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Pixies  

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Helping to establish the alt-rock sound of the late '80s and '90s, the Pixies have become an iconic act, influencing everyone from Nirvana, to Radiohead, to Weezer with their jagged-edged indie-rock.

Formed in Boston, US in 1986, the band was formed by Charles Thompson (vocals, guitar), later changing his name to Black Francis, alongside Joey Santiago (lead guitar), David Lovering (drums) and Kim Deal (bass). After playing at various local venues, the Pixies gained a support slot for Throwing Muses, which attracted the attention of producer Gary Smith. Offering to record the band, the result was an 18-song demo, "The Purple Tape," which impressed Ivo Watts of the UK label, 4AD, with Pixies soon joining their roster.

Their debut album, "Surfer Rosa," was released in 1988, featuring the engineering talents of Steve Albini, who had helped pioneer the abrasive sound which set the standard for alternative rock subsequently in his band, Big Black. The Pixies' debut found critical acclaim across the board, gaining significant airplay and soon resulting in a record deal with Elektra Records.

Retunring to the studio, this time with Gil Norton as producer, the band created what was to be their classic album. Released in 1989, Doolittle favored a cleaner, pop-tinged sound, finding several Top Ten hits in the process, particularly finding success in Britain. After extensive touring, the band decided to take a break in 1990, hoping to replenish the band's enthusiasm.

Following solo escapades by Black Francis, they returned to the studio in 1991 for their third release, "Bossanova," which garnered mixed reviews, favoring a surf rock sound. Nonetheless, the album faired well in the charts, prompting further successful tours and festival appearances. Returning to a loud rock sound as to their earlier efforts, their fourth record, "Trompe le Monde" again found praise, resulting in further international tours before another hiatus ensued.

Black Francis, just as he was about to release his solo debut, announced that the band had disbanded, prior to his band member's knowledge of this. The members of the Pixies continued with their various other projects to moderate success, whilst still being big names in the indie rock scene. Several re-issues and archival recordings were released during the late '90s and early '00s, continuing to maintain the band's reputation and popularity, despite the hiatus.

It was not until 2003 that hopes for a Pixies reunion surfaced, reuniting in a series of tours in the US in 2004. A live DVD soon followed to much anticipation, with the band continuing to tour intermittently throughout the rest of the decade. Yet in 2013, new music arrived, self-releasing "EP1" in July that year. Two further EPs were released, with these new recordings later compiled as the album, "Indie Cindy," in April 2014.

Live reviews

Wednesday 31st October, the Roundhouse, London, Pixies. So its thirty years since Come on Pilgrim and Surfer Rosa were released and its night two of a six night residency at the Roundhouse celebrating this anniversary. Obviously, there’s no Kim Deal but Paz Lenchantin is an able replacement and has been part of the band for the past four years.

It’s a reasonably mixed audience but oldies like me who saw Pixies first time around probably edge it. These type of shows where a band perform the whole of an album are both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand you are hearing a classic album (certainly in the case of Surfer Rosa) in its entirety evoking those memories of when it was first released and that point in your life but then you miss the spontaneity of the unknown setlist as you know exactly what song is coming up next. And that is very much the dilemma tonight.

The show starts about thirty minutes before the band arrive on stage with a film about the iconic images associated with both albums followed by an esoteric visual/audio experience utilising the bank of screens around the stage. It probably outstays its welcome by 15 minutes and the crowd are a little impatient by the time band eventually come on stage.

With no fanfare the band launch straight into ‘Caribou’ with the rest of the ‘Come on Pilgrim’ EP quickly following like a grunge juggernaut powering along the rock highway with no brakes, stops or pauses. There is no interaction with the crowd, no fuss, no filler and then it’s the main course of the evening for what was a highly influential album for me and music as a whole in the late eighties, ‘Surfer Rosa’. From the opening riff of ‘Bone Machine’ it’s a note for note, word for word run through of this classic album including the ad libs and chats on the record.

Its breath taking relentless stuff and whilst my memory doesn’t serve me well in terms of what the energy of the band was like thirty years ago they proved tonight they can still rock. Franks voice still has that unique range and the supporting cast provide the necessary licks and drive to transport us back to 1988. A quick break and then its back on stage for a five song encore which given what came before seemed superfluous. (I note on future nights they segmented the two albums with the encore tracks and so ended on the high of ‘Surfer Rosa’.

It would be ridiculous to have a highlight given the material but the obvious ‘hits’ of ‘Gigantic’ and ‘where is my mind’ were excellent along with both versions of ‘Vamos’.

So on the whole I think the evening worked, the oldies enjoyed it and the youngsters experiencing probably their first taste of this iconic band lapped it up too. So ‘Doolittle’ next year anyone?

Until the next time keep on grunge rockin y’all

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The technicians prepare the stage. The pedal set of Joey is really impressive, he needs himself a sheet of paper to remember all the set-ups.

The Pixies come on stage silently, without saying a word. From the first moment they give me the impression of being tired and without much energy to give to the audience.

Black Francis has grown in weight and wears a black dress.

Paz Lenchantin stands on the right side, she has a rose sticked to her bass and she is quite a humble figure. The same can be said of Joey Santiago, who is wearing a coppola cap and hardly interacts with the audience. Probably the most lively character on stage is David Lovering who does a great job in the rythmic part.

In the song Rock Music. It is almost impossible to hear Black Francis’ voice. Maybe there’s something wrong with the microphone and the sound levels. Maybe he just does not have any longer the voice for this type of song.

During this tour the band plays 11 of the songs from the new album Beneath the Eyrie, which are quite tame in my opinion.

Another choice I don’t understand is that they deliver most of their hits in the first part of their set, leading to a boring and empty second part.

They should have spread the hits more evenly throughout the set, to keep the audience awake.

All the classic are amazing and I can't resist from singing together with them.

Vamos is the longest song of the set and Joey finally pulls out some trick and plays a bit with the jack of his guitar waving it around and creating some noise.

