The Pixies brought two hours of non-stop rock ‘n’ roll to Liberty Hall in Sydney

Black Francis doesn’t like to talk and isn’t afraid to tell you so.

“We’re glad to be here. A lot of people think it’s not true because we don’t talk much, but it is,” he says casually into the microphone before his band the Pixies treat us to two hours of non-stop snub-nosed rock ‘n’ roll.

“When you speak, no one understands you anyway,” he grins. “But yeah, we’re just going to play music.”

And the music they played.

The Pixies have left an incredible legacy since their formation in 1986, inspiring us with classics like “Where Is My Mind?” and “Debaser,” incorporating many different subgenres of rock and roll into their sound. Punk rock, surf rock, grunge. If it has a crunchy riff and can knock your socks off live, the Pixies have experimented with it and alchemized those parts into a completely original sound.

And it’s time to remind Sydney of this.

The Pixies aren’t often mentioned in the same breath as classic rock bands like Oasis and The Beatles, and I think that’s fair. They don’t make memorable songs in the sense that you rarely hear the Pixies on the radio (with the exception of “Where Is My Mind?”). But when they play live, it’s easy to forget that all the other bands exist.

They have nothing to prove, but they really acted the way they did.

Because as a live band, the Pixies are mesmerizing. They’re as direct and straightforward as Francis’ brutal microphone work, elevated to a level unseen by most of their peers thanks to the band’s sheer talent. Joey Santiago’s textured guitar work plays with such intensity that it’s perfect for a space the size of Sydney’s Liberty Hall, which can only hold 1,200 fans. David Lovering is a drummer’s drummer, pounding his kit with incredible energy. Kim Deal is often the glue of the band, with her basslines as boisterous as Joey’s crunchy guitar work and her vocals perfectly balanced to counterbalance Black’s odd growl.

All they needed was a crowd-pleasing setlist, and this would be exactly the show Pixies fans have needed since they last toured here… who knows when.

Luckily, this was also beautifully done. In fact, the Pixies were so confident that they had chosen the perfect setlist that they wrote their biggest song first. The disorienting riffs of “Where Is My Mind?” bounced off Liberty Hall and really demonstrated the value of this venue for Sydney live music.

The last time I was here was when The Killers did a special midnight show after their 2022 Qudos Bank Arena show. I’m not entirely comfortable with the possibility of seeing a large group here, as rare as such an opportunity may be.

I’m afraid the Pixies won’t be as impressive in the stadium. But in a place like this, those riffs really envelop you and pull you into their shockingly brutal sound that hits you in the face with tracks like “The Vegas Suite” and “Tame.”

They even took “Jesus and Mary Chain” and made it really sound like a Pixies song, spicing up the classic shoegaze song “Head On” with a grittier, rougher edge.

This is a perfect example of the Pixies performing live. When you listen to them on record, their relatively calm, psychedelic side comes out. I’m surprised there wasn’t a live circle pit.

FIVE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)

Photo: Pete Dovgan