Sunday, 04 October, 2009
Pixies are an American alternative rock band which formed in Boston, Massachusetts, United States in 1986. They consist of Charles Michael Kitridge Thompson IV (vocals, guitar; also known as “Black Francis” and later "Frank Black"), Kim Deal (bass, vocals), Joey Santiago (guitar) and David Lovering (drums). The band officially split in 1993 and reunited in 2004. They went on hiatus in 2007, with each band member pursuing projects of their own, only to reunite in 2009, with the announcement of a new tour commencing in Europe that summer.
Although quite popular on alternative rock radio in the US due to heavy airplay of “Monkey Gone to Heaven” and “Here Comes Your Man”, they were never widely popular there. However, they were more successful in Europe, particularly in the UK where they managed three top 40 singles (“Velouria”, “Planet of Sound” and a re-release of “Debaser”).
In 1993, during an interview with BBC Radio 5, Black Francis announced that the band had split - something he had not told his bandmates. After the interview, he called Santiago, who in turn faxed Deal and Lovering the news the next morning. After the split, Black Francis inverted his stage name to Frank Black and embarked on a moderately successful solo career, while Deal resumed her role in The Breeders with her identical twin sister Kelley.
In 2004, the band reunited for a tour - documented in the film loudQUIETloud - and released a new single, “Bam Thwok” that summer.