At the end we are not even sure we will get an encore. Francis looks exhausted. The group plays a little scene on stage where Paz convinces the other to play one last song. Bone Machine.

Brilliant. I saw them last in 1989 and was so happy when my wife bought me a ticket to this gig for my 47th! The band played for around 2 hours and covered tunes from just about every album although i have to say i have barely listened to that orange one so wouldn't know if they played something from that mistake.

They transported me back to my youth for two hours even if as an auld cnut i just stood there either nodding my head back and forth or tapping my foot or, during more energetic moments, a combination of both. I really enjoying the performance far more than it showed, honest.

I was surprised to see so many what i thought were youngsters in the Tonhalle listening to a band who formed when many of them weren't even twinkles in the eyes of their hopeful padres, but their energy made up for my lack of. Thanks to them. I was even more surprised to see Mosh pit contributions by guys older than me. Respect. You energetic cnuts. Love it.

They played enough off the Surfa Rosa and Come on Pilgrim LPs that i went home a seriously happy man who hasn't stopped talking about and reliving the gig since.

So fucking good. I hope I'm alive when they play again here.

Pixies were a driving force in the alt-rock boom of the early 90's in America and their legacy and influence lives on in contemporary bands to this day. Their latest support act Royal Blood thank the band for the invite and explain that albums such as 'Surfer Rosa' had massive influence on their own sound.

From the grunge introduction of 'Bone Machine', the audience are ready to jump, cheer, sing and mosh with this iconic rock outfit and the band gives it everything on stage in return. A slick performance group, they blaze through a number of fan favourites before the audience even has chance to applaud in earth shaking volume. They thank their british audience profusely before beginning cult classic 'Monkey Gone to Heaven'.

They still inherit the qualities that makes so many young and emerging bands turn to Pixies during the beginnings of their careers. Despite having toured for close on 25 years, the stage show still has a very organic feel where the music is allowed to take centre stage without relying on visuals or pyrotechnics. The finale of 'Where Is My Mind?' remind the audience just how iconic Pixies really are.

Doors opened at 7:30 PM, around 8:30 PM the opening band, Public Access TV, started playing. It's an OK band.

Pixies started playing around 9:45PM. They started with "Where is my mind" and a couple more popular songs, then they went back to not so popular songs (not popular for no-fans) from the first albums, the mixed make-the-crowd-jump loud rock songs to some lets-take-a-break more melodic songs.

A weird thing I noticed was that Paz played two or three songs with his back to the public, at first I thought she was checking something with the sound but then realized she was playing like that on purpose. Nothing bad with, the music was still great.

They never stopped playing from start to finish, it was song after song, no talking to the public. The only interaction with the public was Joey doing a mini-solo on his guitar.

In general a very good concert, nothing like listen to them live.

The Pixies are just as relevant now as they were when they first started.

Black Francis is still the driving force of yesteryear and is supported by Joey Santiago (guitar), David Lovering (drums) and Paz Lenchantin (who replaced Kim Shattuck and in tun Kim Deal). While Black Francis is the focal point of any Pixies concert, the underpinning contributions of the other three are critical. This was always the case in the late 1990s and early 2000s when Black Francis was a solo artist.

Despite some good tunes he was never the same live without Joey and David to drive the sound. They are a powerful quartet with a tremendous back catalogue. The Pixies don't know how to deliver a bad concert. So go and see them and enjoy yourself.

A valuable lesson I learnt last night and that is never to look at a set list from a previous night's gig as you will most probably be disappointed.

Looking through the set list of the Pixies at Brixton on Monday night I was really excited for last night's performance, 32 massive songs played over 2 1/4 hours. Last night however couldn't have been more different with the only big tune the whole night being "Monkey Gone to Heaven".

Being a massive Pixies fan for some 30 years I have to say I was very disappointed indeed.

However, each song was played superbly and in quick fire mode with the only crowd interaction being when Black Francis apologised for messing up the same song twice, embarrassingly moving on to the next song

Charles "Black Francis" Thompson, David Lovering, Paz Lenchantin and Joey Santiago together all brought a great ear candy experience last night! From the moment I heard Thompson's warbling vocals filtering out the open front door as he sang the line "What's that floating in the water?" from 'Mr. Grieves' I knew the night was off to a great start! Together Thompson along with Lovering's backbeat, Lenchantin's furious bass work and call-and-answer style of vocal trade with Thompson, rounded off with Santiago's amazing guitar work, they tore through the perfect set list with many hits as well as rare gems mixed in!

Awful Awful

I have wanted to see Pixies since 1992ish but never had the chance until now. The Opening band Royal Blood was amazing for a 2 piece band! Pixies had some sound issues at first where we could not hear the vocals at all, about halfway through the set the sound improved & also started playing some of their older more recognizable songs. Once that happened the show went on amazingly. I am happy to have seen them. The venue (Shaw center, Edmonton, AB) was nice because you could stand or sit if you preferred.

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Pixies is not due to play near your location currently - but they are scheduled to play 55 concerts across 15 countries in 2024-2025. View all concerts.

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Pixies Announce First Run of 2023 North American Tour Dates

The post Pixies Announce First Run of 2023 North American Tour Dates appeared first on Consequence .

Pixies  have announced the initial handful of dates for their upcoming 2023 North American headline tour.

Currently wrapping up their 2022 jaunt in New Zealand, the alt-rock stalwarts will hit the road starting on May 4th at the Fox Theatre in Oakland, California. They’ll primarily cover the southwest US throughout the month, making stops in cities such as Phoenix, Santa Fe, Denver, and two back-to-back nights in Las Vegas. They’ll wrap up the leg with a festival set at the Kilby Block Party in Salt Lake City.

Though the tour is in support of Pixies’ September album Doggerel ,  the band have a whole treasure trove of hits and deep cuts to add to their setlists — “setlists” being plural, because each night will see the band play a unique lineup of songs, deciding whatever “the next song” will be right before playing its first note.

