On Saturday night, The Metro filled with the buzz of anticipation – still somewhat restrained, due the more mature crowd waving the nearly 20-year-career banner of the Deal twins’ project The Breeders. If you throw in the wanton Pixies fans, for me it’s almost like reliving the start of the ‘90s in their glory.
Having missed the opening act, one wanders into an almost-capacity space of fans dusting off their cobwebs. There’s some gingerly grooving along to a mix of country and soul beats, chalking up practice for that dancey crowd pleaser that is sure to be coming.
It’s been a long five years since the Title TK release and tour, with no Breeders-specific material to keep the fans satisfied. That is until the recent release of Mountain Battles back in April of this year. Fantastic reviews and acclaim that the girls had returned to their roots assured fans that this was not a night to be missed.
The band slowly emerged on the stage with Kelley Deal almost looking like a deer caught in the headlights. She later proclaimed that she had been slightly nervous, due to the lack of lighting falling on the crowd. These girls are no rock star glam veronicas. They’re still sporting their back-to-basics attire of jeans and tucked in t-shirts, humble in appearance and mannerisms to suit. The evening slowly launches into No Aloha and girlish voices rise up from the crowds. The song is stripped back, and at times the voice of the crowd dominates, but halfway into the song the guitar and drums picks up and we’re off. Isolated pods of people move and sway, eagerly anticipating the songs to follow.
Those hoping for an evening filled with all the hits covering all albums were certainly not disappointed. The bases were well and truly covered with both Divine Hammer and unforgettable hit single Cannonball featuring fairly early in the show. Whilst the set-list did draw heavily from the recent album, the everlasting crowd pleaser Last Splash was also well and truly covered and a sprinkling of Amps songs was also included in the mix.
I was expecting a fairly restrained evening from the band, given that they are now touring as a four-piece with Kim and Kelly covering most guitar aspects. However, the addition of a fifth member used intermittently for over half the set aided them to beef up the sound where needed. Complex beats and tricky syncopation were met with ease, and quirky vocal patterns for the most part flowed without restrain.
The guitars were pretty loose but the rhythm section held strong, providing a solid platform for the band. Seeing The Breeders on this tour reminded me of how things have changed since back in 2003 – and I’m not just talking about my own grey hairs and corporate enslavery. Smoking laws have been enforced, changing somewhat the nature of the smell concertgoers take home with them. The law changes have had a far more significant impact on the Deal sisters, who now have mastered the art of singing without a fag permanently wedged in the corner of their mouth. I believe this single change truly improved Kim Deal’s ability to belt out the astounding chorus to Happiness is a Warm Gun, my personal highlight of evening.
Kelley can actually play the violin now – a far cry from a previous abandonment of Drivin’ on 9 which I witnessed in Wellington on the previous tour. She’s been practicing! Kelley has also taken a more front seat in the band, taking to the vocals in more songs and featuring fairly heavily in the new material. Her vocals are far sweeter than Kim’s more masculine approach. At times during the acoustic songs in the first encore, though, she was difficult to hear across the guitars and general crowd noise.
Whilst still not particularly animated beings, abstinence from drugs has aided to bring life back to the band. The lethargy from the last tour was now pleasantly absent. A bit of banter with the crowd gave a personal touch to the show. So too did a couple of anecdotes regarding recent failures of playing Overglazed at Coachella, and crediting some of the lyrics of Here No More to their mother suffering from Alzheimer’s.
There are some things that haven’t changed. This includes the ability to listen to The Breeders’ entire back catalogue and thoroughly enjoy every song and quirky beat that they have to offer. Whilst the term ‘good clean fun’ is perhaps not entirely appropriate for a night with an iconic American alternative rock band, it certainly was a whole lot of fun.
Set-list:
No Aloha (Last Splash)
Walk If Off (Mountain Battles)
Bang On (Mountain Battles)
Pacer (The Amps – Pacer)
Divine Hammer (Last Splash)
Night Of Joy (Mountain Battles)
Tipp City (The Amps – Pacer)
Huffer (Title TK)
It’s The Love (Mountain Battles)
Drivin’ On 9 (Last Splash)
New Year (Last Splash)
Cannonball (Last Splash)
Happiness Is A Warm Gun (Pod)
Iris (Pod)
I Just Wanna Get Along (Last Splash)
Safari (Safari EP)
——Encore Break 1——
Overglazed (Mountain Battles)
Regalame Esta Noche (Mountain Battles)
Here No More (Mountain Battles)
Saints (Last Splash)
——Encore Break 2——
Empty Glasses (The Amps – Pacer)
Fortunately Gone (Pod)
