Deal Or No Deal

I don’t envy Kim Shattuck. She arguably has the hardest gig in contemporary rock. A former member of The Pandoras, The Muffs and The Beards – there’s a politically incorrect joke in there somewhere – Shattuck has done backing vocals for NOFX and Bowling For Soup. When it was announced she was taking over from iconic bassist Kim Deal, the response from Pixies fans was not universally positive, to put it mildly.

Well, big Deal. On her first official European live engagement, a warm-up show at the 1,500 capacity Brixton Electric, Shattuck looks, plays and sings the part almost to perfection. Kim Deal was a brilliant performer but the new Kim has her own signature stage style and manically bobs her blonde head as she thunks her instrument.
Pixies have a rich history of playing monumental gigs in the English capital. In Covent Garden’s Mean Fiddler in 1988, they performed a eulogised-to-the-heavens show with Throwing Muses. In proper Velvet Underground-style, it went down as the concert that inspired Radiohead, Blur and PJ Harvey to variously ply their separate stunning trades.
The first surprise of the night is the opening double-whammy of covers: The Fall’s ‘Big New Prinz’ and a ferocious ‘Head On’ by The Jesus & Mary Chain, which of course, they tackled on Trompe Le Monde, their final pre-break up LP.
‘Wave Of Mutilation’ is the first meaty classic in a 28-song setlist which veers from ‘Levitate Me’, ‘Ed Is Dead’ and ‘I’ve Been Tired’ from Come On Pilgrim to the futuristic sci-fi surf rock of ‘Planet of Sound’. Comeback single ‘Bagboy’ sounds colossal. The new EP is played in its entirety and sounds far superior in a live setting. Black Francis and chums also chip in two new songs that suggest their next studio foray could be even better.
Far too much fuss has been made of the personnel change. The truth is that Pixies remain one of the finest live bands on planet earth. If you’ve been lucky enough to secure a ticket for the Olympia next month, Christmas is coming early. 

Pixies play the Olympia, Dublin on November 18 and 19 (sold out) See hotpress.com for more information