Tickets for Pixies’ new tour dates go on sale this Friday, December 16th at 10:00 a.m. local time, and you can head over to Ticketmaster to grab yours. See their full list of upcoming shows below, with more to be announced soon.

Consequence ‘s correspondent in Japan caught Pixies’ show in Osaka just a couple of weeks ago; revisit our recap of the night here .  Doggerel  marked Pixies’ eighth studio album, following up 2019’s Beneath the Eyrie

Pixies 2023 Tour Dates: 05/04 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater 05/06 – Monterey, CA @ Golden State Theatre 05/08 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren 05/09 – Santa Fe, NM @ Lensic Performing Arts Center 05/10 – Denver, CO @ The Mission Ballroom 05/12 – Las Vegas, NV @ Encore Theatre at Wynn 05/13 – Las Vegas, NV @ Encore Theatre at Wynn 05/12-14 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Block Party (Festival Set)

Pixies Announce First Run of 2023 North American Tour Dates Abby Jones

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Pixies Expand 2023 North American Tour Dates

Franz Ferdinand and Bully will provide support

Pixies have expanded their 2023 North American headline tour with a new handful of dates announced today.

Franz Ferdinand and Bully will join Pixies as supporting acts for the entire second leg, which kicks off June 8th in Boston. The run also includes stops in Philadelphia, Atlanta, Houston, and more before wrapping up June 25th in Austin.

Though the tour is in support of Pixies’ September album  Doggerel ,  the band have a whole treasure trove of hits and deep cuts to add to their setlists — “setlists” being plural, because each night will see the band play a unique lineup of songs, deciding whatever “the next song” will be right before playing its first note.

Pre-sale tickets for Leg 2 of Pixies’ 2023 North American tour go on sale this Thursday, February 2rd at 10:00 a.m. local time (use our code SOUND ) over at Ticketmaster , with general sale following the next day at the same time. You can also check for remaining tickets to Leg 1 at StubHub . See all Pixies’ 2023 North American tour dates below.

Consequence caught Pixies’ show in Osaka late last year; revisit our recap of the night here .  Doggerel  marked Pixies’ eighth studio album, following up 2019’s  Beneath the Eyrie .

Pixies 2023 Tour Dates: 02/21 – Stockholm, SE @ Cirkus 02/22 – Oslo, NO @ Sentrum Scene 02/25 – Copenhagen, DK @ DR Koncerthuset 02/26 – Berlin, DE @ Columbiahalle 02/27 – Munich, DE @ Tonhalle 03/03 – Groningen, NE @ Oosterpoort 03/04 – The Hague, NE @ AMARE Den Haag 03/05 – Utrecht, NE @ Tivoli Vredenburg 03/07 – Brussells, BE @ Forest National 03/09 – Barcelona, ES @ Sant Jordi Club 03/10 – Madrid, ES @ WiZink Center 03/11 – A Coruña, ES @ Coliseum 03/13 – Lisbon, PT @ Campo Pequeno 03/15 – Paris, FR @ L’Olympia 03/16 – Paris, FR @ L’Olympia 03/17 – Birmingham, UK @ Forum Birmingham 03/18 – Cardiff, UK @ Cardiff INternational Arena 03/20 – London, UK @ Roundhouse 03/21 – London, UK @ Roundhouse 05/04 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater 05/06 – Monterey, CA @ Golden State Theatre 05/08 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren 05/09 – Santa Fe, NM @ Lensic Performing Arts Center 05/10 – Denver, CO @ The Mission Ballroom 05/12 – Las Vegas, NV @ Encore Theatre at Wynn 05/13 – Las Vegas, NV @ Encore Theatre at Wynn 05/12-14 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Block Party (Festival Set) 06/08 – Boston, MA @ MGM Music Hall at Fenway ^ 06/09 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Met ^ 06/10 – Washington, D.C. @ The Anthem ^ 06/12 – Columbus, OH @ Kemba Live ^ 06/13 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE ^ 06/14 – Cincinnati, OH @ Andrew J. Brady Music Center ^ 06/16 – Raleigh, NC @ Red Hat Amphitheater ^ 06/17 – Asheville, NC @ Rabbit Rabbit ^ 06/18 – Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo 06/20 – Atlanta, GA @ Coca-Coca Roxy ^ 06/21 – New Orleans, LA @ The Fillmore ^ 06/23 – Houston, TX @ Bayou Music Center ^ 06/24 – Dallas, TX @ Southside Ballroom ^ 06/25 – Austin, TX @ Moody Amphitheater ^

^ = w/ Franz Ferdinand and Bully

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Pixies Announce Leg One of 2023 North American Tour

The tour is in support of the band's latest album, Doggerel, a mature yet visceral record of gruesome folk, ballroom pop and brutal rock

Currently in New Zealand wrapping up Phase One of their massive 2022 – 2023 World Tour, today Pixies announce initial dates for the first leg of their 2023 North American headline trek. Pixies will hit the road on May 4 at the Fox Theatre in Oakland CA, headlining shows in U.S. western states through to the middle of May. The confirmed dates are below; tickets go on sale this Friday, December 16 at 10:00AM (local). Log on to https://www.pixiesmusic.com for all ticket purchasing information.

The tour is in support of the band’s latest album, Doggerel, a mature yet visceral record of gruesome folk, ballroom pop and brutal rock haunted by the ghosts of affairs and indulgences, driven wild by cosmic forces and envisioning digital afterlives where no God has provided one. The album was released on September 30, 2022 (BMG) to tremendous reviews:

As will be the case on these upcoming dates, every Pixies’ show will be different from those they played before and those they will play down the line. Prior to every tour, the Pixies rehearse 90-100 songs from their extensive catalogue, and “the next song” is determined just before its first note is played. Concertgoers can expect the band to perform some of their most beloved and iconic Pixies songs, as well as tracks from Doggerel .

