It’s dazzling! KIM DEAL thrills the crowd at Manchester’s New Century Hall, playing solo debut album Nobody Loves You More in full before dipping back to tracks from her 7” solo series and favourites from the Breeders and Pixies.
Kim Deal needs no introduction, but just in case, she reminds the audience that she used to be in a band called the Pixies, before revealing that the band’s classic track Gigantic is best played with horns (of the musical variety that is, though stick on your head what you will). But before we’re flung black in time, she plays 2024’s Nobody Loves You More top to toe in its full orchestral glory.
First up tonight is Manchester’s Tasmin Stephens aka TTSSFU, whose potent set shifts from breezy dream-pop to brooding dream-goth on tracks including Studio 54 and I Hope You Die, the latter seeing Stephens’ syrupy vocals mutate into the sort of stomach-churning howl that’d tame Black Francis, before abandoning her blonde wig and making a mad dash off stage. One to watch!
When I first heard Kim Deal’s debut solo album Nobody Loves You More on its release last November, I wondered how it would translate to live, so used to seeing Deal in the traditional rock band set up. But she’s taking no shortcuts on this tour, her rock entourage bolstered by strings, horns and backing singer Kate Wakefield (LUNG) as she loses herself to new sounds and textures while confronting loss, renewal and joy, all with spectacular results.
Opening the set, there’s an eerie silence as Deal’s crushing, velvet-edged intones breeze through the hall on the album’s title track before a swell of sumptuous strings and brass stir the crowd, creating an atmosphere which is nothing short of sublime. Next up, the surfy waves of Coast bring to mind a balmy blend of Blondie’s Sunday Girl and The Tide Is High, the number as infectious as Deal’s smile, which seems to get bigger as the night goes on. You can almost taste the lonely ache of Are You Mine, Rob Bochnik’s slide guitar accompanying the harmonies of Deal and Wakefield, which soothe against the unsettling darkness of Susan Voelz’ violin, while Wish I Was oozes a similar vulnerability. At the other end of the scale, the abrasive dance vibes of Crystal Breath are enormous tonight, with the highlight of the album for me without doubt the brazen, caustic chaos of Big Ben Beat, which swarms in uneasy space as it builds and alarms, conjuring up a towering cacophony of sound. Glorious!
Deal chats between songs, enthusiastically introducing band members who she tells us have come from all over Canada, such as Dayton, Winnipeg and Los Angeles, Vancouver. Solidarity! Turning her attention to the crowd, she asks if anyone’s travelled up from London, before adding “I’m totally fucking with you”. Aye, maybe Kim, but spare a thought for your Scottish fans like us who travelled down from Edinburgh earlier today on a train packed with Nine Inch Nails fans, surely worth its own round of applause?
Wakefield shines on Bats In The Afternoon Sky and Deal’s nostalgic wander through the euphoric Summerland is quite dazzling, while last number A Good Time Pushed uplifts with vibes of the Breeders’ 2018 album All Nerve charging through its veins.
But we’re not done yet, a second set seeing Deal revisit a couple of her old lo-fi solo singles from 2014, Beautiful Moon and Biker Gone. Of course there’s no show without a bit of Breeders, and that we get, 1992’s Safari making my night, while Title TK favourite Off You is so perfect, the make up on my eyes begins to smudge. She dedicates the spine tingling No Aloha to her sister and fellow Breeder Kelley, who should be delighted to hear that Bochnik’s slide guitar on this number is sublime…but we still wish she was here! Deal completes the set with with that old Pixies classic, Gigantic, which sees her back on bass albeit Mando Lopez’ left-handed one. Does this woman’s talent ever end?
Kelley Deal told us back in 2023 that “Cannonball is a fantastic song and super fun to play. We always play it and always will”. Thankfully, Kim’s in agreement, the encore seeing the band back on stage for Safari / Last Splash favourite Do You Love Me Now? before Cannonball blasts through the hall, to the delight of fans old and new.
So was the wee jaunt to Manchester with the NIN gang worth it? For sure! Kim Deal and her wonderful entourage of Canadians gave everything and more, and although I’ve been to quite few gigs this year, this one will forever hold a special place in my Breeder-lovin’ heart. Next time Scotland, Kim?
Mike Montgomery discusses Kim Deal’s first night on tour along with his new album, Pony Coughing >>
Words: Shirley Mack @shirleymack.bsky.social
Pictures: Calum Mackintosh @ayecandyphotography