Opening the evening were the duo Baba Ali. They have obvious synergy with the Kills, being a duo using guitar and samples with an American singer and British guitarist. They bought their post-punk disco vibes to the Troxy. It’s very much a dark and sweaty 80s club vibe. I’m not sure the Troxy was the right venue. Having seen an intimate performance, despite their energy, some of that sweaty vibe was lost in the big space. But if you get a chance to see them play a smaller venue, definitely go and see them.

I have been hearing a lot of good things about Picture Parlour. The music I’d heard, hadn’t done much for me. But I had heard their live shows were really good. I was pleased to see them on the bill.

Musically, they didn’t do much for me. it would be easy to say they sounded a bit old fashioned, a bit ‘classic rock’, but music is recycled and old sounds become fresh again. But that’s what they felt to me.

Performance wise, they were very tight. In their front person, Katherine Parlour, they have a very strong presence. She breezes around the stage with a confident swagger you rarely see. Not brash or in your face. Somebody confidently leading their band from the front with a really good voice. It’s just a shame that despite this, I didn’t connect with their music.

It was great to catch up with the Kills. It had been far too long since I had seem them. Playing the majority of their God Games album, the new material seemed to fit in well with their back catalogue. I used to think they needed to have a live band. A few years ago they did briefly toy with a live band but this tour was just them and their amazing chemistry. It is their chemistry that makes them so special to me. They know each other so well and seem so comfortable with each other that they react to each other as if they are finishing each other’s sentences. Tonight was no different. Hopefully, I won’t have to wait so long to catch them again.

Set List

• Kissy Kissy
• U.R.A. Fever
• Love and Tenderness
• 103
• Going to Heaven
• Baby Says
• New York
• Wasterpiece
• Kingdom Come
• Hard Habit to Break
• God Games
• Black Balloon
• DNA
• LA Hex
• Doing It to Death
• Future Starts Slow
• Blank
• Better Days
• My Girls My Girls
• Sour Cherry

I said at the time of the Haiti benefit that ‘They seem like geeky kids pretending to be rock stars’. This was part of their appeal. There’s an innocence in the lead singer’s voice that he brings to their songs. Tonight re-electrifyed and at a bigger venue, the innocence of my first encounter didn’t come across and for me tonight’s gig wasn’t a patch on the Haiti gig, despite being longer and with a more appreciative crowd. I was still a decent gig. But some of the sparkle was missing.

Click on the photo for more photos from this gig.

Tonight’s gig came out of the blue when a mysterious email arrived claiming to be from the Pixies offering tickets to a gig at Troxy, a venue I’d never heard of. The gig was organised by the Pixies as a ‘thank you’ to fans the set list was built-up from email suggestions from fans. So the set list was varied and very good, managing to cover most of my favourites.

Unlike last year’s short gig. There was no short changing this time and the excellent set list meant there were no weak links. In fact the band seemed to enjoying themselves much more than at Brixton (I saw them on the fifth and final night at Brixton) which I think only added to the crowds enjoyment. A great gig.

Pixies on flickr