Pixies – Black Francis/guitar, Joey Santiago/lead guitar, David Lovering/drums, and Paz Lenchantin/bass – have been acclaimed as the most influential, pioneering band of the late 80s alt/rock movement, having served as a major influence for artists like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Radiohead, the Strokes, Weezer, and many more. And today, a whole new generation of music fans has been discovering and embracing the band’s “loudquietloud” signature sound. Quirky, catchy melodies have always been Pixies’ calling card; eight genre-defining studio albums, including the Gold-certified Surfer Rosa , and the iconic Platinum Doolittle , considered one of the all-time, quintessential alt/rock albums. Sell-out crowds all over the globe, Pixies’ live shows are unadulterated magic, simultaneously electrifying and lo-fi. Seventy-five minutes of the band playing anything they want, in whatever order they want, the classics and the new gems.

Confirmed dates for the first leg of Pixies’ North American tour are as follows:

4 Fox Theater, Oakland, CA

6 Golden State Theatre, Monterey, CA

8 The Van Buren, Phoenix, AZ

9 Lensic Performing Arts Center, Santa Fe, NM

10 The Mission Ballroom, Denver, CO

12 Encore Theatre at Wynn, Las Vegas, NV

13 Encore Theatre at Wynn, Las Vegas, NV

12-14 Kilby Block Party, Utah State Park, Salt Lake City, UT (Festival)

• Next »

Pixies Announce Spring 2023 Tour, Two-Night Vegas Stint

by Jacob Uitti December 15, 2022, 10:48 am

Iconic rock band the Pixies have announced a 2023 tour, which includes a two-night stint in Las Vegas.

Videos by American Songwriter

The gigs kick off in May of 2023, starting on May 4 in Oakland at Fox Theater. The confirmed dates end (as of now) on May 14 in Salt Lake City, Utah. On May 12 and 13, the band will make its debut at the Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas.

The band is currently wrapping up its 2022 string of dates in New Zealand.

The tour comes in support of The Pixies’ latest album, Doggerel . Over the course of the band’s 36-year history, they have released eight studio albums, including the Gold-certified Surfer Rosa , and the platinum album, Doolittle . Prior to the tour, the Pixies rehearse 90-100 songs from their extensive catalog to play for fans along the dates.  

The Pixies are comprised of Black Francis (guitar), Joey Santiago (lead guitar), David Lovering (drums), and Paz Lenchantin (bass) and have served as influences for artists like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Radiohead, the Strokes, Weezer and many others.

Santiago talked with American Songwriter earlier this year, saying of the band’s new album, “The way the songs are structured, it’s pretty pro. Almost all the songs clocked in at around three minutes which is a perfect pop song and it wasn’t done on purpose at all. We were just shocked that it was. We nailed it.”

He added, “It’s just what naturally comes to us. We don’t necessarily have a genre or a theme in mind when we’re making a record. It’s by accident. It always is.”

Santiago continued, “This is probably the most relaxed I’ve been recording any album, so that’s a very different feeling for me… I am so proud of it. I just want people to enjoy it.” 

Pixies 2023 Tour Dates:

05/04 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater 05/06 – Monterey, CA @ Golden State Theatre 05/08 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren 05/09 – Santa Fe, NM @ Lensic Performing Arts Center 05/10 – Denver, CO @ The Mission Ballroom 05/12 – Las Vegas, NV @ Encore Theatre at Wynn 05/13 – Las Vegas, NV @ Encore Theatre at Wynn 05/14 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Block Party (Festival Set)

Tickets are available HERE .

Get ready for a double dose of indie greatness! Pixies and Modest Mouse are coming to town in 2024. Secure your tickets for a night of alternative rock brilliance. Don’t wait – grab your Pixies and Modest Mouse 2024 tour tickets today!

Join the musical extravaganza! Get your Pixies, Modest Mouse, Cat Power Tour tickets and create memories that last a lifetime.

Photo by Debbie Hickey/Getty Images

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Among the tributes, Pixies posted a photo of him on X, with the caption RIP Steve Albini, while The Lord Of The Rings star Elijah Wood wrote: "Ugh man, a heartbreaking loss of a legend. Love to his family and innumerable colleagues. Farewell, Steve Albini."

Wednesday 8 May 2024 23:57, UK

US musician and rock producer Steve Albini, who has worked with acts including Nirvana, PJ Harvey and Pixies, has died aged 61.

The "punk legend" recorded Nirvana's third and final studio album In Utero, released in 1993, as well as Pixies' debut studio album Surfer Rosa, which came out in 1988, and PJ Harvey's second studio album Rid Of Me, in 1993.

Pixies were one of late Nirvana singer Kurt Cobain's favourite bands.

Albini also recorded and mixed the 1998 record Walking Into Clarksdale, the only album by surviving Led Zeppelin members Jimmy Page and Robert Plant.

He also performed in his own bands including Big Black and his most recent project, Shellac.

Shellac had just finished recording a new album, To All Trains, due for release next week, and the group were set to tour the record prior to Albini's death, according to the music website Pitchfork.

In 1997, he opened his famed Electric Audio recording studio in Chicago.

He told The Guardian last year: "The recording part is the part that matters to me - that I'm making a document that records a piece of our culture, the life's work of the musicians that are hiring me.

"I take that part very seriously. I want the music to outlive all of us."

Brian Fox, an engineer at the studio, said Albini died following a heart attack on Tuesday night.

Speaking in 2018, Albini said he had worked on more than 2,000 albums, mostly for underground or indie bands.

RIP Steve Albini pic.twitter.com/qQjEQla0mF — PIXIES (@PIXIES) May 8, 2024

Among the tributes, Pixies posted a photo of him on X, with the caption RIP Steve Albini.

The Lord Of The Rings star Elijah Wood wrote: "Ugh man, a heartbreaking loss of a legend. Love to his family and innumerable colleagues. Farewell, Steve Albini."

Musician, studio engineer and the mastermind behind some of rock's greatest albums. A hero to us all. Thank you for setting the standard so high. RIP Steve Albini. Deeply missed, forever loved. Photo: Pat Nabong/Sun-Times pic.twitter.com/aXHhaGTChr — Rough Trade (@RoughTrade) May 8, 2024

Rough Trade, a retail chain of record shops in the UK and US, wrote on X: "Musician, studio engineer and the mastermind behind some of rock's greatest albums. A hero to us all. Thank you for setting the standard so high. RIP Steve Albini. Deeply missed, forever loved."

