The Pixies made a resounding and inimitable noise on the German Labour Day holiday for their sold-out show on 1st May at the 3,500 capacity venue Tempodrom in Berlin. This was one of the first dates of their 2025 World Tour, which has started in Europe, a part of the world where they are most popular and have built a loyal fan base for nearly forty years. In fact, since their reunion in 2004, they have been constantly touring and playing to progressively larger and enthusiastic crowds, and not just in Europe.
The Pixies formed in 1986 in their native Boston, Massachusetts. The original and classic line-up comprised of Black Francis (real name Charles Thompson, a.k.a. Frank Black) on lead vocals, rhythm and acoustic guitar; Kim Deal on bass, backing and occasional lead vocals; Joey Santiago on lead guitar and occasional backing vocals; and David Lovering on drums, percussion, backing vocals, occasional lead vocals and bass. They released their first mini-album, Come on Pilgrim, in 1987, followed by the album Surfer Rosa six months later. For CD release these first two albums were compiled on one disc. Their next three albums, Doolittle (1989), Bossanova (1990) and Trompe Le Monde (1991) put them at the forefront of the alternative rock scene in the early 1990s and would influence a diverse range of bands, including Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, Radiohead, Modest Mouse, and Weezer.
With a hybrid of sound that could be conveniently categorized as indie rock or noise pop, while also extrapolating from punk rock and surf rock, the Pixies have been credited for formulating and popularizing a uniquely dynamic sound with its trademark stop-start timing and loud-quiet-loud intensity that would create an enduring influence in alternative rock. The songs themselves are typically distinctive in their hushed, restrained verses and explosive, wailing choruses. Lead singer Black Francis is the primary songwriter, and the subject of his lyrics has included UFOs, the divine, oblique relationships, incestuous dangers, and environmental concerns, all coming under the loose and juxtaposed sub-reality that is the surrealist aesthetic.
After they first split in 1993, in their absence, the legacy the Pixies had created in five studio albums meant that their following only subsequently increased, with subsequent compilations and unreleased demo albums proving to be very popular. In this, they became one of the biggest cult bands in the world that most people still hadn’t heard of, not least in the mainstream. Before reforming in 2004, its members had been involved with other projects, particularly Frank Black’s very prolific solo career and Kim Deal with her popular band The Breeders and other side projects. Kim Deal joined the reunion for tours from 2004-2013, but then left in 2013 before the release of the 2014 comeback album, Indy Cindy. This was itself a compilation of three EPs that were recorded in 2012 and then released in 2013-14, and produced by Gil Norton, who had also produced the albums Doolittle, Bossanova, and Trompe le Monde.
After Kim Deal departed, she was replaced by Kim Shattuck as a touring bassist. She (who died in 2019) was replaced in 2014 by Paz Lenchantin, who was also initially a touring musician but became a full member in 2016, playing bass, violin, backing and occasional lead vocals, and keyboards. Lenchantin departed in 2024 and was replaced by Emma Richardson (formerly of Band of Skulls) on bass, backing and occasional lead vocals, so becoming the fourth bass player the Pixies have used since their reunion.
On the occasion of the Berlin Tempodrom concert, it seemed somehow appropriate that the opening song was something surreal and possibly even a tribute to the recently departed David Lynch for this occasion. “In Heaven (Lady in the Radiator Song)” was composed by Peter Ivers, with lyrics by David Lynch and performed by Laurel Near in Lynch’s 1977 film Eraserhead considered one of the most surreal films ever made. It was subsequently released on its 1982 soundtrack album, and several popular bands have played the song Live, such as Devo and Bauhaus. The Pixies have played the song many times in their set and have recorded a version of the song in 1987 for their initial demo tape. In 2002, it was finally released as part of an EP of the remaining unreleased songs from the 1987 demo sessions.
After this opener, the band kicked in with their vintage classic “Here Comes Your Man” from Doolittle, which is considerably one of their most accessible songs, particularly from a perceived view outside of their fan base. A similar could be said of the next song “Where Is My Mind?” One of the standout tracks from their second album Surfer Rosa; it gained even bigger popularity after featuring in the 1999 film Fight Club. Not just one of the band’s signature songs, it is probably the one or only Pixies song that the most non-fans of the group would recognise.
Pixies released another new album called The Night the Zombies Came in October 2024, their tenth in total and the fifth since their second incarnation. It is also the band’s first album with bass guitarist and backing vocalist Emma Richardson, who joined in March 2024. At the Tempodrom concert, they played over half the album with some very good songs that fitted seamlessly into the set. Only the Doolittle album had more songs played and underlines which album the Pixies consider to be most enjoyed by their fans or even the band themselves. Tracks such as Debaser and Monkey Goes to Heaven are so embedded in the Pixies’ legend that there would likely be huge disappointment if they were not featured in any concert set, especially in places they don’t visit so often.
The majority of Pixies’ songs are quite short, which means fans and newbies get to hear more of them at concerts, with the chance that a lesser-known but personal favourite might also be performed. From their classic first period, at this concert there were only two tracks played from the excellent “Bossanova (The Happening and Cecilia Ann)” and merely one (Motorway to Roswell) from the also excellent Trompe Le Monde. However, the band played both albums in their entirety in Europe in Spring 2024 and will be doing the same in North America this summer, so in that sense it’s no real surprise that other songs were given a chance on this occasion.
Drummer Dave Lovering sang lead vocals on the track “La La Love You” from Doolittle, apparently intended as a satire of the 1950s crooning style, and was performed towards the end of this concert. One minor surprise of the Berlin show was that the two versions of “Wave of Mutilation” were played. The original and more up-tempo version from Bossanova was played earlier in the set, and then the UK Surf version that featured on the B-side of the single release of Here Comes Your Man from 1989 was played as the penultimate song of the evening. The twenty-ninth and final song was Into The White a track initially to be found only on the 12-inch release of Here Comes Your Man that was originally sung by Kim Deal, with singing duties being passed to Emma Richardson on this occasion.
The Night the Zombies Came 2025 World Tour represents another year of relentless hard work for the band that has been a constant, especially in recent years. After touring classic albums and then promoting new album releases that have been released every two to three years since 2014, Pixies have now released as many albums as in their first incarnation and thereby refuting any claims they are now only a nostalgia act. While the reception of the albums of the last ten years may have been lukewarm compared to the earlier albums, all have been considered worthwhile in themselves, showing a maturity and musical progression that reflect where the band are now.
What is evident from this show is that the band has lost none of their intensity and vigour. In fact, this show was excellent and the Pixies have never sounded so tight, so professional, even with new bassist Emma Richardson having to assimilate into the group and play the old songs. The Pixies are also altruistic to their loyal fans that follow them on tour in that they change the set list and running order for many of their concerts. This means that those who go to one or more concerts on a tour don’t simply get a repetition of a previous concert set list. It is an unfortunate fact that many artists are guilty of repeating the same set list wherever they play.
Forthcoming concerts on the European leg of the Pixies tour include the Palacio Municipal de Deportes venue in Granada and the Sagres Campo Peque in Lisbon. Following this, the tour goes to the UK for the rest of May, where many of the nine dates are sold out, underlining the massive cult appeal of the band despite now touring regularly. After a three-week pause, the tour resumes in North America from June to September on what will be a massive forty-four-date leg with a three-week pause halfway through for undoubtedly needed rest. The support on this tour will be from cult artist Kurt Vile for the first half, and for later dates, the rock band Spoon and solo artist Fazerdaze. Finally, the mammoth world tour ends in November with three dates in Japan and then twelve dates encompassing Australia and New Zealand.
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