Madrid (EFE).- It’s been no less than 33 years since the Pixies played for the first time in Madrid (Spain) and, this Friday night, their guitars sounded almost as powerful, although less fast, in the Wizink Center multipurpose space. by reinterpreting indie rock anthems like “Where is my mind?” and present his new album, the slower “Doggerel”.
Shortly after 9 pm, the silhouette of Frank Black (guitar and vocals) has taken center stage, flanked by Joey Santiago (guitar), Paz Lenchantin (bass) and Dave Lovering (drums), all of whom have been in the band since which was created in Boston in 1986, with the exception of Lenchantin, which replaces the legendary Kim Deal.
The spectators, who almost filled the venue, have attended for almost two hours, and without encores, the usual adrenaline rush that comes from experiencing a concert by this band, although this time combined with more sedate moments, inevitably linked to the songs of the last years.
In a show without effects and not even the usual big screens surrounding the stage, the apotheosis came when Black, whose real name is Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV and who will turn 58 in April, linked one success after another.
As expected, the most classic songs, true generational hymns under two minutes long, have been the most celebrated, danced to and applauded by a largely mature audience.
All it took was a strumming of the guitar for the entire audience to know that it was “Here comes your man” what they were going to dance to, while a “hey” by Frank Black was immediately followed by a massive “been trying to meet you” for end up chanting, hugging each other, “Chained”.
There have even been some attempts at “pogo” with songs like “Gouge away” and “Wave of mutilation”, which has had a much calmer second version.
“Doggerel”, longer and more mature songs
The songs from “Doggerel” have played a leading role, the eighth LP by the group that became known with “Surfer Rosa” (1988). They are longer songs, some exceeding three minutes, they have greater maturity in the composition and execution of the songs and a variety of styles.
This is the case of “There’s a Moon On”, “Vault Of Heaven” and “Dregs Of The Wine”. This is the fourth album the band has released since they reunited in 2004.
They had disbanded in 1993 after not achieving such massive success during their first stage, but surrounding themselves with prestige for a legacy that paved the way for the “grunge” sound (Nirvana singer Kurt Cobain admitted that with “Smells like teen spirit” tried to copy the pixies).
In 2012, the charismatic Kim Deal left the band after years of conflicts and disagreements with the singer and guitarist.
Spanish tour, stops in A Coruña
The Pixies, who do not do sound checks beforehand and improvise a setlist for each performance, began their Spanish tour this Thursday at the Sant Jordi Club in Barcelona, and after their performance in Madrid they will go to the Coliseum in A Coruña on Saturday, March 11. .
After Spain, the group will travel to Portugal, France and Great Britain, before returning to the United States.
By Marina Estevez Torreblanca
