Frank Black
London Palladium
The Pixies frontman is crowned Teenager Of The Year again, 30 years on.
★ “Thanks for coming down to this classy joint.”
Exit, briefly, dark demon of sci-fi incest rock Black Francis; re-enter, in welcoming mood, stargazing bon vivant Frank Black, here to revisit his revered 1994 solo highlight Teenager Of The Year in full for a seated yet unruly audience speckled with album-sleeve crowns. It’s a full-throttle experience for the ear and intellect. Witness: no sooner as he introduces Whatever Happened to Pong? with a childhood story about hustling bar regulars at videogames, than the 90-second rant-rock blaze is over and we’re careering through the pop-metal splash park of Thalassocracy.