“It’s hard to go to a rock show on a work night,” mused one Cooke brother. “I’d rather go to the EKKA.” the other grinned. The sign at the top of the stairs rendered this commentary from Monday night’s support act, Gaslight Radio, patently untrue: SOLD OUT. Underscore: “Means there are NO tickets left.” The room was full of people who seemingly had no difficulty attending a weeknight of sensational sibling rock. Splendour hangovers, school nights and work tomorrow be damned! The Breeders were back in Brisbane. There was no better place to be.

Often compared to The Pixies in terms of sound and tone (and another sibling rock act to boot), erroneous commentary aside, ex-locals Gaslight Radio were a fitting start to the evening. Strong, cascading guitar riffs and progressions were lifted by interesting bass lines and drum fills. Rory Cooke’s vocal commitment was evident as neck veins popped and beads of sweat gathered to party across his brow. Brother Martin, his back to the growing audience for the entire set, was visibly singing harmonies, however this was drowned by the layering of guitar, keys and bass. As the set progressed the momentum waned a little, songs on the set list were skipped and side-bars to thank Screamfeeder for the loan of gear and acknowledgement of how good The Breeders were about to be filled the space. Final song The Razor’s Edge redeemed this small flounder, with wild open-palmed string slamming and an infectious beat; the appreciative crowd generous in their applause.

Six years since their last album and five years since their last Australian tour, The Breeders released their fourth full length album, Mountain Battles in April and commenced touring here at the end of July. If you were fortunate enough to see the ever-present face-splitting smile that Kim Deal sported for the entire Pixies set at V Fest last year, you will have an idea of the gleeful mischief that greeted us as twins Kim and Kelley Deal lead their band – Jose Medeles (drums), Mando Lopez (bass) and Cheryl Lyndsey (lead guitar) – onto The Zoo’s small stage.

During the nineties while Kelley was in rehab recovering from heroin and alcohol addiction, Kim formed The Amps, and it is with one of their tracks, Tipp City, that the set opened. Closely followed by an unusual nod to Title TK in the form of Huffer, at the end of the track Kelley tried to get Kim to tell the audience something. “You can’t make me say things you want me to say!” Kim announced to the room grinning widely and giving Kelley a friendly nudge, “I’m not a talking doll with a string.” And so it began, the rollicking sister-act that kept everyone buoyant and engaged all night.

New track Bang On, with its jauntiness of drum, rapid hand clapping and catchy “I love no-one, no-one loves me” lyrics was a perfect example of Kim’s ability to combine the simple and the sublime to magnificent effect.

Pulling out a few from the back catalogue, Devine Hammer, No Aloha and Pacer (another one from The Amps) were delivered flawlessly. The reverb on Kim’s vocals, teamed with Kelley’s harmonies invoked an invisible chorus of indie angels. Slowing the tempo, We’re Gonna Rise, was punctuated by a heavy grunge bridge and a seemless tempo change, again anointing Kim as the Mistress of the Perfect Pause.

There was discussion as to which songs were going to be played next as Kel decided to take to the microphone proper, “Okay, before I start, the words to this song don’t mean anything, so I don’t remember them, so I’ll sing nonsense.” It’s the Love proving that they both “belong to the voices”, Kim throwing in a whoah in support of the fantastic job her sister had done. Now on acoustic guitar, Kim offered another classic, New Year, before the instantly recognizable foghorn call of Cannonball raised a huge response from the jubilant, undulating crowd.

Throughout the set there was direct interaction with the punters, Kim asking if any of us had been to the northern hemisphere, “It’s a fuckin’ long way!” She smiled, “if I was going to live in Australia, I’d live in Brisbane. You have a very nice city.” And Kelley presenting a young lady at the front with a book she had back stage, “She reminds me of my old flatmate,” she explained, “it’s a good book and I don’t have room to carry it around.”

Making up the order of the set list as they went along, Kelley knocked out a beautiful rendition of *The Beatles*’ Happiness is a Warm Gun, “Yes, we are cultured too you know. We know Beatles songs!” before returning solidly to their grunge roots with The Amps Empty Glasses. Touring without violinist Carrie Bradley, Kim proudly proclaimed that Kelley has learned to play the violin for the next song “and it sounds purdy,” Driving All Night finishing the main set. The applause was volcanic and the foot stomping began immediately – demanding the band to return for some more.

It wasn’t long before Kelley lead the rest of the band back onto the stage. Kim now had two microphones set up in front of her, the vocal effects obviously about to be taken up a notch. She raised her hands, “Picture this,” she said, “playing Coachella. There are thousands of people in front of you, waiting. And you fuck the start of this song up. So you start again. And you fuck it up again! Twice!” And what a perfect festival set opener it would have been if it had been carried off as immaculately as it was this time around. With solid reverb and echoing delay carrying her lilting, soaring voice the chest tightening effect of _Overglazed_’s “I can feel it!” call was only surpassed by the complexity of the layered guitar and drums, acting like a round that ebbed and flowed all over itself, building and building. “That was good,” breathed Kim. Yes, yes it was.

Challenged creatively through learning the violin, writing a song in German and also singing in Spanish, Kelley again took to the microphone for Regalame Esta Noche before Kim interjected at the end, “My mom has Alzheimer’s.” The room quietened, not sure of the appropriate response to this left of field piece of information. “She’s fucking nuts!” she laughed, launching into the story of how the words for Hear No More came about. “Mom helped write the words and when we asked her for the next line, she covered her ears and said ‘Hear No More’.” Much like a nursery rhyme, the sisters voices entwined in childlike sing-song, rounding up the encore. But the house lights still didn’t come up as they left the stage…

Clapping and stomping the crowd bayed for just one more… and was amply rewarded with long as a blink track Fortunately Gone. As they left the stage for the third and last time, it felt like only ten minutes had passed rather than eighty, and that any work night that The Breeders play is just as good as a holiday.