EVERYWHERE that the Pixies go their

reputation precedes them.

The Boston band have been around for 30 years, they pioneered the ‘loud–quiet’ dynamic of alternative rock and were famously cited as one of Kurt Cobain’s biggest influences.

He once said that Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit was his attempt to ‘rip off the Pixies’.

Others musicians might have been swallowed whole by that weight of expectation but the Black Francis’s band seem to thrive on it.

True, it took an 11 year break, between 1993 and 2004, for them to find their feet again in the 21st century.

But hearing material live from 2014’s Indie Cindy and 2016’s Head Carrier confirmed that their new songs still have the same quality, feel and passion as those from their Generation X heyday.

Despite long time member Kim Deal leaving (bassist and singer Paz Lenchantin who has been with the band since 2014 is a great ‘stand in’) there seems to be no stopping them.

Regardless of all that, the Pixies’ show at Manchester Apollo did not seem to gel.

Francis and the rest of the band barely said a word to the crowd in between songs which created a bit of a cold atmosphere.

And the gig lacked momentum in the first half. A poorly constructed setlist meant the songs did not really flow together, making the whole experience a bit of a stop-start exercise.

That said, hearing well-honed classics like Debaser, Monkey Gone To Heaven, Where Is My Mind?, made famous by Fight Club, Wave of Mutilation and the pop perfection of Here Comes Your Man was a real pleasure.

And I will not forget the hugely atmospheric finale involving a smoke machine and a rendition of Into The White for some time.

DAVID MORGAN