It’s the hottest night of the year so far, and as the evening sunlight shines through the beautiful ornate windows of the Albert Hall, the place is packed. It’s been over thirty-three years since The Breeders burst on to the early 90’s indie scene with the astonishing debut album ‘Pod’, and with the 30th anniversary of their second album ‘Last Splash’ taking place last year, it’s heartening to see that their music appears to have captivated younger generations of music fans, as well as those who were old enough to be there in the early days. The crowd is an eclectic mix from teens to seniors, many fans from the early days now bringing their grown up kids to enjoy The Breeders’ brand of twisted, shimmering guitar pop.
Up first, opener Big Joanie, bring their feminist post punk grooves to the Albert Hall. The London based band may be renowned for their socially conscious lyrics and brilliant wordplay, yet it’s also their infectious guitar based tunes which cut through the dusky Mancunian sunset filtering through the venue, Playing a selection of tunes from the two album released so far, guitarist/vocalist Stephanie Phillips and bassist/vocalist Estella Adeyeri accompanied by a drummer and second guitarist/keyboard player, definitely manage to capture the hearts and ears of the assembled, and by now, very sweaty, crowd. Big Joanie craft guitar fuelled tunes, many with an astute message at their core, always fired up by intriguing melody lines weaving around each other. Their short sweet set is the perfect opener ahead of tonight’s headliners. Ending with the exuberant single ‘In My Arms’, I’m glad we made the effort to arrive early in time to witness their vibrant tunes.
It’s been just over five years since The Breeders were last in Manchester, and taking to the stage, to a huge round of cheers, screams and applause it’s clear that this city’s love affair with these alt-rock legends hasn’t diminished one bit. Launching into ‘Saints’ from Last Splash, that unmistakable lush vocal sound of Kim Deal harmonising with her sister Kelley Deal is pure bliss. ’Wait In The Car’ from 2018’s astounding ‘All Nerve’ album proves they’ve lost none of their song writing genius, the stop-start jerky guitar rhythms breaking free into a gloriously melodic chorus. From the brilliant debut ‘Pod’ we get the feisty bittersweet ‘Doe’ and the groove laden rhythms of ‘When I Was A Painter’. An early perennial favourite, ‘Safari’ gets an outing, taken from the EP of the same name, as does the serenely beautiful ‘Do You Love Me Now’ later on in the set.
Not the type of band to rely on past glories, The Breeders may be drawing the bulk of tonight’s set from ‘Pod’ and ‘Last Splash’ yet their genius flows through 2008’s ‘Mountain Battles’ album and 2002’s ‘Title TK’ album from which we get the calmingly gentle tones of ‘Night Of Joy’ and the punked up pop perfection of ‘Huffer’ respectively. There’s also ‘Metagoth’ from ‘Mountain Battles’ adding another element of cool songcraft haze over the assembled masses with bassist Josephine Wiggs’ laidback delivery suiting the mood perfectly.
The whole band seem to be genuinely having the time of their lives on stage! I have never seen a band look so happy, yet so humble at the same time, appreciating the crowd’s enthusiasm after every song, Kim and Kelley Deal laughing and joking throughout.
A brilliant version of ‘Gigantic’, from Kim Deal’s Pixies days, finds the mosh pit getting even rowdier, before an encore of the darkly enchanting ‘Walking With A Killer’ from the ‘All Nerve’ album and the guitar pop perfection of ‘Divine Hammer’ turns the heat up even more, sending the mosh pit into a bouncing frenzy.
In front of a sold out Albert Hall crowd, The Breeders have proved, once again, why their harmonious guitar tunes are still captivating ears and hearts, a band still cherished by those who have followed them since the early days, and who are now gathering a whole new audience of younger fans too. An utterly mesmerising gig from one of the finest bands you’ll ever see.
From the early days of creating handmade zines, in a DIY paper and glue style, interviewing bands around town, then pestering Piccadilly Records to sell them, to writing for various independent mags such as Chimp and Ablaze, writing about the music I love is still a great passion. After testing the music industry waters in London with stints at various labels, being back in my hometown again, writing about this city’s vibrant music scene is as exciting as ever. All time favourite bands include Sonic Youth, Nick Cave, Patti Smith although anything from electro to folk via blues and pysch rock will also do nicely too. A great album, is simply a great album, regardless of whatever musical cage you put it in.
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