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Pixies, founded in Boston in 1986, have held their position at the forefront of the influential alternative rock genre, with some of their major early releases like ‘Come on Pilgrim’, ‘Surfer Rosa’, and ‘Doolittle’ cementing and sustaining their legendary reputation. The band initially reformed in 2004, releasing subsequent albums and touring, showcasing their commitment to live performance and musical relevance is no less poignant after four decades of making music.

Tickets for the tour will go on sale Friday, September 26, 2025, at 10 a.m. local time. Prior announcements from tour promoters state to fans that the event will be a celebration of Pixies’ music, rather than a nostalgic retrospective of their older tracks. While the tour does remain as a 40th celebration, they have emphasised they will blend their classical material with their newer music, most prominently their latest studio album release, ‘The Night the Zombies Came’, released in 2024.

Not only will the music celebrate their musical heritage, but fans have noted that many of their venues hold significant historic weight: the Royal Albert Hall, for example, will be their first headline performance at the venue. Cities like Limerick and Dublin see the band return to the cities they have previously played; however, this return marks an underlying continuity across generations.

The ‘Pixie 40’ tour, both visually and musically, lends itself to both legacy and also their propulsion towards a forward motion. While older tracks remain a prominent reason for many concertgoers to attend the tour, recent band interviews suggest that the band are trying to embrace a newer and more dynamic stage production, broader set-lists, and live energy as a central element to this anniversary run.

For longtime followers and new fans alike, ‘Pixie 40’ marks more than just a tour; it embodies both a retrospective nod and a reaffirmation of their iconic status. After 40 years, they still have stages to fill, audiences to challenge, and music to push forward.

Pixies’ UK and European headline shows for 2026 are:

MAY

20 – Barbican, York
21 – Alhambra theatre, Dunfermline
25 – Aviva Studios, Manchester
28 – Royal Albert Hall, London
31 – Live At The Castle, Limerick

JUNE

02 – Olympia, Dublin
30 –Zitadelle Spandau, Berlin

JULY

01 – Parkbühne Clara-Zetkin-Park, Leipzig
02 – myticket Jahrhunderthalle, Frankfurt
14 – Parco Della Musica, Milan
17 – Maassilo, Rotterdam
18 – Muziekcentrum, Enschede
19 – PLT, Heerlen

Throughout much of his career, Albini was hell-bent on being described as an engineer not a producer. Talking to Headliner Magazine last year, he described the uncomfortable feeling of being tethered to this label; ‘A producer has responsibility for all the artistic decisions on a record…I don’t do that,”. He stated that was happy to leave those choices to whichever band he was working with, preferring not to be pigeonholed in this way. He told the magazine ‘It’s not that I prefer not to be called a producer, it’s that it’s incorrect and misleading’. You can read the interview in which he talks producing, the future of music and Kurt Cobain here.

His punishing sound defined the late 20th century and has reverberated through the music industry since then, having recorded thousands of albums including landmark releases such the Pixies Surfa Rosa of 1988 and PJ Harvey’s Rid of Me of 1993 as well as most notably Nirvana’s third and final studio album In Utero, which turned 30 in September of last year. Kurt Cobain, feeling the band needed a sound revival after the release of Nirvana’s penultimate album Nevermind, found this salvation in Albini.

Albini revealed that originally he didn’t find the band all that revolutionary, however agreed to work with them out of pity, believing they were shackled to a label who refused to let them explore a more caustic and corrosive sound. At the time the label, Geffen, were callous towards the album requesting many of the songs be remixed. Though this was very little concern to Albini who had a track record of being unapologetically unsympathetic towards labels and charged a flat fee for working with him; contesting with the notion of perpetually profiting from an artist’s work. Still, the album ended up selling 5 million copies just in the US and after its release and according to Far Out magazine, Albini noted that he even found himself “listening to it of [his] own free will, occasionally”. You can read Albini’s thoughts on the industry here in his perspicacious essay ‘The Problem with Music’.

