Into Live Music Review: Pixies
Concert: The Pixies
Venue: Perth, Fremantle Prison
Dates: 09 November 2025
You’ve heard of the phrase “we never stop“, right? Well, it may have been Big Ange’s mantra during his time at Celtic Park, but it’s a little known fact that he nicked it from Into Creative. We will go anywhere and everywhere to bring you music reviews. Bandstand, Ballroom, Hall, (Wah Wah) Hut, Palladium and, er, Prison, we are there! A mere 9,156 miles from Glasgow to Perth, Australia for this one.
Let’s start with the venue, Fremantle Prison was built on the blood, sweat and tears of convicts, both British and indigenous, colonial imperialism at its worst, all in the name of the Empire – fuck that! It was good though to see many signs and plaques highlighting the history of the venue/town and in particular, the Aboriginal name, Walyalup. It’s also a World Heritage Site, not sure if I’ve been to a gig at one of those before! The walk from the town to the venue was on a gentle incline. As the dark of the night descended, our steps danced in the shadows, in excited anticipation of attending a gig in Australia!
Walking into the venue was definitely a moment. An archway led to a wide space that was surrounded by prison halls on each side, foreboding, menacing and threatening. The wrought iron of the jail cell windows hung over the venue, their inhabited ghosts watching, observing in solitude, screaming in their silence. Fremantle Prison witnessed forty-three hangings, from 1889 to 1964, closing in 1991. History will tell you about the escapes of Moondyne Joe, Brendan Abbott and the Irish Fenian John Boyle O’Reilly.
The scene was well and truly set. And so, to the music. Pixies arrive on stage with a casual wave from Black Francis, and for the next two hours, the band plugged in and rocked the fuck out. There was minimal crowd interaction and that’s just fine, the mood needed nothing else, the crowd got it, the music delivered. Opener Bone Machine was bass heavy before Joey Santiago’s schizophrenic slashing guitar cut through the air like an open razor, Francis’s off-kilter vocal merely added to the buzz. With little time to draw breath, bassist Emma Richardson led on Wave of Mutilation. And then the Bostonites casually dropped Monkey Gone to Heaven, the crowd went with it, losing their collective shit, nodding as one, a mass of appreciation – Francis’s tortured vocal delivery was akin to some sort of musical exorcism.
Invariably, many gigs will have a dip. It happens. But not this case, remarkable given that the set traversed twenty-five songs from the recent album, “The Night The Zombies Came” and a mix of well known back catalogue tracks. The dexterity of Santiago’s guitar playing was a sight (and sound) to behold, particularly on the Mexican chic of Vamos, the feedback almost ear-shattering. This was followed by the rockabilly/garage thrash of Nimrod’s Son which again showed the versatility of a band at the top of their game.
The musicianship was uncompromising, direct and in your face, none more so than on the Neil Young cover, Winterland before David Lovering’s drums led the groove on Debaser. From the new album, Chicken was an absolute highlight, a bluesy slow roller that seemed to envelope the audience in its hypnotic beat, laid back, warm and fuzzy, as was Mercy Me where Francis effortlessly plugged into a Leonard Cohen vocal vibe.
Towards the end of the set, Where Is My Mind? got the biggest cheer of the night (and there were plenty). A glance up at those cells and I swear I could see some ghostly hips moving. Or maybe it was a trick of the light, where was my mind?
There is little to rival the thrill of a fresh experience in new surroundings. Pixies and Fremantle Prison certainly provided that. For once, no one wanted an early release from this venue.
To keep up to date with Pixies, visit his website here.
Footnote #1 – The pre-gig chat went a bit like this. “Hey big chief, I am going to see Pixies in Perth, should be a good fit for Into Creative, what do you think”? “Sounds good John, love Perth and it’s home to our culture pals Stuart Cosgrove and Colin McCredie”. “Eh, not that Perth, the one in Australia”! “Whit? Hope yer not expecting expenses for this one”!
Footnote #2 – As Pixies left the stage, the outro music was Streams of Whisky by The Pogues. This writer’s favourite band and whose 2025 Barrowland gig we covered here. Anyway, less than 24 hours later The Pogues announced a 2026 tour of Australia and New Zealand, kicking off at Fremantle Prison. I wonder………..
Review by John Welsh
@welshjb
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