if there was ever a woman in need of the attention of Gok Wan then its Kim Deal. Sorry Kim love, bass is brilliant but get yourself a new outfit. Miaw. Sorry

[Asset]

Pixies past me by in '89 sadly, I was popping pills and dancing in fields.

However, Ian mcCulloch tried to get off with me when I was about 15 and I had just dropped a soup bowl down his back. I knocked him back.

[alphacalifragelistic]

Saw them at the Kilburn National (or was it the Town & Country Club?) a LONG time ago, when they were supported by Pere Ubu, perhaps on the rationale that their frontman was the one lead singer fatter than Frank Black in US indie music at the time. I digress...

Anyway, they were AWESOME. My best friend went along to that with me and caught them in Manchester again, many moons later, during their reunion tour in 2004 IIRC. When I asked him for the comparison, he told me that musically they were still A1, but you could practically feel the rays of loathing they were mentally directing at each other. So I hope there was more peace and love amongst the band in Brixton. I suspect that the earlier reunion tour may just have been one mandated by the US Inland Revenue Service, rather than springing from their collective love and mutual admiration.

As for Kim Deal, that girl has lived. I can remember reading an interview when she confessed how she used to neck happy pills to rave through the weekend, then crawl into work after barely any sleep, in order to work in an information security job for a Boston bank. Shame 'The Breeders' weren't that much cop...

[redjam]

Coming to this thread late, I also went to see them in Brixton last week. They sounded as great as ever, but I did feel they milked the encores (and where was 'Gigantic'?). Loved the background visuals, though - was that Un Chien Andalou at the beginning?

The whole thing did make me feel old, though. There were a bunch of mums in front of me discussing babysitting arrangements and little Johnny's first day at school while we were waiting for the band to come on - bet you don't get that at Dizzee Rascal gigs (I speak as a fully paid-up member of the babysitting club myself before anyone thinks I'm having a go). Realised all the gigs I've seen this year - Blur, The Specials, The Pixies, several of the bands I saw at Camp Bestival - have been going for 20-odd years. Had a sudden realisation it's the equivalent of old ladies going to tea-dances and being stuck in a timewarp...

Had a proper student hangover the next day though.

[Keef]

The stage set up and visuals were awesome. They did Gigantic on Thursday night in the second round of encores. Was the last song we stayed for.

[redjam]

Pah. That's my favourite song, and they didn't do it on Wednesday (stayed for both encores). But we had both slow and fast versions of another song (sorry, forgotten which one) - which I thought was a bit unnecessary!

[SeanMacGabhann]

Wave of Mutilation (UK Surf) = slow version of WoM

I would be more worried about missing "where is my mind?" if I left early

[Brendan]

Both versions of Wave of Mutilation are completely necessary. The fast one is off Doolittle and the UK Surf Version (the slow one) was used in the introspective wnky bit of Pump up the Volume.

Sweet lord in heaven did you spend the 90?s asleep?

[alphacalifragelistic]

Five stars review in today's Indie:

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/pixies-brixton-academy-london-1801205.html

As opposed to a 'Five Star' review in the Indie. May the Lord protect us from another visitation by Romford's answer to the Jackson 5.

[Brendan]

So that?s 5 stars from the Times, Indy and the Guardian.

what the fuck do any of them know? I give it 6 stars.

Amusingly, the Times article was quite clearly written by someone who had never actually listened to the band until they were told they had to do the article.

Edit: as I misspelt fuck

[giggirl]

Where Is My Mind didn't happen on Thursday. I was also secretly hoping for Cactus but I knew that was a non starter. We had both WOMs and Gigantic though.

[Keef]

Maybe I did actually stay to the end, and didn't realise it... In which case it must have finished pretty early. I felt sure they were going to come back out though. GG, what was the last song? I left after Gigantic.

[giggirl]

I think Gigantic might have been the last song Keef. I bought a bootleg so I'll check when I'm home. They didn't really play for that long - I was diappointed when the lights came on. I'm a Springsteen fan so I'm used to a long set (3 hoursfor the Boss is nothing) but by my reckoning the Pixies only did about an hour and 15 minutes. IF ONLY they'd done longer - we could have had Where is My Mind and Cactus and River Euphrates.

[EDFCrasher]

is anyone going to mention the big white elephant in the room?? Or namely 'the elephant' dressed in a drab shirt and tie combo and a mac lloking like he had just been dragged off the street to cover for the lead singer of the support 'act' who according to my spies were not on Friday night.

[giggirl]

OMG yes - Thursday was indeed the most bizarre warm-up band. It looked like someone hadn't turned up so they just shoved this lot on the stage instead. The lead singer was a corker; looked like his day-job was at Carphone Warehouse or such.

Apparently Pearl Jam's support act for a recent gig in Canada was a no-show so Pearl Jam supported themselves: went on, sang some songs, came off, went back on and did the proper set. Bless. I love stories like that.

[EDFCrasher]

I think it might've been 'Dinosaur Pile Up' great name for a great big pile of poo!

[Brendan]

Bombay Bicycle Club opened the night I went. They were really, really bad.

Pearl Jam should have opened. First for themselves and then for Pixies.

[EDFCrasher]

hmmm Bombay Bicycle Club....

[giggirl]

EDFCrasher Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> hmmm Bombay Bicycle Club....

You're on the wrong thread mate. Here you go:

http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?20,78792

you're welcome

[titch juicy]

friday night was outstanding!

i dunno about all these brixton academy gripes from people :-S it's still the best medium/large venue in london, the sound is excellent whereever you stand and there's a good view from whereever you stand. There are enough bars to cope, but the lager is muck- but then i'm not there for the quality of booze, i'm there for the music.

anyway, a brilliant gig

[Jeremy]

The sound at Brixton Academy sucks. It's a universal truth.

Loud - yes. Good - no.

[Brendan]

I find it up and down. The Pixies show the sound was actually quite good. NOFX last year it was really rather bad. Although that was still an awesome show.

[titch juicy]

I think the sound is pretty much consistently good. Admittedly i only go to two or three gigs a month, but it fares better than any other venue of comparable size in london that i can think of.

[giggirl]

Roundhouse?