Filthy Lucrezia

Well, in the absence of anything exciting happening yesterday, aside from a marked increase in the speed and length of our constitutionals, follows the log-awaited review of what happened at the Pixies show at Keyspan Park. Of course, it lacks rather a lot of utility, now that even the sodding Times is in on the act.

We didn't spend anywhere near as long there as this Gothamisticle, but would testify to the fact that this was much more empty than the White Stripes show at the same venue a week earlier. We would have got there earlier, but had guacamole to scoff in MeaPa.

It was a strange sensation when they finally came on stage, a mere three minutes after we'd got in and loaded up on beverages. And we wept, not so much at the music, but because we're a disgusting little drama queen, and we'd been denied on three separate previous occasions in our quest to see them. They don't move much, with the exception of Joey Santiago, who, we suspect, is the only reason the Pixies still sound bonkers. They don't say much, either because they don't do that, or because it might dignify the reunion cash call.

And this is by far the oldest band we've ever paid to see, nostalgia turns at Glastonbury aside, and the first time we've been to seee a band, no, scratch that, become fans of a band, after they'd split up. The Pixies are that special, because noone has made a cataclysmic wall of noise so tuneful. Ever. You'd have seen this had to been there, and had they played "Something Against You" from Surfer Rosa.

The set was fairly heavy on Rosa as well as Doolittle, the breakout Indie album, rather than Bossanova and Trompe Le Monde, the albums from when they'd stopped talking to each other. It's a shame, since we side with top Jock author Ian Banks in seeing Trompe... as massively underrated. We'd have posted the song Subbacultchah from the album, but the only version we have is on vinyl, and we haven't got the nicking software yet.

But the main revelation was Kim Deal's voice, this angelic, clear, awesomely beautiful instrument, that got dragged out for just two songs. Both times it sounded astounding. We'd have been more aware of this had we got any more into the Breeders than the riff from Cannonball. Right then, the fact that the Pixies stayed together for four albums became a minor miracle. No way we could have kept those two together in that kind of tension. We would also at this point like to point out that we are not comparing Kim to Lucrezia Borgia in any way - we just liked the pun.

What's going down today? How about the fact that there's a 10th planet! Or maybe we need to redefine what a planet is, say the pointyheads at the Times. For the definitive answer, we shall turn to our friends at San Diego garage supergroup the Hot Snakes:

The Hot Snakes - "10th Planet"
Buy Automatic Midnight Here, Or Speedo Makes Another Rotten RFTC Album