Pixies bring noise, nuance and no-nonsense to Aberdeen

Press and Journal

14-05-2025

Pixies don't do small talk, or encores.
They plug in and hammer through 30 songs in just under 90 minutes, with an intensity that still feels slightly dangerous.
On Tuesday night, the iconic American band brought their chaotic magic to Hall C at P&J Live in Aberdeen, as part of their UK and European tour.
It's a large, stand-alone room within the complex that deserves more attention.
The sound's great, and the setup keeps things feeling up close, even in a big room.
It's perfect for bands with serious followings who aren't quite in arena territory.
Promoters, take note.
Pixies essentially invented the loud, quiet, loud dynamic that shaped alternative rock.
Kurt Cobain famously admitted Smells Like Teen Spirit was just him trying to write a Pixies song.
While their commercial peak has passed, two million Facebook followers and 10 million monthly Spotify streams confirm the band's enduring appeal, and this show proved their bite remains intact.
Opening with the surfy fuzz of Monkey Gone to Heaven, they tore through their catalogue.
Bone Machine snarled, Gouge Away rattled the ceiling, and frontman Black Francis's howl sliced through Debaser.
The audience, a mix of weathered Aberdonians who've followed the band since the '80s and younger converts discovering them live for the first time, initially responded with typical North East restraint.
But they soon warmed up, with even the most reserved oil veterans howling 'If man is five!' on cue.
There's something wonderfully absurd about watching these rock veterans, now well into their 50s and 60s, still unleashing the same fury they had decades ago.
Black Francis barked, bellowed and whispered like a man possessed, while guitarist Joey Santiago carved out that raw, serrated sound.
Emma Richardson (formerly of Band of Skulls) handled bass duties with understated confidence.
Her locked-in rhythms with drummer David Lovering provided the foundation beneath the chaos.
They even squeezed in material from last year's The Night the Zombies Came Out.
The newer tracks didn't quite match the visceral punch of the classics, but proved Pixies still have plenty of weirdness left in the tank.
They closed with Where Is My Mind, the haunting anthem that's loomed large over indie and grunge playlists for decades, before the house lights came up for the hypnotic Into the White.
Earlier in the evening, Midlands duo Big Special opened the show with a politically charged blend of punk, soul and spoken word.
One to keep an eye on.
They're doing something different, and they mean every word (including the four-letter ones).
But this was Pixies' night.
A masterclass in how to deliver musical intensity without frills or filler.
Nearly four decades into their career, they remain as vital and unsettling as ever.
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