June 14, 2009 23:02

Pixies play comeback show at Isle Of Wight Festival

Band play over an hour of hits in their Main Stage slot

Pixies played their first high-profile UK gig in nearly four years tonight (June 14), performing before Neil Young at the Isle Of Wight Festival.

Opening their Main Stage set with 'U-Mass', the band treated fans to an 80-minute greatest hits set.

Early on in the set, bassist Kim Deal remarked that she found the island "very pretty", before giggling into the microphone.

The band paid tribute to Young by playing their cover of his song 'Winterlong', which was originally recorded for the veteran songwriter's Bridge Foundation charity.

One of the crowd's biggest responses came when Pixies played their classic track 'Monkey Gone To Heaven'.

However, the band aborted the following track ('In Heaven'), after Frank Black and Deal fluffed the song's vocals. "You were meant to scream!" a bemused Deal said to Black. "I haven't screamed since about 1989," he retorted, before the duo collapsed into a fit of laughter.

After giving up on the song, the band launched into fan-favourite 'Here Comes Your Man' without any problems.

The audience were ecstatic when the band showcased three of their best-loved songs one after another, playing 'Debaser', 'Wave Of Mutilation' and 'Gouge Away'.

Elsewhere in the set, 'Gigantic' saw much of the immediate crowd moshing, while 'Where Is My Mind?' also resulted in a mass singalong.

After finishing their set with B-side 'Into The White' – played because of the location of the festival, according to the band – Pixies stayed onstage while the crowd cheered them. Pointing and waving at members of the audience, the band lapped up the applause for a full five minutes.

Photo Gallery – all the highlights from Isle Of Wight 2009

Pixies played:

'U-Mass'
'Ed Is Dead'
'Nimrod's Son'
'Bone Machine'
'Dig For Fire'
'Velouria'
'Winterlong'
'Alison'
'Monkey Gone To Heaven'
'In Heaven'
'Here Comes Your Man'
'Head On'
'Debaser'
'Wave Of Mutilation'
'Gouge Away'
'Vamos'
'Hey!'
'Tame'
'Caribou'
'Gigantic'
'Where Is My Mind?'
'Into The White'

NME.COM will be bringing you coverage of all of today's highlights including the action from both the Download and the Isle Of Wight festivals at NME.COM/festivals. Head there now for all the best news, blogs and pictures straight from the festival sites.