Live Review: Pixies with Franz Ferdinand and Bully at the Coca-Cola Roxy in Atlanta, 6/20/23

Doggerel is the new Pixies album, just their eighth full length from the studio in 35 years. While the post-punk, Nirvana-inspiring sound has lightened, the band still shows off its signature sounds: that unmistakable Frank Black (Black Francis) voice, the instantly recognizable guitar of Joey Santiago, and the solid, consistent drumming of David Lovering. Bassist/vocalist Paz Lenchantin has been on the last four LPs, replacing the original Kim Deal who recorded on the first four (plus the debut EP Come On Pilgrim).

The band started their mighty 27-song set with “Gouge Away,” from 1989’s Doolittle. The set was a terrific balance of the band’s catalog, with most of the new Doggerel doing the heavy lifting. A fan (and band) favorite is the cover of Jesus and Mary Chain‘s “Head On,” along with an older cover of Neil Young‘s “Winterlong.” Black took the stage in his usual black t-shirt, jeans, and sunglasses. Not much has changed there. His voice was in good form, proven in the “Monkey Gone to Heaven” shriek, “…then GOD is SEVEN!” The presence of Lenchantin may be lost on casual fans, but she fits in nicely with a rumbling bass and Deal-like vocals. Just wish we coulda heard “Gigantic.”

There has most likely never been such a collection of Pixies shirts in one location in the history of earth. It’s crystal clear the Boston foursome has an extensive following, including many children tagging along with their parents. Check out the band on their current tour.

Indie rockers Franz Ferdinand brought some Scottish energy to the Roxy. At 51, band leader Alex Kapranos still moves like a man half his age and the pipes are intact. They shot straight to the top with their self-titled debut in 2004, mostly thanks to the single “Take Me Out.” But they are so much more, and Kapranos proved it all night. The dude was scissor kicking and jumping all over the stage. A true entertainer.

Nashville’s Bully, fresh off the release of their fourth studio album Lucky For You, lit it up as openers. The grungey alt rockers introduced themselves as always: loud and heavy. “All I Do,” the leadoff track from Lucky, was the first tune of the evening. It did appear that many fans in the house were familiar with the music, singing and jumping along with the band. Bully has morphed into Alicia Bognanno’s solo effort. Musicians are hired to record and tour, but the writing, producing, vocals, instrumentation, art direction, and design are all her.

The band visited three albums, but six of the nine tunes were from Lucky. “Lose You” and “Days Move Slow, the first two singles on the new release, sounded terrific as the band seemed to gel like pros. I first experienced Bully in 2014 at the EARL in Atlanta. Standing 10 feet away I was struck by the intensity of Bognanno. Been a fan ever since. Speaking of intensity, the closing song was “All This Noise,” a screamfest with Bognanno wearing her heart on her sleeve on topics such as climate change, women’s issues, and mass shootings:

Jesus won’t save the polar bears or halt the melting ice
But he’ll give you an excuse to shame and take our bodies rights
There’s an AR-15 in your house it’s got one job to do
It’s to quickly kill as many things that you want it to
But god forbid we take action to keep our children safe
As our ego stands in center stage another life it takes

This is a band on the move…keep an eye on them. For more info on the Bully tour, visit their website. And keep informed on Franz Ferdinand and Pixies.

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