The Pixies have been rehearsing for their upcoming tour with new bassist Kim Shattuck of The Muffs in Los Angeles this past week, so perhaps it’s no surprise the band headed out last night for a last-minute, surprise warm-up show at the Echo — where the band debuted six of their new songs.
With their fall tour set to open next week with a club run in Los Angeles, the Pixies today released the first in a series of new EPs — a four-song set cleverly titled EP-1 that’s available as a digital download or on limited-edition 10-inch vinyl — and premiered the music video for one of those songs, “Indie Cindy.”
Anyone who’s listened to the Pixies’ “Debaser” knows Black Francis sounds fairly deranged on that classic opener to 1989’s Doolittle. But give the isolated vocal track a listen, and, well, as Fluxblog’s Matthew Perpetua notes, the Pixies’ frontman “just sounds like a maniac screaming on the street.”
Over the past few weeks, the members of the Pixies — Black Francis, Joey Santiago, David Lovering and new bassist Kim Shattuck — have been treating fans to photos and video through a collection of new Twitter, Vine and Instagram accounts named “The Actual Pixies.”
Former Pixies bassist Kim Deal this week dropped the third installment in her new “Solo Series” of 7-inches, a two-song single (“Are You Mine?t” b/w “Wish I Was”), which you can buy digitally at the usual digital places or on vinyl via her site, KimDealMusic.com. This time, though, she’s got a video, too.
The Pixies will debut their new Kim Deal-less lineup with four Los Angeles concerts prior to their appearance at Riot Fest Chicago this September, to be followed by four more small club shows in New York City before the band embarks on a previously announced European tour.
The Pixies are now set to debut their new Kim Deal-less lineup at Chicago’s Riot Fest this September, joining a bill that includes The Replacements, Blondie, Violent Femmes, Mission of Burma, X, Dinosaur Jr and Peter Hook, among many others. The Pixies were added today alongside Joan Jett, TSOL and Suicidal Tendencies.
Q&A: Daniel Ash on Love and Rockets’ reunion, his new band — and figuring out how to play “So Alive” 
Q&A: Chris Frantz talks Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club and new book ‘Remain in Love’ 
Q&A: Steve Wynn on The Dream Syndicate’s first new album in nearly 30 years 
Q&A: Bauhaus’ David J on his ‘accidental’ concept album ‘Not Long For This World’ 
Q&A: Peter Murphy on ‘Ninth,’ Bauhaus’ break-up, reuniting Dalis Car 
Q&A: Joey Santiago on Pixies’ ‘Doolittle’ tour, possible ‘Surfer Rosa’ shows, new album talk 
Q&A: Prefab Sprout’s Paddy McAloon on new album, changing the world with music 
Q&A: Peter Hook talks ‘Unknown Pleasures’ tour, re-recording Joy Division 