Pixies purists fear not. Everything is going to be just fine.
After a two-year hiatus, alternative-rock legends Pixies are back with a vengeance. Armed with an arsenal of new songs—and bassist—the band kicked off its world tour with five sold-out shows in Los Angeles, including a secret performance at the tiny club The Echo, followed by three nights at The El Rey Theatre and a final gig at The Mayan Theatre.
With the departure of bassist Kim Deal, many die-hard fans may cry “it’s just not the same.” However, her replacement, Kim Shattuck (The Muffs, The Pandoras), proved she is more than up to the task to fill her shoes on bass, and the chops to match her vocals. Granted, the band may retire a Deal-centric song like “Gigantic” from its live shows, but it has truly found someone that is up to the challenge of replacing a fan favorite and brings a renewed energy to the stage.
On the final night of the three-show run at The El Rey, Shattuck not only appeared comfortable in her role as bassist, but clearly enjoyed her time on stage as evident by her smiles throughout the set. It was a “pinch me, I can’t believe I’m here” type reaction.
Her appreciation for being part of the band was made known at the conclusion of “Bone Machine,” when lead singer/guitarist Charles Thompson (aka Frank Black, aka Black Francis) thanked the crowd and Shattuck in turn thanked each member of the band individually by name. The smiles continued.
That excitement seemed to rub off on the three original members of the band (Thompson, guitarist Joey Santiago and drummer David Loverling), as the trio uncharacteristically flashed smiles of their own, particularly at the conclusion of the night as they walked off stage grinning from ear-to-ear and shaking the hands of the fans in gratitude. Thompson even cracked a knock-knock joke about The Fonz earlier in the night, coolly answering the punch line with an “Ayyyyy” ala the Happy Days character.
As much fun as they had on stage, it was still all about the music. The quartet powered through a 31-song, hour-and-forty-five-minute encore-less set, which featured the live debut of “Live Snail,” as well as several new songs off the band’s recently released EP EP1. The EP is the band’s first multi-song release of new material since 1991’s Trompe le Monde, and marks the first new music since 2004’s download-only single “Bam Thwok.”
In addition to the new music, the band mixed in a variety of songs from its four studio albums, which included tunes seldom played live like “Brick is Red” and “Havalina,” as well as a gritty, up-tempo cover of Neil Young’s “Winterlong.” And whether intended or not, the night’s set took on a somewhat animal-theme with the inclusion of “Caribou,” and the “A-list” song (as noted by Thompson) “Monkey Gone to Heaven” to accompany “Live Snail.”
Even though he was tucked away in shadows most of the night with his head down and his face covered by the brim of a cap, Santiago made his presence known with his distinctive distortion and creativity on guitar. At one point, Loverly tossed a drum stick to Santiago, who used it to hammer away at the guitar before smoothly tossing it back to the drummer. He even used a cell phone as a slide and simultaneously took a crowd shot down the neck of the guitar. His originality seemed to impress Shattuck, too, who came over from her position on stage to check it out over his shoulder. And of course, with a huge smile on her face.
For a band that for the most part hasn’t released new music in more than 20 years, and originally disbanded around the same time, one might think the fan-base would reflect that gap and be made up mostly of the over 40 crowd. However, the audience on this night included a broad spectrum of fans, from teens to middle-agers. Perhaps thanks in part to the band’s 2004 reunion at Coachella, Pixies have built a new legion of fans that spans generations. And if hearing a 20-something sing “Caribou”—a song released in 1987—upon leaving the venue is any indication, Pixies may just be able to play for another 30 years.
Unfortunately for fans, the band’s longevity is out of their hands. But no matter how long Pixies decide to continue, its influence on alternative-rock will carry on beyond its playing days.
And for fans of blues-rock explosion, there’s reason to rejoice. There is a new man on the scene and his name is Jordan Cook, aka Reignwolf. Having primarily played the festival circuit over the past year, Reignwolf took advantage of the opportunity to reach a new group of fans in the waiting. The Canadian-born singer/songwriter/guitarist-virtuoso started the set solo and proceeded to mesmerize the audience from the get-go by showcasing his talents on guitar and drums, all at the same time.
Before being joined by his brother Stitch on bass and Joseph Braley on drums, Cook climbed, kicked and played just about everything he could get his hands (and feet) on. That same controlled chaos and intensity continued until the final note was played 45-minutes later. In addition to his musical talents, Cook mixes passion with originality, and leaves it all on stage in one big sweaty mess. To hear him play is one thing, but to witness his live performance gives audiences a glimpse into the genius that resides within this legend in the making.
Photos by Scott Sheff
Setlist
Subbacultcha
Bone Machine
Break My Body
Monkey Gone to Heaven
Blown Away
Bagboy
Indie Cindy
Brick Is Red
I Bleed
River Euphrates
Mr. Grieves
Isla de Encanta
Caribou
Havalina
Velouria
What Goes Boom
Wave of Mutilation
Gouge Away
Hey
Silver Snail (Live debut)
Motorway to Roswell
New Big Prinz (The Fall cover)
Planet of Sound
I’ve Been Tired
Wave of Mutilation (UK Surf)
Winterlong (Neil Young cover)
Vamos
In Heaven (Lady in the Radiator Song)
Andro Queen
Where Is My Mind?
Greens and Blues
