Since their debut album in 1988, The Pixies have become a truly iconic band in the world of alternative rock. Famed for their dark lyricism and versatility of musical style, the Pixies have crept in the shadows of mainstream rock and roll for decades – having now released a total of five studio albums, all rich with unsettling black-magic and game changing song writing that has inspired the likes of Kurt Cobain and Radiohead. Songs that the band have created are now regarded as true works of genius, such as ‘Where Is My Mind?’, ‘Here Comes Your Man’ and ‘Hey’. Thanks to these and more, the Pixies are now seen as true masters of their trade.
By now you’ve probably realised – I’m a pretty big Pixies fan, and yesterday I had the honour of seeing them play the Eden Sessions.The venue itself, The Eden Project, has been one of the most popular and impressive sights in Cornwall for over fourteen years. I’d recommend this place to anyone; the entire concept is totally beautiful.
The Pixies recent performance on the Other Stage at Glastonbury has been praised hugely throughout the critical spectrum, and was for many at Worthy Farm a highlight of the festival. Renowned for their lyrical ability to revel in the weird and wonderful, the Pixies playing this venue is a match made in heaven.
As evening approaches, the support act, Tricot, step onto the stage. An all-female four piece hailing from Japan, the band deliver a blistering take on alternative rock. A hugely energetic performance, clawing vocals and solid instrumentals, pumping with screeching riffs. Despite almost all of their songs being in Japanese, and therefore indecipherable for a monolingual English guy, Tricot certainly prepared the crowd for what was to come. Â Tricot leave the stage in a mist of purple smoke, the crowd still applauding their final song.
The evening sun gives way to a warm blanket of starry darkness. Eden’s iconic biomes glow like luminescent jewels, a futuristic utopia.
A moment of anticipation, deathly silence, and then, as the Pixies walk onto the stage, welcoming cheers and claps are poured over them. The band meet at centre stage, where Black Francis, Joey Santiago, David Lovering and Paz Lenchantin bow as a line to the audience. The opening screeches of ‘Rock Music’ begin, and Black Francis’s demonic howls soar through every single member of the audience. Following the opener, the band work their way through the incredible ‘U-Mass’, ‘River Euphates’, and ‘Something Against You’.
The crowd is in frenzy, mosh pits begin to form and swell, crowd surfers are dragged from the audience by security, and the Pixies are absolutely killing it. Altogether, the set consisted of 29 tracks. A mixture of anthemic classics that shook the very Earth that the stage was set upon, such as ‘Hey’, ‘Caribou’ and ‘Debaser’, and newer tracks taken from their latest album, 2014’s Indie Cindy, such as the brilliant ‘Greens and Blues’, which work seamlessly alongside the Boston bands previous work.
The Pixies’ stage presence is an incredible spectacle to behold, guitarist Joey Santiago moulds the crowd like putty in his hands with each wave of feedback ridden guitar that he bolts from the stage.
Since the departure of original Pixies bassist Kim Deal, the band have worked (unsuccessfully) with Kim Shattuk, but have now, I believe, found the right replacement for Kim.
Paz Lenchantin was utterly flawless throughout the band’s set, her vocals and bass style, whilst different from Kim’s and unique in its own way, works perfectly in both the older and newer songs. Paz is a very welcome addition to the Pixies.
As the set goes on, the band deliver to their adoring crowd some works of utter genius. ‘Here Comes Your Man’, ‘Nimrod’s Son’ and ‘Monkey Gone to Heaven’ are all barely audible due to the immense crowd sing-a-long – Surely the sign of a good gig.
As the night sky darkens, the Pixies begin their final trio of songs. ‘I’ve Been Tired’ is opened amongst bellows and cheers from the audience, the screaming chorus echoes throughout the valley in which the Eden Project is nestled. The Pixies penultimate song, ‘Where is my Mind’ was always going to be a crowd favourite, but I never expected the sheer volume of the audiences simultaneously singing voices.
The deep, ever darkening blue of the sky is broken up with flashes of green and red light. The crowd, when not involved in some form of mosh pit, do not stop moving, the view is an array of dancing, jumping and hands reaching to the heavens.
The final track of the set was ‘Vamos’, beginning with Black Francis’s Spanish musings, and writhing with distortion and rapid guitar. The song sends the audience into a state of utter chaos. Everyone out there is having a seriously, seriously good time.
As the final chorus disappears into silence, the crowd cheers in a manner that I can only describe as hysterical. Cries of ‘We want more!’ have begun already. The Pixies exit the stage following another bow to the crowd, and leave the audience bewildered and utterly blown away by the performance they have just experienced.
The biomes continue to glow behind the stage as 6000 or so Pixies fans make their way out of the site.
Last night’s gig was truly one of the most incredible things I’ve ever experienced. The sheer energy given off by the band and the audience was astounding, and for it to happen in such a beautiful, unique setting just improved the experience. Probably the greatest live music experience of my life. I’d recommend Eden as a venue to anyone, it’s magical.
The Pixies remain one of the most important bands of the twentieth century, and they continue to stun audiences worldwide with their unique brand of insanity, and their utterly brilliant live performances.
Some of the coverage you find on Cultured Vultures contains affiliate links, which provide us with small commissions based on purchases made from visiting our site. We cover gaming news, movie reviews, wrestling and much more.
