Legendary alt-rock band Pixies brought listeners on a noise pop journey with their albums Come on Pilgrim and Surfer Rosa and continued that voyage of glorious commotion during their performance at Brooklyn Steel on Monday night. The band explored their grainy, experimental instrumentals and paired them with unsettling lyrics and a dynamic performance.
Before they played, a short video chronicling the creation of the records enlightened the audience on all of the musical, lyrical and artistic influences that went into making the albums. From Puerto Rico to debased flamenco dancers to surrealism, Surfer Rosa was constructed to lead listeners through an unusual and sensational world.
The night was split into two parts. The first half of the show was dedicated to Come on Pilgrim and a handful of other songs, while the last part of the evening was for Surfer Rosa. They began their set with “Caribou” and from there exploded into “Vamos” where lead guitarist Joey Santiago played his harsh guitar and lead singer Black Francis randomly screamed into the microphone. On “Ed is Dead,” the band harmonized over repetitive guitars while Francis sang, “Ed is dead / Oh oh oh Ed is dead.” The band explored honky tonk on “Nimrod’s Son” with an upbeat acoustic rhythm guitar, unsettling bass and lead guitar. After COP, Francis informed the crowd that they would be playing some other songs in addition and went right into “Down to the Well” from Bossanova and continued with other lesser-known tracks “Rock a My Soul” and “Dancing the Manta Ray.”
The last half of the night focused on Surfer Rosa and began the rest of the performance with the first song from the record, “Bone Machine.” “Break My Body” and “Something Against You” were two tracks of messy, beautiful noise. On “Gigantic,” bassist Paz Lenchantin replaced original bassist and vocalist Kim Deal and sang one of the few woman-led tracks of the discography with an expertise and calm that put to rest any negative preconceived notions about her performance.
No Pixies show would be complete without “Where is My Mind” which perfectly balanced noise with stillness and is the best example of the band’s exploration of dark, melodic music. “Cactus” is filled with uncanny lyrics combined with Francis’s strange voice and krautrock inspired guitar. At the end of “Oh My Golly,” Francis brought out a sheet of paper and began saying “If anybody touches my stuff, I’ll kill ya,” which was a nod to a one-sided conversation he had with producer Steve Albini on the original recorded track. “Vamos (surfer rosa)” made another reworked appearance where Santiago went even further with his experimental sound by taking out the guitar cable still hooked up to the amp and manipulated it as he wound it up around his head and pretended as if it was sentient and he was unable to control it. The result was a discordant clutter of musical chaos. They ended with “Brick is Red” from SR and continued for one more song for the encore “Planet of Sound” before formally hanging up their microphones.
The genius and artistry of Pixies is undeniable when one listens to the studio albums, but their live performance brings a new dimension to their music and combines all of the extraordinary dissonance of the instrumentals with the exciting unpredictability of a live show. It is a journey into the surreal that any fan should happily embark on.
Setlist:
Caribou
Vamos (pilgrim)
Isla de Encanta
Ed is Dead
The Holiday Song
Nimrod’s Song
I’ve Been Tired
Levitate Me
Down to the Well
Build High
Rock a My Soul
Dancing the Manta Ray
In Heaven
Bone Machine
Break My Body
Something Against You
Broken Face
Gigantic
River Euphrates
Where is My Mind
Cactus
Tony’s Theme
Oh My Golly
Vamos (Surfer Rosa)
I’m Amazed
Brick is Red
Encore:
Planet of Sound
Photo Credit: Alyssa Fried
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