As a music lover forever in search of knowledge in the field, I know all too well that there's not enough time to hear it all. So, in full acceptance of this fact, I can only strive to hear as much as I can and hope that Bacchus rewards my wild ways once my time is up.
So, it was with a strange air of excitement that I went to see legendary Boston act The Pixies the other night. Their music - at least, their best known music - I had encountered in my teens, but never had I the gumption to further my interest. Maybe they didn't seem particularly outstanding. Maybe it was because it was 2004 or so when I first heard them. Regardless of my excuse, I was still wrong.
In many ways, the SECC has been a no-go venue for me these few years past, if only for the simple reason that i've been able to enjoy hundreds of shows at more intimate venues, with ticket price often being a prominent factor. For the first time in years, I was fully conscious that I wouldn't get the chance to see the support acts. After all, this was a hastily arranged evening on my part.
Around 9pm, the Pixies amble onstage as Un Chien Andalou plays on the screen behind them. Now, here's a band with almost zero stage presence. Three bald or balding men and a lady with a predilection for weed. That could be almost anyone, right?
Fortunately, with the Pixies, it's the music that matters. Sounding as tight as they must've in their prime, it didn't matter that they stood shiftless onstage. Not when the music was that good. After a select few B-sides relating to the "Doolittle" album (which recently turned 20), it was time for the band to delve into the crowd favourites. "Debaser" got an early hearing, as did "Monkey Gone To Heaven". Much to the delight of the fans (and to the presumable dismay of the part-timers who left at 10pm), the band re-emerged for a second encore, which soon became a second set. A coin toss - won by frontman Black, I believe - led to "Where Is My Mind" wrapping up the performance.
For as much as the band lacked onstage character, it seems that animation had never been one of their strong points. No, it was - and is - the music. I'll drink to that.
From post-show conversation in the pub, it seemed that Pixies fans were impressed by the double set that they were treated to, with previous shows in Dublin carrying an sense of duty as opposed to enjoyment. With this quite possibly being the last chance we Scots get to see the Pixies, i'm incredibly glad to have had the chance to pay tribute to their music.
There we are. All those women calling me stubborn. They couldn't be more wrong.