Pixies to perform at Galway International Arts Festival next summer

Pixies revealed this morning that they will play the Galway International Arts Festival next summer, taking the Heineken Big Top stage on 17 July 2020. The inclusion of the rock giants comes as the first announcement for the festival, which this past summer saw performances from Two Door Cinema Club, Orbital, Burt Bacharach, and more.

Pixies' upcoming performance follows the release of their seventh album, Beneath the Eyrie, which arrived in September. Covering their gig at the Olympia Theatre last month, Hot Press's Ed Powers described the event as a "delicate balance between thunderous and twisted."

"Amid spumes of dry ice, Francis – Charles Thompson to friends and neighbours – guitarist Joey Santiago, drummer Dave Lovering and new (ish) bassist Paz Lenchantin began in a circle knocking out the opening riff to 'Cecilia Ann,'" wrote Powers. "'Quiet-loud-quiet' is the handle often applied to Pixies' music. This was just loud and louder: a blast of melodic exuberance that shook the Olympia to its gilded rafters."

Formed in 1986, Pixies released a mini-album in 1987 called Come On Pilgrim, followed up by their first full-length album Surfer Rosa, which featured songs such as 'Where is my Mind' and 'Gigantic' in 1988. That same year, the band released its revered album Doolittle, which featured top 10 hits like 'Monkey Gone to Heaven' and 'Here Comes Your Man.' The group then disbanded in 1993 but reunited again in 2004, going on to enjoy several sold-out world tours.

Since reuniting, Pixies have released three studio albums: Indie Cindy in 2014, the band’s first full album of new material in more than 20 years, 2016’s Head Carrier, Lenchantin's recording debut with the band, and the newly released Beneath the Eyrie.

The news of Pixies' Galway show comes as they also announce a headliner at Iveagh Gardens this summer. More details here.

Tickets for Pixies go on sale at 9 a.m. this Friday, 1 November for €52.50 and will be available at giaf.ie. The Galway International Arts Festival, presented by GIAF and Róisin Dubh, will run from 13-26 July 2020.