Born on 22 July 1962 in Pasadena, California, he grew up in Montana and went to Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where he studied journalism.

He became a fixture on the Chicago punk rock scene in the late 1970s and early 1980s, when he began performing with various bands and engineering albums.

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Albini remained a prominent figure in the Chicago music scene after his time at Northwestern, owning and operating Electrical Audio.

Pitchfork reported he did not take royalties from records he worked on, and he kept his day rates for artists comparatively low, especially as a producer with his pedigree.

He also became well-known for his commentary on the state of the music industry in the age of streaming.

Albini is survived by his filmmaker wife Heather Whinna.

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Pixies to play “Bossanova” and “Trompe Le Monde” in five European cities in 2024

The Pixies are about to begin the second leg of their massive, three-part North American tour , but they’re already looking ahead to 2024, when the band will perform their two 1990s albums — Bossanova and Trompe Le Monde — in full at 15 shows in five European cities.

The tour, which the band is calling Bossanova X Trompe Le Monde , will feature three concerts apiece in Dublin, Manchester, London, Amsterdam and Paris next March. For the first time ever, the Pixies will play the two albums, released in 1990 and 1991, in full each night, along other songs from the band’s catalog.

Tickets for the shows go on sale 9 a.m. UK / 10 a.m. CET on Friday, June 9.

The Pixies previously performed Come On Pilgrim and Surfer Rosa together at a limited number of dates, and have played Doolittle in full on multiple tours as well. The band’s current U.S. tour comes in support of last year’s Doggerel , their fourth post-reunion album. (See those dates here .)

Here are the group’s tour 2024 dates:

Pixies’ Bossanova X  Trompe Le Monde tour dates 2024

March 8: Olympia, Dublin, Ireland March 9: Olympia, Dublin, Ireland March 10: Olympia, Dublin, Ireland March 12: Albert Hall, Manchester, UK March 13: Albert Hall, Manchester, UK March 14: Albert Hall, Manchester, UK March 16: O2 Forum Kentish Town , London, UK March 17: O2 Forum Kentish Town , London, UK March 18: O2 Forum Kentish Town , London, UK March 20: Paradiso, Amsterdam, The Netherlands March 21: Paradiso, Amsterdam, The Netherlands March 22: Paradiso, Amsterdam, The Netherlands March 25: L’Olympia, Paris, France March 26: L’Olympia, Paris, France March 27 : L’Olympia, Paris, France

PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS

• Pixies team up with Modest Mouse, Cat Power for 3rd leg of North American tour
• Pixies prep “Doolittle” live album, 10-inch of “Purple Tape” demos for Record Store Day
• Pixies announce second leg of U.S. tour with special guests Franz Ferdinand, Bully
• Pixies debut new song “Human Crime” — watch the video by bassist Paz Lenchantin
• Pixies release alternate version of ‘Velouria’ video with far less slo-mo jumping
• Pixies’ third album ‘Bossanova’ to receive 30th anniversary reissue on red vinyl

This is the tour I want to see in the states. I am tired of the sets dominated by Surfer Rosa, Doolittle, and Come On Pilgrim.

agreed! Trompe Le Monde is seriously one of their best records, Bossanova is insane. I want to see this tour!

Agreed. And this should be a world tour. I wanna sing along to alec eiffel and hangwire!!!

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How Steve Albini changed rock music, in 12 essential songs

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Steve Albini stood for a sound. But he also stood for an ethos.

Famous among rock fans for his work in the recording studio with the likes of Nirvana and the Pixies — and for his own bands Shellac and Big Black — Albini was known for harsh guitars and booming drums presented with none of the sweetening that can make a rock record sound like a candyland. As a producer (though he preferred to be called an engineer), he took a “documentary approach to recording music,” he told The Times in 1993, not long after he oversaw the making of Nirvana’s final studio album, “In Utero.”

Steve Albini, influential record producer and musician, dies at 61

Known as a giant of punk and experimental rock music from the 1980s to the present day, Albini produced and engineered records for Nirvana, the Pixies, PJ Harvey and others.

May 8, 2024

Yet Albini, who died Tuesday at age 61, was almost equally revered for his straightforward criticisms of the record industry and its propensity to corrupt the purity of creative expression. To him, stardom was a trap, which is one reason he was known for years to record virtually any band that asked him to at his studio in Chicago. What he offered musicians was wisdom, honesty and technical know-how; what he got out of his clients more often than not was some of their best work. Here, in the order they were released, are 12 of Albini’s essential recordings.

1. Big Black, “Kerosene” (1986)

A would-be arsonist explains himself — his motive: boredom — as slashing guitars scrape against the mechanized thump of a Roland drum machine. No Big Black, no Nine Inch Nails.

2. Pixies, “Where Is My Mind?” (1988)

“Never have I seen four cows more anxious to be led around by their nose rings,” Albini famously wrote after recording the debut album by this seminal alt-rock quartet. Yet even now nothing sounds quite like the Pixies’ most enduring tune: a haunted psychedelic-soul jam in which the ultra-reverbed backing vocals conjure the terrifying underwater expanse that singer Black Francis describes in his lyric. Thanks in part to a prominent placement in 1999’s “Fight Club,” “Where Is My Mind?” has been streamed more than 850 million times on Spotify.

3. The Breeders, “Iris” (1990)

Clearly unbothered by the nose-ring comment, the Pixies’ Kim Deal drafted Albini to oversee the first record by her other band, and it’s not hard to see why: No one ever showcased the feral beauty of Deal’s singing like he did.

4. Helmet, “In the Meantime” (1992)

Albini recorded only one tune for the major-label debut by this New York noise-rock outfit, but it’s a scorcher. “Earth tone suits you, so give it a smile,” Page Hamilton barks over a groove so rigid it’s almost funky.

