REVIEW: Alt rock trailblazers Pixies show they have plenty left in the tank at Castlefield Bowl

There are not many bands that have had such a profound influence on all the music that has been made since them than Pixies. And to refer to them as 'trailblazers' or 'veterans' of the rock genre is to be putting it extremely lightly.

Any young bands out there could still learn a lot from a breathless 30-song performance from Frank Black (also known as Black Francis) and co.. That a now 57-year-old can still scream and shout with just as much impact as they could when they burst onto the scene changing alt rock for good in the late 80s is quite something.

Fans are not given a moments rest as the band race through a set which spans their more than 35-year career playing crowd favourites including Here Comes Your Man, Monkey Gone to Heaven, and Hey. Ending with Where Is My Mind is a class touch.

READ MORE: Sam Fender at Sounds of the City, Castlefield Bowl - stage times, support, setlist, getting there and venue guide

Long-time fans of the band were treated to the full range from their five pre-reformation albums with Come On Pilgrim's Nimrod's Son and The Holiday Song quickly getting the crowd bouncing around near the front of the stage. Guitarist Joey Santiago's performance of his amp cable and using his flat cap to beat at his strings was great on all levels.

Doolittle's Gouge Away and Debaser with Trompe Le Monde's U-Mass and Planet of Sound emphasised the important impact Pixies had on music, with countless bands to come citing them as a key influence. New song Human Crime and Neil Young cover Winterlong were also very welcome additions to the set-list.

Castlefield Bowl was packed out to watch the fathers of alt rock (Ellen Offredy)

Frank Black and Joey Santiago delighting the crowd from young to old (Ellen Offredy)

This is music that truly transcends generations. Just as many people who've clearly been with the band since the early days were getting into the thick of it with those who may have been coming to one of their first gigs. Parents were there with their children watching a group who helped create and then perfected their genre.

Given such monumental figures including David Bowie, Radiohead, Nirvana, and Foo Fighters have pointed to Pixies as a shining light just goes to show this isn't music or a performance for old punk fans but everybody find a home with them. This non-stop relentless performance will have left many feeling like they've gone the distance in a boxing ring, but the smiles on old and young afterwards showed it was all worth it.

Sounds of the City at Castlefield Bowl has already been treated to some legends of the game gracing the canal-side stage, but few have perfected their art like Pixies have, and they definitely still have plenty left in the tank.

Pixies live at Castlefield Bowl (Ellen Offredy)

SETLIST

1. Cactus

2. Here Comes Your Man

3. Nimrod's Son

4. Brick Is Red

5. Break My Body

6. Mr. Grieves

7. The Holiday Song

8. Vamos

9. Winterlong (Neil Young cover)

10. Gouge Away

11. Wave of Mutilation

12. Broken Face

13. Crackity Jones

14. Isla de Encanta

15. There's a Moon On

16. Tame

17. Caribou

18. Human Crime

19. Cecilia Ann

20. St. Nazaire

21. Rock Music

22. Monkey Gone to Heaven

23. Bone Machine

24. Gigantic

25. U-Mass

26. Debaser

27. Head On

28. Planet of Sound

29. Hey

30. Where Is My Mind?

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