Hot off their tour of Japan and the rest of the world, the Pixies landed in Fremantle to kick off their Australian and New Zealand run with something special — the first of two nights at Fremantle Prison, playing their cult-favourite 1990 and 1991 albums, Bossanova and Trompe Le Monde, in full. Tomorrow, the legendary Boston band return to the same historic venue for a “greatest hits” set and songs from their brand-new record, The Night The Zombies Came. But tonight was for the die-hards.
By the time the lights dimmed at 7:45, the prison courtyard was heaving — an almost sold-out crowd pressed shoulder to shoulder beneath the stone walls, buzzing with the kind of anticipation that only a band of this stature can conjure. “Hello time travellers,” Black Francis greeted the crowd with a grin, as Joey Santiago and Emma Richardson tuned up and the band eased into Bossanova.
It was a long, dreamy intro to an album that feels as much about mood as melody. The sound was crystalline — a sparkling, balanced mix that let every jagged riff and surf-twanged melody breathe. Black’s voice, still feral and forceful, cut clean through the night air. The band hit their stride early, even as Black laughed off a few technical misfires — playing “Allison” twice after playing a wrong chord first time round and joking, “I’m not quite into 1990 yet!”
“Got a little surf song here,” he quipped before another shimmering number, as the crowd swayed and simmered, maybe a little too polite for the band’s liking. The vibe through Bossanova was hypnotic, more art-rock and atmosphere than energy — music of a vintage that might’ve felt even more at home in a sweaty club than in the open air of Fremantle Prison. Still, the setting — those worn and weary limestone walls, the dusky sky overhead — lent the whole night a cinematic quality.
“Dig For Fire” and “Velouria” brought flashes of lift and momentum, while the sinuous crawl of “All Over the World” kept things slow-burning and spectral. Between songs, there was little banter — just the dry click of drumsticks, and into the next one they went, precision and patience intact. By the end of Bossanova, the crowd had warmed, ready for the shift in tone that was about to come.
“Thank you so much,” Frank said, half-smiling. “We’re gonna move on to 1990, 1991 — Trompe Le Monde.”
Where Bossanova had drifted and shimmered, Trompe Le Monde hit hard. It’s the Pixies’ most muscular, punk-infused record, and tonight it sounded alive, ferocious. “Planet of Sound“ came in with throbbing bass and Santiago’s guitar spitting fire. “Kiss my ass and let it rock,” barked Black Francis in the heavy, grimy grind of “U-Mass,” and suddenly the prison courtyard was pulsing — heads nodding, fists and voices rising.
At one point, Black paused, flipping through his lyric sheet with a wry grin — “Hold on a sec, gotta find the song on the sheet” — before diving back in, proving that even in their most chaotic moments, the Pixies still run on instinct and charm.
“Letter to Memphis,” one of the night’s clear highlights, shimmered with that signature Pixies mix of beauty and unease, a reminder of how deftly they balanced pop and punk, melody and menace. From there, they ploughed through the remainder of Trompe Le Monde with fire and conviction, each song a reminder of just how foundational this band was — and remains — to alternative rock.
By the time the final notes faded, the crowd roared their approval, knowing they’d just witnessed something rare: the Pixies in full retrospective flight, two albums that helped define the shape of modern indie and grunge played back-to-back, by the very band that birthed them.
The first half of the night — all art-rock hues and cosmic surf tones — showed the dreamier, more experimental side of the band. The second was fierier, angrier, punkier — the sound of a band pushing against their own mythology. It was a fitting way to open the tour: a night for the devoted, a deep dive into the archives, and a reminder that the Pixies still hold a unique, unshakeable place in rock history.
Join us again tomorrow for Night Two — the hits, the fan favourites, and a glimpse into the future with songs from The Night The Zombies Came.
Fremantle, you’ve been initiated.
With thanks to Face to Face for the media accreditation
All image credit Shotweiler Photography
PIXIES GALLERY
