The Breeders

Blithely ignoring all they learned in Preserving Rock Mystique101, the Breeders are out on stage before they’ve even begun – setting up amps, adjusting drum heads, tuning guitars and generally behaving like, well, roadies. They’re particularly well-beloved roadies mind you, judging by the roar of the faithful when they saunter back out as if we haven’t seen them in years (which, for the most part, we haven’t).

Kim and Kelly Deal have prudently poached a few members of The Fear for their new line-up, providing a pretty well-adjusted backbone (there’s a lot of uber-preppy v-necks in evidence) for their drunken master style. In between an agreeable amount of toasted banter and microphone confusion, we’re treated to something of a greatest hits extravaganza – the Last Splash material like ‘Divine Hammer’ and ‘Cannonball’ (natch) is received ecstatically, perhaps more so than anything from Title TK (the jury’s still out on that one). ‘Safari’ is a notable highlight, alchemising a song that I was never particularly fond of into a wonderful stop-start rock jerky treat, and there’s always room in my heart for a sloppy, pissed-up ‘Doe’.

The Deals are alternately – and occasionally simultaneously – all over the shop and tightly focussed on whatever they’re doing, so it’s to their credit that they live up to their Alt-blueblood status without ever making it look intentional. Hopefully this time – and if we all shout loud enough – it won’t take another decade for the next encore.