Primarily, Albini was a musician despite his engineering efforts morphing into a central part of his career. He was the front man for bands such as Big Black, Rapeman and Shellac who he continued touring with up until his death. The band are due to release their first full album since 2014 titled To All Trains on the 17th of May and have recently announced a UK tour which will take place in June. Albini’s plethora of legacy solidifying, palpable, albums and sound will continue to shape the future of music indefinitely and his refreshing but bloodless critiques of the industry, will be missed. You can preorder To All Trains here.

Falling on the same night of the 2024 BRIT awards, Wunderhorse took to the stage last Saturday to rapturous applause. The legendary 700-year-old pub announced the secret set just hours before the group were scheduled to perform, causing fans to scramble to purchase last-minute tickets. Fronted by singer-songwriter Jacob Slater, his distinctive rough and ready vocals and razor-sharp lyricism are hard to shake off. Slater’s gritty on-stage persona is reminiscent of blistering American garage bands, causing him to launch into a series of rage-fuelled outbursts, only to lose him again in a 90s psychedelic fog.

The Hertfordshire-born musician had made the decision to exit his old band Dead Pretties in 2017, a path that would eventually lead him to form his next project Wunderhorse, releasing their debut, critically-acclaimed album ‘Cub‘ in October 2022, a beautiful yet bloodied catalogue of teenage misadventure. The past two years have seen Slater build up a fair amount of mileage, having scored not only glowing album reviews and international recognition, but rather ironically his first ever acting role as Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook in Danny Boyle’s tv miniseries Pistol.

A multifaceted writer and instrumentalist, Slater has also curated his own separate solo project, releasing his first ever record ‘Pinky, I Love You‘ in August 2023, another deeply personal and tender account of youth driven by a rousing, prog-rock sound. On February 5, the band announced they will be performing at Isle of Wight, TRNSMT, Boardmasters and Reading and Leeds festival this summer.

As of last weekend, they also shared they will be headlining Dot To Dot Festival in May alongside Irish electronic duo Jockstrap, and Brighton’s The Great Escape festival accompanied by other major acts such as Faye Webster and SOFTPLAY. Great Escape Fest is known for showcasing the biggest and brightest up and coming artists from around the country, with over 150 acts set to take part in different venues across the city.

Wunderhorse took to Instagram last month to lift the lid on new music, revealing they are currently in the process of recording their sophomore album, simply commenting: “Back on the road in March, new music in tow”. The four-piece will be supporting English singer-songwriter Declan McKenna on his 2024 UK tour this month, kicking things off at Cardiff University’s Student Union on March 23. You can purchase tickets here.

Victorious Festival 2024 will run from August 23-25 with Fatboy Slim and Snow Patrol co-headlining the event’s opening night. Jamie T and Biffy Clyro will then take the headlining spot for Saturday and Sunday night respectively. The 2023 instalment of Victorious Festival featured another star-studded line up as the likes of Mumford and Sons, Kasabian, Kaiser Chiefs, Jamiroquai and Ellie Goulding were amongst the big names of performers.

The festival also houses a comedy stage, and at next year’s event, leaders of the industry Russell Howard and Frankie Boyle will be headlining on Friday and Saturday night at Southsea seafront.

One of the most successful dance artists of all time, the Grammy and Brit award-winning DJ and producer Fatboy Slim will bring a memorable Friday night opening party packed full of hits. His attendance of the festival had previously been teased as a sign saying “Praise You”, in reference to his hit song of the same name, appeared at the event’s location.

Victorious Festival hints at 2024 headliner: https://t.co/85AAcyqY7K #FatboySlim #VictoriousFestival

— Neil Durham (@NeilDurham) November 27, 2023

In addition to these huge headliners, many other world class acts will be making their way down to Portsmouth for Victorious Festival. Other artists on the bill include Wet Leg, Becky Hill, Pixies, Courteeners, IDLES, Jess Glynne, Arlo Parks, Louis Tomlinson and Natasha Bedingfield. You can find the full line up below.