5. PJ Harvey, “Rid of Me” (1993)

“Lick my legs, I’m on fire / Lick my legs of desire,” Harvey shrieks without accompaniment to end this pile-driving blues-punk come-on — perhaps her most unflinching vocal performance in a career overflowing with them.

6. Nirvana, “Serve the Servants” (1993)

Nirvana’s follow-up to its epochal “Nevermind” opens like a grunge version of “A Hard Day’s Night,” with a blast of unruly guitar noise that quickly gives way to a catchy complaint about having worked like a dog only to end up — surprise! — bored and old. Dave Grohl’s drums have never hit harder.

7. Jawbreaker, “Do You Still Hate Me?” (1994)

Working under the name of his cat, Fluss, Albini helped give this Bay Area punk trio a muscular bottom end that perfectly balanced singer Blake Schwarzenbach’s desperate rasp.

8. Shellac, “Pull the Cup” (1994)

After years of putting riffs together, Albini tried taking one apart.

9. Bush, “Swallowed” (1996)

For all his disgust with the mainstream record biz, Albini was more than willing to take a major-label check, as when Gavin Rossdale’s band came to him in what seemed like an obvious attempt to fill the vacuum left behind when Kurt Cobain died. But Albini never took easy money as an opportunity to coast: Listen to how carefully he gets the sound of fingers on guitar strings into this beefcake power ballad.

10. Jimmy Page & Robert Plant, “Please Read the Letter” (1998)

A decade before Plant and Alison Krauss won a Grammy for record of the year with it, Albini captured the former Led Zeppelin bandmates’ original take on this plaintive folk-rock tune. It stomps, it crunches, it jangles.

11. Songs: Ohia, “Farewell Transmission” (2003)

Cut, as the story goes, in a single take with no rehearsal, this seven-minute epic by the group led by songwriter Jason Molina (who died in 2013) sounds like Neil Young fronting the Allman Brothers Band. A testament to Albini’s knack for recognizing a moment when it arrived.

12. Joanna Newsom, “Monkey & Bear” (2006)

Not a serrated guitar in sight — just Newsom’s voice, her harp and Van Dyke Parks’ pinprick orchestral arrangements, each recorded with such precision and intimacy that listening feels like being let in on a secret.

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Steve Albini, legendary producer for Nirvana and the Pixies and an alternative rock pioneer, dies at 61

Steve Albini, an alternative rock pioneer and legendary producer who shaped the musical landscape through his work with Nirvana, the Pixies, PJ Harvey, and more, has died. He was 61.

Brian Fox, an engineer at Mr. Albini’s studio, Electrical Audio Recording, said Wednesday that the audio engineer died after a heart attack Tuesday night.

In addition to his work on canonized rock albums such as Nirvana ‘s “In Utero,” the Pixies’ breakthrough “Surfer Rosa,” and PJ Harvey’s “Rid of Me,” Mr. Albini was the frontman of the underground bands Big Black and Shellac.

He dismissed the term “producer,” refused to take royalties from the albums he worked on, and requested he be credited with “Recorded by Steve Albini,” a fabled label on albums he worked on.

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At the time of his death, Mr. Albini’s band Shellac was preparing to tour after their first new album in a decade, “To All Trains,” which releases next week.

Other acts whose music was shaped by Mr. Albini include Joanna Newsom’s indie-folk opus, “Ys,” and releases from bands the Breeders, the Jesus Lizard, Hum, Superchunk, Low, and Mogwai.

Mr. Albini was born in California, grew up in Montana, and fell in love with the do-it-yourself punk music scene in Chicago while studying journalism at Northwestern University.

As a teenager, he played in punk bands, and in college, wrote about music for the prescient indie zine “Forced Exposure.” While attending Northwestern in the early ‘80s, he founded the abrasive, noisy post-punk band Big Black, known for its mordant riffs, violent and taboo lyrics, and drum machine in lieu of a live drummer. It was a controversial innovation at the time, from a man whose career would be defined by risky choices. The band’s best-known song, the ugly, explosive, six-minute “Kerosene” from their cult favorite album, 1986′s “Atomizer,” is ideal evidence — and not for the faint of heart.

Then came the short-lived band Rapeman — one of two groups Mr. Albini fronted with indefensibly offensive names and vulgar song titles. In the early ’90s, he formed Shellac, the ferocious, distorted noise-rock band — an evolution from Big Black, but still punctuated by pummeling guitar tones and aggressive vocals.

In 1997, Mr. Albini opened his famed studio, Electrical Audio, in Chicago.

“The recording part is the part that matters to me — that I’m making a document that records a piece of our culture, the life’s work of the musicians that are hiring me,” he told The Guardian last year, when asked about some of the well-known and much-loved albums he’s recorded. “I take that part very seriously. I want the music to outlive all of us.”

He was a larger-than-life character in the independent rock music scene, known for his forward-thinking productions, unapologetic irreverence, acerbic sense of humor, and criticisms of the music industry’s exploitative practices — as detailed in his landmark 1993 essay “The Problem with Music” — as much as his talents.

Later in life, he became a notable poker player and apologetic for his past indiscretions.

“Ugh man, a heartbreaking loss of a legend. Love to his family and innumerable colleagues,” wrote actor Elijah Wood on X. “Farewell, Steve Albini.”

Author Michael Azerrad, who included a chapter on Big Black in his comprehensive history, “Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground, 1981–1991,” also posted on X. “I don’t know what to say about Steve Albini’s passing,” Azerrad wrote. “He had a brilliant mind, was a great artist and underwent the most remarkable and inspiring personal transformation. I can’t believe he’s gone.”

Mr. Albini leaves his wife, Heather Whinna, a filmmaker.

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Steve Albini Was an Icon of Punk-Rock Purity—but He Also Showed How You Could Evolve

The legendary producer, dead at 61, was more than just a rigid minimalist..

