What about the voice of Geddy Lee?

On Thursday I went to see the last night of the Pavement reunion at the Brixton Academy (I refuse to call any of the London venues their new sponsorship names). I got into Pavement just as they were splitting up, and so I never got to see them live. 10 years later, and it finally happens. I didn’t bother to bring a camera, as my pocket digital doesn’t focus properly in low light any more. The ticket was my birthday present from Chris back in January.

We had seated tickets, and originally planned to swap for standing, but both of us had stinking colds, so we were happy to sit. I’ve never actually say down at the Brixton Academy before, but we staked out the best seats in the house, right at the front of the balcony. Broken Social Scene were in support, who I like anyway. They were good, but not mind-blowing. Five guitars didn’t seem to make much of a meaty sound. (The keyboard player also looks exactly like my friend Bryony, which was a bit distracting)

Pavement were brilliant, they played for 2 hours, and pretty much played all the songs I wanted to hear (see why I have no ambitions to become a music journalist). Chris says he wants Bob Nastanovich’s job of banging things and shouting. I also liked the lights, with different coloured and moving background ones for each song, and then a big tangled string of giant fairy lights above the stage, to make it even more like a Christmas and birthday combined.

Here’s someone’s youtube video, with obligatory awful sound. The sound in the actual venue was immaculate.

Main Set

1. Grounded
2. Gold Soundz
3. Elevate Me Later
4. Kennel District
5. Cut Your Hair
6. Father To A Sister Of Thought
7. The Hex
8. Zurich Is Stained
9. In The Mouth A Desert
10. Two States
11. Silence Kit
12. Unfair
13. Stop Breathing
14. Rattled By The Rush
15. Here
16. Perfume V
17. Shady Lane
18. Debris Slide
19. We Dance
20. Trigger Cut
21. Spit On A Stranger
22. Summer Babe

Encore 1

1. Date With Ikea
2. Stereo
3. Fight This Generation

Encore 2

1. Range Life

A kind person at the train station gave me an unused single ticket for london, but buying a single back + transport within London actually ended up costing me more than buying a travelcard ticket would’ve done in the first place (no chance of bunking, Southern Trains are very hot on having late night inspectors). Train ticket pricing is insane.