Big News!

We’re SO excited to announce @FatboySlim@snowpatrol , @jamietmusic , and @BiffyClyro are headlining VF24! Plus the incredible @wetlegband@BeckyHill@PIXIES@Louis_Tomlinson@jessglynne@arloparks@thecourteeners@idlesband & loads more!… pic.twitter.com/O6GEwuXxBP — Victorious Festival (@VictoriousFest) December 5, 2023

Victorious’ lead booker Andy Marsh said in a press release: ‘‘This is the first year we’ve released all our headliners at once and we’re thrilled to be able to announce the acts after months of planning. Victorious 2024 is going to be bigger than ever and it’s not just the headliners people need to look out for, we have booked hundreds of acts across the weekend spanning multiple genres. We can’t wait for August, it really will be a year to remember!” Early bird weekend camping tickets are now on sale from £180, while day tickets are priced at £65 each. For tickets and more information, you can visit the official website for Victorious Festival here.

This instalment of his radio show is set to begin on 17th September, with the show running from 10pm-12pm on Sunday nights. In a press release, Murphy said that he will “share songs from all corners of his record collection and share why they hold a special place in his life.”

We’re thrilled to announce that Cillian Murphy’s Limited Edition returns to 6 Music on Sundays, 10pm-12am from 17th September

His weekly nocturnal playlist sees Cillian explore music from all corners of his record collection & share why they hold a special place in his life. pic.twitter.com/s4a1zRG8Sz

— BBC Radio 6 Music (@BBC6Music) September 1, 2023

Murphy has previously hosted two instalments of Limited Edition in 2020 and 2021, and he has shared his excitement to return. In an interview on BBC Radio 6 with Nemone, Murphy shared, “It’s been a while, but I am thrilled to be back playing tunes on 6 Music, my favourite radio station in the world. The show will be a sound collage of new, old and limited edition tunes for your discerning ears. Can’t wait.”

Listen to the full interview with Murphy here, 1 hour and 35 minutes into the programme.

In his previous instalments of Limited Edition, Murphy has showcased his eclectic music taste, featuring artists from Carly Simon and Marvin Gaye to Pixies and Nina Simone. He shared his interest in music with NME, discussing his band, The Sons of Mr Green Genes that he formed with his brother.

Named after a Frank Zappa song, they put together experimental songs filled with “wacky lyrics and endless guitar solos.”

Speaking on why he didn’t pursue a career in music, Murphy said, “I just never thought that I was good enough really. I like to do one thing quite well.”

Despite his self-deprecating comments, The Sons of Mr Green Genes were offered a five-album deal by Acid Jazz Records, based in London. He and his brother turned the record deal down however, citing artistic independence as their main reason.

Murphy’s return to BBC Radio 6 will mean a change in its current scheduling. The BBC confirmed that Don Letts will move his Culture Clash Radio show to Saturday nights from 9pm-11pm. Letts currently hosts his show in the slot that Cillian Murphy will be taking over from 17th September.

Letts’ show will replace The Blessed Madonna’s Saturday evening show, who recently made the “gutting decision” to lessen her work schedule amidst touring and recording.

These changes follow the news that Steve Lamacq will be stepping down from his Radio 6 show after 18 years.

Listen to BBC Radio 6 live here.

The band announced the stretch of dates on social media with the caption, “For the first time ever – playing #Bossanova & #TrompeLeMonde in their entireties + others from the catalogue, 3 night residencies in intimate venues.”

The noisy American alt-rock band will be taking their classic 90s albums on the road in March next year. The band will start with a three-day residency at the Olympia in Dublin on the 8^th March, then play three shows at the Albert Hall in Manchester starting on the 12^th March, and before playing three consecutive dates at the O2 Forum Kentish Forum in London starting on the 16^th March.

They will then travel to Amsterdam playing three shows at the Paradiso and conclude the tour in Paris with a residency at the L’Olympia.

