Pixies add North East date to their European tour

Pixies have added several dates to their November-December tour, including one in Newcastle.

Alt-rock legends Pixies today announced that they have added their first North East date in more than 25 years to their winter European tour.

The band, formed in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1986, will play at the O2 Academy in Newcastle on Saturday, December 3.

They are also playing two dates in London, and one-offs in Leeds, Manchester and Glasgow.

The Newcastle gig is their first in the North East for more than 25 years.

They played at the Riverside in 1988, the Polytechnic, as it was then, back in April 1989, and at the Mayfair in October 1990.

A special fan-only pre-sale for all UK dates will begin at 9am on Wednesday, 20 July at www.pixiesmusic.com/shows. General sale begins at 9am on Friday.

The dates will be hotly anticipated on the heels of last week's news that Pixies will release a new album, Head Carrier, on September 30.

The 12-track collection of their unique mix of surrealism, psychedelia, dissonance and surf rock was produced by Tom Dalgety (Killing Joke, Royal Blood) and recorded at London's Rak Studios in February and March this year.

The album is available in various formats and can be pre-ordered now from the band's website.

Fans can get a taste of the new music by going to www.pixiesmusic.com and checking out the first single, Um Chagga Lagga.

Pixies were hugely influential, their sound laying down the template for bands such as Nirvana, Radiohead, The Strokes, Blur and Weezer.

The original group disbanded in 1993 in acrimonious circumstances, but reunited in 2004.

Today it consists of founders Black Francis (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Joey Santiago (lead guitar), and David Lovering (drums); as well as new bassist Paz Lenchantin (bass, vocals).