What more is there to say about the Pixies? They’re alt-rock legends, known for doing their own thing since the beginning nearly 40 years ago, with multiple albums in the canon that shaped what rock music was in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. They’re also borderline one of a kind, even today. No one sounds exactly like the Pixies do, thanks to how deep their inventive streak runs and the talismanic presence that Frank Black brings as a frontman.
But you know all of that, right? This isn’t some obscure relic like plenty of the ‘90s’ visionaries were; the Pixies are among the household names. Even if their post-hiatus, Kim Deal-free music hasn’t re-stoked the fires of Surfer Rosa or Doolittle, it doesn’t negate what came before, even slightly. Case in point—they’re at a stage where arena shows are viable for them. It might only be a privilege awarded to the Cardiff date of their current UK tour, but it’s still not nothing. And given that they’re joined by poetic post-punk phenoms BIG SPECIAL—another band who’ve achieved greatness through a completely independent creative tempo—you’re left to feel like, in some capacity, the Pixies have still got it. Ross Peacey headed over to Cardiff’s Utilita Arena to catch these legends in action.
BIG SPECIAL
Pixies
Photos by Ross Peacey (Instagram)
