A stoic showcase: The Pixies at Birmingham O2 Academy

O2 Academy, Birmingham, 21 May 2025

If you know alternative rock, you know the Pixies; even if you don’t, your favourite bands do. From Kurt Cobain to Thom Yorke, this 90s staple band has created and inspired some of the greatest rock music of all time. Their lasting legacy is displayed across the crowded sea of shirts varying in levels of wornness: ‘Pixies ’87 Tour’, ‘Pixies ’04 Reunion Tour’, all the way up to their 20 May show at Birmingham O2 Academy – The Night the Zombies Came tour.

Big Special open the show with a bang, filling the venue with explosive sound and rattling energy. Even as a non-fan, they’re not an opener you’d want to miss, riling up the crowd with their quirky, punchy punk tracks. It’s a masterclass in how to open a rock show: incredible acoustics, heavy guitar, and an animated lead singer priming the crowd for the final act – “Are you ready for the Pixies?”

Talking with the shoulder-to-shoulder crowd after the opener, it’s clear the venue is packed with certified Pixies enthusiasts, many of whom have seen the band perform before. The newer fans are comprised mostly of the children of alternative rock enthusiast dads or quirky students in Nirvana and Red Hot Chili Peppers tees, all of whom take a healthy step forward as the Pixies walk onstage.

They continue to plough through their massive discography at an incredible pace, taking the crowd on a relentless whirlwind tour through their 10 albums

Absolutely no time is wasted jumping into the first track, ‘Cecilia Ann’, leaving just seconds between the end of the song and the start of ‘Monkey Gone to Heaven’. They continue to plough through their massive discography at an incredible pace, taking the crowd on a relentless whirlwind tour through their 10 albums. The Pixies move through the concert at such a speed it seems unfathomable that lead singer Black Francis doesn’t need to catch his breath, but his performance remains consistently powerful through to the end of the show.

At the half-way point, hitting the intensely popular ‘Here Comes Your Man’, you realise this is a concert entirely void of any audience interaction, a historical trait of the Pixies; there’s no song introductions, no anecdotes, not even a “How are we feeling tonight, Birmingham?” Even as they launch into their biggest hit, ‘Where Is My Mind?’, a classic that spurs hoards of excited waving hands from the crowd, the band execute the track with a focused precision that, while sounding great, gives the audience little to riff off.

The decision to not interact with the crowd is particularly striking following Big Special’s talkative, riling performance filled to the brim with the “How are we feeling?” and “Who’s ready for the main act?” interplay that forges connections with an audience. As ‘Velouria’ begins, I was struck by the feeling of watching a jam session – albeit an intensely well put together one – of a friend’s band; there’s no need to forge a connection, it’s all about the music. But in the grand setting of the O2 Academy, with the swirling lights and incredible acoustics, this jam session feel and lack of audience connection fell short in maintaining the riled-up energy of the concert’s start.

The songs speak for themselves – but their unwavering stoicism left a craving for more energy that could’ve taken the crowd response to the next level

Hitting one of the last tracks, the energetic ‘Debaser’, it’s undeniable that the Pixies sound great. The whole band is absolutely on top form, but they certainly perform with a degree of separation from each other, and their minimal interactions on stage left me lusting for some more palpable chemistry. It’s not lost on me that a band as iconic as the Pixies doesn’t need to do much talking – the songs speak for themselves – but their unwavering stoicism left a craving for more energy that could’ve taken the crowd response to the next level. Hearing the incredible sonic overload that is ‘Debaser’ but being met with a standstill stage and an unacknowledged audience spurred a desire for some more onstage enthusiasm.

Despite this, the Pixies absolutely delivered a raw, consistently great performance of some classic alternative rock tracks. As the last track ‘Into the White’ began, it became clear why so much of the crowd had been comprised of long-time fans who’d seen the band across the world; this is a show for the fans, happy to let the iconic tracks wash over them and take the stoicism of the band in stride. While they undoubtedly hit the mark sonically, if you’re lusting for an energetic night with a constantly riled-up audience and an eager band, a Pixies show might not be for you. If you’re content with a band that consistently hits the mark sonically and delivers some classic tunes, however, The Night the Zombies Came tour would be worth the few beers you might want to get you livened up.

★★★