Pixies, Manchester Apollo. 18th September 2019

Speaking to the Pixies this afternoon, I was told the set would include a lot of the new album, ‘Great!’ I said and genuinely thought, it’s a good album. Out of the gates though they rip the roof off The Apollo with Debaser, Mutilation, Planet of Sound, Crackity Jones, Tame, it goes on and on. Classic rapid-fire 2 minute assaults that sound just as intense as they did when I first heard them 30 years ago. 30 years, that’s a long time that Frank, Charles or whatever he’s calling himself this week (he signed my record Black Francis) has been screaming like that and he sounds just as magnificent as ever. When he belts out “REPENT” I swear the walls buckle and this venues ageing plaster prays for forgiveness. They all sound amazing, Joey lounges around stage left effortlessly shredding, Paz, the latest bassist fits in perfectly (unsurprising considering her impressive CV) and Dave, well Dave is just awesome, raw power from such a unassuming and friendly bloke. Half an hour in and Frank straps on an acoustic and dials up the melancholia, but there’s always that edge, that clout, that sucker-punch about to smash a smile onto your face. Masters of the the quiet, quiet, how loud can you handle, it’s wonderful. As some of those new songs get an airing, the crowd does slump. These songs are more rounded, in the vein of some of Franks more country tinged solo outings. I think they sound great live, but maybe it’ll take time for the masses to catch up. It’s a perfect set though, clocking nearly 2 hours and so many songs I lost count, new and old (I’d guess around 40!). I’m not sure how many times I’ve seen Pixies, but this is certainly one of the best.