Pixies and Modest Mouse // Live @ Brady Music Center // 6.5.24 -

Photos and Article by: Linda Carlson

Cincinnati, OH – Pixies, Modest Mouse and Cat Power are continuing their successful 2023 tour into 2024, featuring shows nearly daily throughout June. If this sellout show on a rainy Cincinnati Wednesday is any indication, this pairing of 1980s/1990s indie & alternative rock should perhaps be an annual tradition.

This lineup pulled in an audience ready to groove. The venue’s ground floor standing crowd was brimming with enthusiastic fans, as were the upper seated sections. Whether standing or sitting, a scan of the crowd showed that the audience was fully engaged throughout the evening.

Following opener Cat Power, Modest Mouse put on a 70-minute set that had the audience either rhythmically swaying or outright dancing.

Modest Mouse, formed in the early 1990s near Seattle, found sturdy footing in the alternative rock scene just as the grunge movement was hitting the scene. The band forged connections with fans early on, with enduring hits like “Float On” and “Ocean Breathes Salty” cementing a relationship that stands strong to this day.

Isaac Brock (vocals, rhythm guitar) is the sole founding band member and sets the tone for the band’s performance. His ease on stage and vocal acuity are expertly complemented by Russell Higbee (bass), Ben Massarella (percussion), Simon O’Connor (lead guitar), Damon Cox (drums) and Keith Karman (keyboards). These six musicians bring conventional and non-conventional (upright bass, fiddle, banjo, among others) elements to the stage that blend seamlessly to satisfying effect.

The band’s 70-minute performance included:

Trucker’s Atlas
Dashboard
Bury Me With It
Fuck Your Acid Trip
Wooden Soldiers
Night on the Sun
Wild Packs of Family Dogs
The World at Large
Satin in a Coffin
King Rat
Third Side
Float On
The Stars Are Projectors

Pixies closed the evening’s fare. This Boston band has rolled through eras of rock. Formed in the 1980s, the band offered a complementary sound to raging grunge era that followed. Indeed, the band’s music was famously cited as inspiration by Kurt Cobain.

The band has had minimal lineup changes compared to other bands of comparable longevity. Founding members Black Francis (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), David Lovering (drums), and Joey Santiago (lead guitar) are joined by Emma Richardson (bass). Richardson replaces Paz Lenchantin, who departed the band earlier this year.

Pixies are known for their “loud-quiet-loud” and “stop-start” performances. Throughout their set, the band brings audiences from mellow, bluesy, throbbing musings to heart-thumping rhythms & vocals, pulling from their repertoire of eight studio albums, including 2022’s Doggerel. The band’s pioneering sound and engaging stage presence make a Pixies concert a memorable experience for both established fans and curious newcomers.