Dormant since 2007, the Pixies tore out of hibernation this weekend with a private gig and festival set in Stockholm and a high-profile slot at the Isle of Wight Festival, as preorders begin today for the band’s forthcoming box set, Minotaur.
Black Francis and Co. hit Stockholm for the band’s first gigs since wrapping its 2004-2007 global reunion tour, playing an invite-only rehearsal show at Klubben on Thursday with a set reportedly heavy on Bossanova and Trompe le Monde cuts, and featuring rarity “Boom Chicka Boom.”
The band followed that with a performance at Stockholm’s Where the Action Is festival on Friday.
The Pixies’ weekend coming-out party climaxed with a much-anticipated slot at the UK’s Isle of Wight fest, playing before the legendary Neil Young on Sunday night. According to the NME, the band played an 80-minute set that included their covers of Young’s “Winterlong” and The Jesus and Mary Chain’s “Head On,” alongside classics such as “Wave of Mutilation,” “Gigantic” and “Where is My Mind?” (see full setlist and video below).
The set came off without a hitch, the NME reports, save for an aborted take on “In Heaven (Lady in the Radiator Song)”: “‘You were meant to scream!’ a bemused Kim Deal said to Frank Black. ‘I haven’t screamed since about 1989,’ he retorted, before the duo collapsed into a fit of laughter.”
Tonight, the Pixies and art director Vaughan Oliver will appear at an East London art gallery to debut the band’s mammoth box set Minotaur; while it’s being billed only as an appearance, rumors continue to circulate that the band will perform as well. After tonight, the band has three more festival dates lined up later this week in Greece and Germany.
And as for that gigantic CD+vinyl box set (full details here), preorders begin today, as A+R released the first images (above, or see Pixies ‘Minotaur’ image gallery) of the pricey set, which will feature repackaged — but not remastered — editions of the Come on Pilgrim EP, as well as Surfer Rosa, Doolittle, Bossanova and Trompe Le Monde.
The collection, however, does include new artwork, handled by Oliver, who oversaw the Pixies’ art direction in the ’80s and ’90s, and photographer Simon Larbalestier, who shot many of the photos for the original albums.
Minotaur comes in $150 and $450 editions, and while it can be ordered beginning today, it won’t ship until mid-September. For more information, the band has released a third video preview of the set (see below).
Setlist: Pixies at Isle of Wight Festival, UK, 6/14/09
“U-Mass”
“Ed Is Dead”
“Nimrod”s Son”
“Bone Machine”
“Dig For Fire”
“Velouria”
“Winterlong”
“Alison”
“Monkey Gone To Heaven”
“In Heaven (Lady in the Radiator Song)”
“Here Comes Your Man”
“Head On”
“Debaser”
“Wave Of Mutilation”
“Gouge Away”
“Vamos”
“Hey!”
“Tame”
“Caribou”
“Gigantic”
“Where Is My Mind?”
“Into The White”
Video: Pixies, “Debaser,” Isle of Wight Festival, UK, 6/14/09
Video: Pixies Minotaur preview No. 3
PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS:
- Pixies’ ‘Where Is My Mind?’ tops WOXY’s 20th annual Modern Rock 500 countdown
- Video: Pixies, Vaughan Oliver talk about creation of upcoming ‘Minotaur’ box set
- Pixies reissuing all of their studio albums in deluxe ‘Minotaur’ box sets
- Pixies add more European festival dates; ‘big annoucement’ due Monday
- Pixies’ Black Francis teams up with wife for Grand Duchy album, warm-up tour
- Pixies reunion back on again; band playing Isle of Wight, European concerts