Tickets will be on sale from Friday 9^th June at 9 am BST / 10 am CET. For tickets see here.

Nearly 33 years ago, Pixies released their third studio album Bossanova on 4AD featuring the two energetic singles “Velouria” and “Dig for Fire”. The record reached number 3 in the UK and 70 on the US Billboard 200. Listen to the single “Velouria” below:

The following year the band released Trompe de Monde also produced by Gil Norton and released via 4AD. The critically adored album is the last Pixies record to feature bassist Kim Deal and the last album recorded before the band’s decade-long hiatus. Stand-out tracks include “Alec Eiffel” about the engineer who designed the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty, “Letter to Memphis” Black Francis’ take on Chuck Berry’s song “Memphis, Tennessee”, and the band’s upbeat cover of the Jesus and Mary Chain’s “Head On”. Listen to the cheeky single “Alec Eiffel” below:

Currently, Black Francis and the gang are embarking on the second leg of their North America in support of their latest and eighth studio album Doggerel. This March the band completed the European and UK leg of the tour at The Roundhouse in London. Released last year, the album was recorded during the pandemic in an eco-friendly studio in Gulliford and produced by English producer Tom Dalgety. The album included the three singles “There’s a Moon On“, “Vault of Heaven“, and “Dregs of Wine“. Listen to the album’s lead single “There’s a Moon On” below:

Pixies now consists of lead singer Black Francis, Joey Santiago on lead guitar, David Lovering on drums, and Paz Lenchantin on bass. In March last year, the band broke their 2 year long hiatus to drop the non-album single “Human Crime“.

See below for Pixies’ upcoming UK and Europe tour dates:

08/03/23 – Olympia – Dublin
09/03 – Olympia – Dublin
10/03 – Olympia – Dublin
12/03 – Albert Hall – Manchester
13/03 – Albert Hall – Manchester
14/03 – Albert Hall – Manchester
16/03 – O2 Forum Kentish Forum – London
17/03 – O2 Forum Kentish Forum – London
18/03 – O2 Forum Kentish Forum – London
20/03 – Paradiso – Amsterdam
21/03 – Paradiso – Amsterdam
22/03 – Paradiso – Amsterdam
25/03 – L’Olympia – Paris
26/03 – L’Olympia – Paris
27/03 – L’Olympia – Paris

The tour announcement comes after Pixies released their eighth full studio album, Doggerel, in September.  The album came out on the Infectious Music label, to largely positive critical response.  The release was preceded by the singles “There’s a Moon On”, “Vault of Heaven” and “Dregs of the Wine”.  The recording process for the new album was also filmed, becoming a short documentary on the band that was released in June 2022.

In a recent press release discussing the new album, guitarist Joey Santiago said, “This time around we have grown.  We no longer have under two-minute songs.  We have little breaks, more conventional arrangements but still our twists in there.”

Vocalist/ guitarist Black Francis went on to add, “We’re trying to do things that are very big and bold and orchestrated.  The punky stuff, I really like playing it but you just cannot artificially create that shit.  There’s another way to do this, there’s other things we can be doing with this extra special energy we’re encountering.”

The new album also marks the first songwriting credits for Joey Santiago on two of its tracks, “Dregs of the Wine” and “Pagan Man”.  Vocalist/ guitarist Black Francis said of “Pagan Man“, the album’s final song, “I was not in the mood to compose a lyric because I was already spent, if you will. So Joey wrote the lyric.”  He went on to explain that the song was, “an unfinished bit of music that the producer kept insisting that we try again”.  Doggerel was recorded in Vermont’s Guildford Sound, an eco-friendly recording studio, with the basis for many songs being the pre-recorded demos Black Francis had created in the time following the band’s seventh album release, 2019’s Beneath the Eyrie.

Check out footage of the band performing their new single, “There’s a Moon On”, live from Manchester’s Band on the Wall earlier this year.

Tickets for the 2023 UK and European tour are now on sale here.

