Frank Black @ Shepherd's Bush Empire, London
Originally published on my old blog.
A solo Pixies frontman who needed a better band
Frank Black went solo, and the gig only really came alive when he stopped being loud.
Perhaps it was because it was a Sunday, perhaps we were tired, or perhaps it's mostly because Frank Black, the Pixies frontman, is a bit past it and really needs a decent band to play in front of. Cut it however you like, but his solo show (no Pixies this time) was a bit of a disappointment.
Highlights were few and far between, but I'll go with the four or five song acoustic set he did towards the beginning. He included a version of Hey during which he forgot the words. Sounds unprofessional, but it was the one stand out moment of the night - the cool way he handled the gaffe showed something of his real character.
Then the electric backing band joined him and it reduced to more or less illegible punk screaming. Well, that's how I called it, anyway. We left before the encore because a less crowded bus home was more appealing.
Two out of five. Really, this one was only for the fans.
Photos from the gig
