The Big Moon’s Juliette Jackson on her favourite Pixies song: “They prove that music can go anywhere”
The formation of The Big Moon was quite unique. Unlike other bands, whose interests and sound evolve as the members grow and mature together, Juliette Jackson, Soph Nathan, Celia Archer, and Fern Ford joined forces with a clear vision of what they each considered to be a successful band. Despite having differing tastes in music—some members enjoyed styles that others disliked—their collaboration worked because their dynamic fostered an eclectic sound.
The Big Moon’s sound evolution goes far beyond just a blend of gritty rock and melodic pop influences—a lot of their style borrows from the members’ diverse musical tastes and backgrounds, which significantly contributed to their success. As Jackson put it: “If we all liked exactly the same music, we would sound quite boring,” she told The Line of Best Fit. “There are bands that Fern likes that I hated at first, but they’ve grown on me.”
Although The Big Moon collectively have cited many references when prompted to explain their creative drivers, including The Beatles, The Strokes, Patti Smith, and PJ Harvey, Jackson’s favourites are probably the most obvious of the group, but not in a way that makes her views any less interesting. In fact, some of her favourite songs of all time blend various styles and genres, providing insight into how the band managed to infuse nostalgic tunes with contemporary appeal.
One of Jackson’s all-time favourite bands, Pixies, earned the coveted top spot because Kim Deal managed to tap into something difficult to describe. “With Pixies, I feel there’s just so much there; all the stopping and starting and the screaming and Kim Deal – Kim Deal’s voice and Kim Deal’s basslines – and all the weird timings, the freaky lyrics that don’t make any sense and the loud and quietness of how they play. They’ve been a really huge inspiration to me,” Jackson explained.
When picking her favourite song, she admitted to “closing my eyes and pointing” because “Pixies are my favourite band. I’ve definitely listened to them more than any other band. It was hard to pick a song.” This technique resulted in her pointing to ‘Gigantic’, a fan favourite that was the only song at the time co-written with Frank Black and Deal. Deal took inspiration from the 1986 Bruce Beresford film Crimes of the Heart, starring Sissy Spacek and Diane Keaton.
Listening to the song and the band’s music in a broader sense made Jackson realise the power of letting go of perfectionism. “When I listen to Pixies, I feel like music can be anything. It made me stop worrying what a song is gonna turn into,” she said.
“Pixies sound so free and wild. They prove that music can go anywhere and if you feel like turning around and playing a different timing and completely different music suddenly, you can just do that. I love how surprising their music is.”
Jackson isn’t the only famous figure whose favourite was the hit Surfer Rosa track. Kurt Cobain also loved the song, mainly because it incorporated the band’s signature dichotomy but also because it placed Deal at the fore. He declared: “I wish Kim was allowed to write more songs for the Pixies, because ‘Gigantic’ is the best Pixies song and Kim wrote it.”