You can also find full dates and locations for the tour below:

21/02/2023 – Cirkus – Stockholm, SE
22/02 – Sentrum Scene – Oslo, NO
25/02 – DR Koncerthuset – Kobenhavn S, DE
26/02 – Columbiahalle – Berlin, DE
27/02 – Grosse Freiheit 36 – Hamburg, DE
28/02 – Tonhalle – Munich, DE
03/03 – Oosterpoort – Groningen, NE
04/03 – AMARE – Den Haag, NE
05/03 – Tivoli Vredenburg – Utrecht, NE
07/03 – Forest National – Bruxelles, BE
09/03 – Sant Jordi Club – Barcelona, ES
10/03 – WiZink Centre – Madrid, ES
11/03 – Coliseum – A Coruna, ES
13/03 – Campo Pequeno – Lisbon, PT
15/03  -L’Olympia – Paris, FR
16/03 – L’Olympia – Paris, FR
17/03 – Forum Birmingham – Birmingham, UK
18/03 – Cardiff International Arena – Cardiff, UK
20/03 – Roundhouse – London, UK
21/03 – Roundhouse – London, UK

Given Black Francis’ prolific songwriting, Joey’s contributions would usually be to build his distinctive style into his bandmate’s songs. But this time around it was the reverse approach, with Joey’s instrumental – a mix of explosive power chords that recall Pete Townshend and a pummelling punk attack – completed by Black’s decadent, surrealist lyrics, which reference Van Halen and Black Foxx while drinking under the iconic Hollywood sign.

In a press release, Black explained the song is about, “Living in Los Angeles in the ‘90s with my then-wife, hanging out with Joey and his ex-wife, lots of trips to Las Vegas, a lot of drinking, little bit drug taking, some genuine good times.” 

Flashforward to the present day. Joey was jamming at home on his guitar and the initial idea behind the song may well have been lost to the moment. He recalls, “I guess I was in kind of a zombie state, just playing. After I stopped playing I put it down and went, ‘Well, that was a fucking waste of time, what a piece of shit I am.’ I beat myself up a lot, but my girlfriend, unbeknownst to me, was recording me. She played it back to me and I go, ‘Fuck! Hold on a second here! This stuff is good!’” 

‘Dregs of the Wine’ emerges after Pixies have spent the summer headlining large outdoor shows in the UK and Europe, hitting Hyde Park as special guests to Pearl Jam, and playing a tiny Manchester show at Band On the Wall. Their legendary status has been heightened by the recent Doggerel singles ‘There’s A Moon On’ and ‘Vault of Heaven’, leading to an A-list and a Steve Lamacq premiere at 6 Music, as well as coverage stretching from NME to The Guardian to Spin.

Having just headlined the End of the Road Festival, Pixies’ remaining 2022 live shows include shows in North America, South America, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Please see their website for a full list of all international dates.

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The legendary group’s new single was written by Charles Thompson, otherwise known as Black Francis, frontman of Pixies. Thompson is the artist’s birth name, and the singer also writes and performs as a solo artist under the moniker Frank Black. The track was produced and mixed by Tom Dalgety, the British producer and engineer who is also known for his work with Royal Blood and was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2019.

Alongside a traditional release schedule, “Human Crime” also dropped with an accompanying music video. The single’s press release has provided the following statement concerning the music video, “Directed by Pixies’ Paz Lenchantin and filmed in the Los Angeles area at the San Pedro abandoned bunkers and Santa Monica’s Gold Diggers Bar, the “Human Crime” music video gives the viewer a glimpse into a nether world of fairies, situated just around that next corner, parallel to our dimension, rarely seen or experienced. As Lenchantin said, “The storyline is loosely based on an ‘inside joke’ between Charles and I about going on tour. How we go through a door from our reality state into the altered state of becoming and being a Pixie.”

