Pavement reunite in the U.K. for the first time in 12 years for spectacular show
1990s indie rockers Pavement played their first show in the U.K after 12 years last night. The sold-out Leeds O2 Academy show marked the first night of a string of dates announced in 2021, which will end with a four-night residency at The Roundhouse in London, before the band continue to tour the rest of Europe.
Pavement were one of the most influential bands to emerge from the 90s’ alternative scene, known for its lo-fi charm and witty lyricism courtesy of frontman Stephen Malkmus. Despite their breakup in 1999, which followed the release of five critically acclaimed albums, the band have not lost any of their energy or fervour. After briefly reuniting in 2010, the band have finally returned to stages this year, gracing fans with an hour-and-a-half-long performance of their biggest hits, spanning every album.
However, before Pavement could take to the stage, fans welcomed Bull to the stage. Hailing from York, the band have recently built quite a reputation around Yorkshire as an entertaining, must-see live act. I’ve never seen a crowd go so wild for a support act, particularly one that only boasts a mere 14,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. Playing for about 40 minutes, the band radiated an enthusiasm that made for the perfect introduction to the night.
Pavement were warmly recieved as they stepped on stage and launched into ‘Grounded’ from Wowee Zowee, resulting in arms flying and beers flowing over the audience. This atmosphere was only heightened by ‘Stereo’, a sing-along hit from Brighten the Corners, whose lyrics were echoed back to the band by passionate audience members.
Over the course of the evening, the band played 26 songs, including ‘Summer Babe’, ‘Harness Your Hopes’, ‘Range Life’, ‘Spit on a Stranger’, ‘Cut Your Hair’, ‘Shady Lane’ and ‘Silence Kid’. The set continued with momentum, mixing big crowd-pleasers with quick punk-infused tracks like ‘Serpentine Pad.’
The crowd was kept entertained (even though the music was entertaining enough) by Bob Nastanovich, who performed his trademark scream as he paced around the stage like the band’s hype man. Before the encore, the band played ‘Half A Canyon’, an impressive demonstration of Pavement’s instrumental skills and the perfect end to the main set. Luckily, fans were treated to four final tracks, ending with ‘Stop Breathing’, which was recieved magnificently well.
My only qualm with the whole night was ‘Gold Soundz’ being omitted from the setlist, despite constant audience requests for it. But that’s a minor complaint in the grand scheme of the gig, which was a fantastic celebration of a band so vital to alternative rock.