There’s a quote by the legendary producer Steve Albini, whose death, of a heart attack at age 61, was announced earlier Wednesday, that’s been rattling around in my head for so many decades that it’s been paraphrased beyond recognition, or at least the reach of search engines. It goes, vaguely, like this: There is nothing better than the sound of a drum kit in an empty room.

As a producer, Albini, who recorded albums by Nirvana, PJ Harvey, Pixies, the Breeders, and hundreds of others , was renowned as an icon of punk-rock purity, one who approached the process of making albums and the business of selling them with the same uncompromising approach. When Nirvana was overwhelmed by the runaway success of their major-label debut, Nevermind , they turned to Albini for the follow-up, In Utero , hoping that his abrasive approach would help reduce their fan base to a more manageable level. Instead of jumping at the chance to work with the hottest band in the world, Albini responded with a lengthy letter outlining the circumstances under which he would, and would not, make an album with them. If they wanted to “bang a record out in a couple of days,” he was all-in. If, on the other hand, there was a risk that the record company might interfere with the process, “then you’re in for a bummer and I want no part of it.”

That same year, Albini, whose association with the alternative-rock boom had made him a household, or at least a dorm-room, name, wrote “ The Problem With Music ,” an acidic attack on the corporatization of music that, even three decades hence, still has enough heat to crisp your eyebrows. It begins like this:

Whenever I talk to a band who are about to sign with a major label, I always end up thinking of them in a particular context. I imagine a trench, about four feet wide and five feet deep, maybe sixty yards long, filled with runny, decaying shit. I imagine these people, some of them good friends, some of them barely acquaintances, at one end of this trench. I also imagine a faceless industry lackey at the other end, holding a fountain pen and a contract waiting to be signed.

And it ends like this, with bold in the original: “ Some of your friends are probably already this fucked. ”

What impressed me at the time was Albini’s righteous hostility, his refusal to make excuses for an industry he saw as irredeemably corrupt. He wouldn’t even take a traditional producing credit on the albums he made, insisting on “recorded by” instead, preferring a material description of his labor to the vague idea that he had somehow “produced” something. The music, he reasoned, belonged to the musicians, as did the money it made, which is why he declined to take “points”—a percentage of the profits—on the songs he engineered. In his letter to Nirvana, he said he wanted to “be paid like a plumber” for the work he did and nothing more. Anything else, he wrote, was “ethically indefensible.”

But Albini’s no was also a yes, one that looked beyond the sonic trends of the moment and the record-industry feeding frenzies that coaxed starry-eyed musicians into contracts that boosted their short-term exposure at the expense of their long-term existence. Reading it now, I’m struck by the extent to which “The Problem With Music” is not just a jeremiad—although it is, in every bilious utterance—but a warning. Albini doesn’t just rage against the machine. He names names: of musicians turned major-label scouts whom he paints as glorified procurers, of underground icons, like Talking Heads’ Jerry Harrison and Sonic Youth’s Lee Ranaldo, who take vanity producing credits on other people’s albums. And he names numbers, breaking down, one line item at a time, how a seemingly generous recording contract can end up making everyone rich but the artists themselves. By the time he’s done with his example, a band signed for a quarter of a million dollars ends up making just over $4,000 apiece. “The band members have each earned about 1/3 as much as they would working at a 7-11,” he concludes, “but they got to ride in a tour bus for a month.”

Albini sometimes courted confrontation—in the late 1980s, he led a short-lived noise band called Rapeman—but he softened in his later decades, choosing his targets more intentionally. Without intending to, he became the model of a gracefully aging Gen Xer holding fast to his principles but seeming less intent on repelling anyone who didn’t precisely share, or even dared to question, them. He was also an unexpected and improbable delight on Twitter, railing against connoisseurs’ latter-day embrace of Steely Dan, whose music he said was “ made for the sole purpose of letting the wedding band stretch out a little .” But he also used his account to ruminate on his past personae, especially the bluntly provocative “ ‘edgelord’ shit ” of his earlier bands. “I was a cruder person back then ,” he said in a subsequent interview, in which he called that old band name “inexcusable.” “It’s worth it to interrogate yourself and try to figure out why you’re doing things the way you are.”

Although the music he made himself was as unsparing as his reputation— To All Trains , the first album in 10 years by his trio Shellac, is due out next week—Albini’s minimalism was never the whole story. Listen, for example, to Joanna Newsom’s Ys , whose lush orchestrations feel even livelier because of the way his recording gives each instrument room to breathe. But I keep coming back to those drums. On PJ Harvey’s Rid of Me , you can hear the way the sound of the snares travels through space, not just keeping the beat but describing a universe you’re invited to inhabit. Most contemporary recordings are so compressed and optimized they might as well have been recorded in orbit around a distant planet, but with Albini’s, you’re right in the room, experiencing the music in the instant it comes into existence. In that moment, there’s nothing better.

Steve Albini, an alternative rock pioneer and legendary producer for Nirvana and the Pixies, dies at 61

Steve Albini, an alternative rock pioneer and legendary producer who shaped the musical landscape through his work with Nirvana, the Pixies, PJ Harvey and more, has died aged 61.

Brian Fox, an engineer at Albini's studio Electrical Audio Recording, said that Albini died after a heart attack on Tuesday night, local time.

In addition to his work on rock albums such as Nirvana's In Utero, the Pixies' breakthrough Surfer Rosa, and PJ Harvey's Rid of Me, Albini was the frontman of the underground bands Big Black and Shellac.

He dismissed the term "producer," refused to take royalties from the albums he worked on, and requested he be credited with "Recorded by Steve Albini," a fabled label on albums he worked on.

At the time of his death, Albini's band Shellac were preparing to tour their first new album in a decade, To All Trains, which releases next week.

Other acts whose music was shaped by Albini include Joanna Newsom's indie-folk opus, Ys, and releases from bands like the Breeders, the Jesus Lizard, Hum, Superchunk, Low and Mogwai.

Albini was born in California, grew up in Montana, and fell in love with the do-it-yourself punk music scene in Chicago while studying journalism at Northwestern University.