The band have also confirmed that they will be hitting the road this year for their 2022-2023 World Tour, the upcoming tour will be the group’s first series of live shows in over two years. Since the release of their new single, fans have been eagerly excited to purchase tickets to catch the band’s new music live. The new track’s press release has provided a prediction of what ticketholders can expect, “As is the band’s norm, Pixies will draw from some 100 well-rehearsed songs from their extensive catalogue (and possibly a surprise or two) to play whatever they want, whenever they want, in whatever order they want. Indeed, no two Pixies sets are ever alike.”

The tour will kickstart on 15th March 2022 with a performance in Tucson and will continue with two more US dates, after a set at Mexico’s Vive Latino 2022, the band will perform at BBC 6 Music Festival on 1st April 2022. The set at the Welsh music event will mark the “Debaser” group’s first UK performance since 2019, for fans who cannot make it to the live event the performance will be broadcasted live to enjoy at home. The band’s set will be available to watch on BBC Radio 6 via Tune In, BBC TV and on the iPlayer via the BBC red button. Throughout the remaining Summer months, the group will perform across the UK and Europe, the tour’s concluding show will take place at the End Of The Road Festival from 1st-4th September 2022.

Pixies UK tour dates

01/04/2022 – BBC 6 Music Festival – Cardiff
05/07 – Castlefield Bowl – Manchester
08/07 – British Summer Time Festival 2022 – London|
03/08 – Corn Exchange – Edinburgh
04/08 – Kelvingrove Park – Glasgow
05/08 – Times Square – Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
07/08 – Bingley Weekender – Bingley
01-04/09 – End of the Road Festival 2022 – Handley

Click here to purchase tickets.

Photo Credit: Travis Shinn

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The Summer event will mark Stereophonics’ first performance at the iconic location in over a decade, the group last appeared at the London venue during the opening ceremony for the London Olympics in 2012. The group performed alongside Duran Duran, Snow Patrol and Paolo Nutini, all four acts were selected to perform as they represented the four nations incorporated within the United Kingdom.

Also billed to perform alongside Stereophonics on Saturday 9th July 2022 are Imelda May, The Last Internationale, La Luz, JJ Wilde and The Wild Things. Pearl Jam start their two-day concert series at BST Hyde Park on Friday 8th July 2022, set to support the group on Friday are fellow grunge icons Pixies. The “Debaser” group will also be joined by singer-songwriter Cat Power, White Reaper, The Murder Capital, The Glorious Songs, Simon Townshend, La Luz, Sick Joy and English female punk group Dream Nails.

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Pearl Jam’s BST Hyde Park appearance was originally set for 2021 but due to COVID-19 relates issues the event was postponed until this year. To announce the news, BST Hyde Park posted the following statement on their website, “It is with a heavy heart that we announce that BST Hyde Park will not take place in July 2021. We are however happy to share that Duran Duran and Pearl Jam will go ahead in July 2022. Pearl Jam will take place on Friday 8th and Saturday 9th July 2022. Friday 8th will feature special guests Pixies, whilst Saturday 9th July will welcome a new guest artist to be announced – as well as full supporting lineups. Duran Duran will take place on Sunday 10th July 2022 and will be rejoined by their incredible guest – Nile Rodgers & CHIC, with further acts to be confirmed soon. “

The London event continued to update ticket-holders with administrative information whilst confirming the decision taken to delay the live event, “All tickets remain valid for the scheduled 2022 dates. You will be directly contacted by the ticket agent you purchased from with full details, including refund information if you are no longer able to attend the rescheduled dates. If you have not been contacted about a refund by your ticket agent by Friday 30th April, please get in touch with them directly. Following our review of the most recent government advice, the latest timeline means that we are unable to deliver with certainty the quality BST Hyde Park is known for in the time available. By making this decision at this stage we allow artists, crew, fans and everyone that comes together to help create these shows to plan accordingly.”

The event, partnered with American Express, then gave thanks to those on the frontlines of the pandemic, “We’d like to take this opportunity to thank the NHS and all the incredible organisations and individuals who have been working tirelessly in these past twelve months to keep the country safe. Your efforts are enormously appreciated. Team BST x”

Click here to purchase tickets.