The Pixies maybe 36 years into their career, but there is no doubt they still know how to put on a show. Saturday night live at Cardiff International Arena exemplified this, in a jam-packed setlist that got everyone’s money’s worth. Entering the venue really exposes the variety of Pixies fans – groups of teens, families, and the expected older crew, all uniformed in merchandise and eagerly awaiting the Boston noir rockers.

Manchester’s Slow Readers Club live up to their name in regards to their supporting performance tonight – decent enough, if midpaced and static, with vocals reminiscent of Editors’ Tom Smith. By 8.30pm, though, the headliners are in place, and open with their classic Wave Of Mutilation, the crowd wasting no time in singing along to that pivotal Doolittle number.
The basic stage setup, with only a few large backlights, serves as a powerful reminder that for some bands, the music is more than enough. Not long into their set, frontman Black Francis bursts into Monkey Gone To Heaven, leaving the room captivated as, hypnotic and cult-like, he screams “If the devil is six, then god is seven!”

Further into the performance, the crowd become stiller during songs from latest album Doggerel (which amounts to a big chunk of the set) and other newer material. Nonetheless, it remains enjoyable thanks partly to the sheer vocal range of Black Francis, whose voice has barely aged over the years. Bassist Paz Lenchantin offers intricate, melodic rhythm lines and a lively energy to the performance, jumping up and down on stage and a joy to watch.

Late on in the set, on hearing Where Is My Mind? (something on my bucket list ever since I first heard it in Fight Club), its ethereal riffs and haunting “whoooo”s reverberated throughout the crowd, leaving me with goosebumps and admittedly a few tears in my eyes. Finishing with a cover of Neil Young’s Winterlong, the performance ends after 36 songs and almost no words at all in between them. It would have been nice to have some spoken engagement from the band, considering how long-awaited the night had been for some, but the Pixies’ efficient charge through a setlist satisfied all present in Cardiff.
Pixies, Cardiff International Arena, Sat 18 Mar
words INDIA MUNDAY photos SIMON AYRE
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