As a teenager, he played in punk bands, and in college, wrote about music for the indie zine Forced Exposure.

While attending Northwestern in the early 80s, he founded the abrasive, noisy post-punk band Big Black, known for its mordant riffs, violent and taboo lyrics, and a drum machine in lieu of a live drummer.

It was a controversial innovation at the time, from a man whose career would be defined by risky choices.

The band's best-known song, the ugly, explosive, six-minute Kerosene from their cult favourite album, 1986's Atomizer, is ideal evidence — and not for the faint of heart.

In the early 90s, he formed Shellac, the ferocious, distorted noise-rock band — an evolution from Big Black, but still punctuated by pummelling guitar tones and aggressive vocals.

In 1997, Albini opened his famed studio, Electrical Audio, in Chicago.

"The recording part is the part that matters to me — that I'm making a document that records a piece of our culture, the life's work of the musicians that are hiring me," Albini told The Guardian last year, when asked about some of the well-known and much-loved albums he's recorded.

"I take that part very seriously. I want the music to outlive all of us."

Albini was a larger-than-life character in the independent rock music scene, known for his forward-thinking productions, unapologetic irreverence, acerbic sense of humour and criticisms of the music industry's exploitative practices — as detailed in his landmark 1993 essay The Problem with Music — as much as his talents.

Later in life, he became a notable poker player and apologetic for his past behaviour.

"Ugh man, a heartbreaking loss of a legend. Love to his family and innumerable colleagues," wrote actor Elijah Wood on X.

"Farewell, Steve Albini."

Author Michael Azerrad, who included a chapter on Big Black in his comprehensive history, Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground, 1981–1991, also posted on X.

"I don't know what to say about Steve Albini's passing," Azerrad wrote.

"He had a brilliant mind, was a great artist and underwent the most remarkable and inspiring personal transformation.

"I can't believe he's gone."

Albini is survived by his wife, Heather Whinna, a filmmaker.

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• Death and Dying
• Music (Arts and Entertainment)
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Dave Grohl Dedicates ‘My Hero’ to Steve Albini at Foo Fighters Concert in N.C.

Grohl worked with the late engineer/producer on Nirvana's final album, "In Utero."

By Mitchell Peters

Mitchell Peters

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Dave Grohl is remembering late engineer/producer and noise- rock pioneer Steve Albini.

Steve Albini, Legendary Engineer/Producer of Nirvana, Pixies Albums, Dies at 61

During the rock band’s concert in Charlotte, N.C., on Thursday (May 9), the Foo Fighters frontman dedicated the group’s hit song “My Hero” to Albini, who died earlier in the week at age 61.

“Tonight, I’d like to dedicate this song to a friend we lost the other day, who I’ve known for a long, long time. And he left us much too soon,” Grohl told the crowd. “He’s touched all of your lives, I’m sure. Talking about Steve Albini. For those of you who know, you know. For those of you who don’t know, just remember that name: Steve Albini. So let’s sing this one for him.”

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Following his death from a sudden heart attack, numerous artists paid tribute to Albini, including the Pixies, PJ Harvey, Failure, the Breeders, Urge Overkill, Jarvis Cocker, Superchunk and Butch Vig.

In addition to In Utero , Albini — who fronted the bands Shellac and Big Black — also worked on the Pixies’ beloved 1988 album,  Surfer Rosa , along with projects by Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Mogwai, Flogging Molly, the Breeders, Newsom, the Stooges, and many others.

His band, Shellac, was gearing up to release its first album in a decade,  To All Trains , and had booked a series of shows in England in June, followed by a run of U.S. dates in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles in July.

Watch Foo Fighters’ tribute to Albini here .

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Olivia Rodrigo Adds Asia and Australia Legs to Guts World Tour

Olivia Rodrigo will tour Asia and Australia for the first time in her career, the singer announced Wednesday. Rodrigo has added nine international dates to her massive “ Guts ” world tour for a total of 82 shows globally.

The new dates kick off Sept. 16 in Bangkok, Thailand and continue through Seoul, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Singapore, Melbourne, and Sydney, wrapping up on Oct. 19 at Qudos Bank Arena. Additional dates may be added as Rodrigo wrote on social media, “Stay tuned, Manila!” Fans in the comment sections of her social posts are eager to hear when and if Rodrigo will also be adding Latin American dates to the trek but that has yet to be confirmed.

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The “Guts” tour has since made stops in New York, Houston and Dublin, and will make its way towards London in the coming weeks. It will conclude on Oct. 18 in Sydney.

Tickets for the newly added Asia and Australia dates will be available starting with the American Express presale in select markets.

Rodrigo performed “Vampire” and “Get Him Back!” at MTV’s Video Music Awards on Tuesday night, following Lil Wayne as the second performer of the evening. It was her second-ever appearance at the show as Rodrigo made her VMAs debut in 2021 when she performed her Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit “Good 4 U.”

“Guts” was released to high acclaim on Sept. 8 via Geffen Records and was preceded by two top 10 singles, “Vampire” and “Bad Idea Right?” “Vampire” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking Rodrigo the youngest artist to debut three No. 1 hits on the chart behind “Drivers License” and “Good 4 U.”

In an interview with Capital FM in England , Rodrigo said she wrote much of the songs on “Guts” with the concept of an accompanying tour “in mind.”

“I think there’s a lot of fun songs,” she said. “I wrote the album with a tour in mind, so I think they’re all songs I wanted people to be able to scream in a crowd. Hopefully, that’s what’s achieved.” A similar teaser — in the form of a faux ticket advertising “Olivia Rodrigo: Guts The World Tour” — appeared in a lyric video for “Making the Bed,” the sixth track off “Guts.”

Rodrigo last toured North America and Europe in support of her debut album “Sour” in 2022. It started on April 5 in Portland and ended on July 7 in London. Gracie Abrams, Holly Humberstone, Chappell Roan and Baby Queen served as opening acts.

Additional reporting by Jem Aswad.

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