10 JULY
© Burak Cingi/Redferns
Like so many bands of their vintage, The Breeders could’ve easily sold out tonight’s venue by reforming to tour a classic album. For Kim Deal and her twin Kelley, that record would be Last Splash, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. While almost half of the songs performed are taken from that iconic 1993 release, the set also draws heavily on their splendid All Nerve LP – their first new material in 10 years. More recent tracks stand shoulder-to-shoulder with muchloved favourites from the start. All Nerve’s lead single Wait In The Car finds itself sandwiched between opener New Year and the Hawaiian-surf twangs of No Aloha, both from the aforementioned Last Splash. And it continues throughout – fresh tunes like Howl At The Summit, Nervous Mary and MetaGoth, partner classics such as the sugar-coated power pop of Divine Hammer, the fuzzedout bliss of Safari and the dreamy Drivin’ On 9, featuring Kelley on “violin vocal” duties. The crowd enthusiastically bounces along as if it was the early 90s again, but this show isn’t exclusive to 30- and 40-somethings. There are plenty of youthful faces revelling in the fact that they, too, are sharing the same sweaty air as two alt. rock legends. Kim, always the kindly, chatty, member of the Pixies, swaps smiles with her twin throughout and delights in interacting with the audience. “This is from the album before rehab, so you can definitely sing along to this one,” she beams while introducing Huffer. But it isn’t just the Kim and Kelley show. British bassist Josephine Wiggs takes much delight in mocking her US bandmates’ accents ahead of Glorious from 1990’s debut Pod, or as Wiggs teases: “Paard.” Visibly enjoying herself, Kim confesses she’d recently found herself trapped inside the song S.O.S. when performing it at a previous show, but there’s no fear of any off-road meandering during her focused delivery tonight. Not so the audience, who totally lose themselves during an exquisite Off You – a perfectly silent Academy hanging on every word. Not to be outdone, Kelley has her moment during a searing I Just Wanna Get Along… siblings sharing the spotlight? Not quite. Kim admits that she had to let her sister sing one because their mom had said so. With barely a second to recover, the familiar sonic blast of “Ahhhhhoooo-oooh” introduces the unforgettable rumble of The Breeders’ bestknown ‘hit’, Cannonball, which lifts the howling crowd off their feet: an ecstatic reaction that can only be matched by the epic Pixies anthem Gigantic – Kim successfully reclaiming the song from her former band. The three-track encore of Do You Love Me Now?, Fortunately Gone and Saints, absolutely seals the Deal.