The Night Manila Finally Got To See The Pixies

They may not have been platinum-selling megastars at any point of their 40-year career, but the Pixies are a band that many Filipino fans have waited so long to see live, given their status as an alternative rock act that has proven to be influential to artists that span decades. Nirvana were the first high-profile group to admit that they ripped off the Pixies on “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” and was the gateway for older fans like myself who didn’t get to experience Pixies’ seminal releases in real time. Others discovered the band through the now-defunct radio station NU107, whose longtime jock Myrene Academia (more known nowadays as the bassist of Sandwich and Imago) was an early champion.

Another reason, which has been mentioned many times, is that lead guitarist Joey Santiago was an early example of Pinoy Pride, having been born in Manila before moving to the US with his family. To many Filipino indie rock-heads, he was a hero that deserved a proper homecoming.

Bafflingly though, the Pixies had never performed in the Philippines during their heyday (1986 to 1993) or even after their much-celebrated reunion (2004 to present). Then again, Santiago isn’t exactly Apl.de.ap, nor were the Pixies ever a household name, so it would have been a risky investment in those days. Good thing Karpos Multimedia — promoter of all things indie — jumped at the chance to bring the alt-rock icons over for their first-ever Manila show, and whether or not it was a financial success (tickets were still available on the day itself), producing Santiago’s triumphant homecoming was a historical milestone in itself.

And what a homecoming it was.

Deservedly so, Academia’s band Sandwich opened the show with High Targets singer and comedienne Tuesday Vargas. With Raymund Marasigan on a break, Sandwich had been gigging with different frontpeople as of late, and Vargas — no stranger to the stage — owned the part, enthusiastically backed by the rest of the band who sounded really, really good. The brief but kinetic set bookended by “Two Trick Pony” and “Sugod” contained other uptempo numbers like “Walang Kadaladala” and “Sunburn,” providing a welcome prelude for the main event.

After a short intermission, original Pixies members Santiago, singer-guitarist Black Francis, and drummer David Lovering, accompanied by current bassist Emma Richardson, stepped onstage to loud cheers, wielded their instruments, and launched into “Cactus,” a track from the band’s acclaimed 1988 first LP Surfer Rosa. And then what followed was classic track after classic track from the band’s legendary 4AD Records run: “Wave of Mutilation,” “Isla de Encanta,” and “Monkey Gone To Heaven.” An aborted attempt at “Hey” left many in the audience flabbergasted and disappointed for a split second, but then the band launched straight into the Doolittle album’s opener “Debaser” — one of Pixies’ most defining anthems. They did revisit “Hey” a few songs later and played it in full, to the delight of Filipinos who wanted to see their kababayan idol — dressed in a barong for the occasion — play its much-loved guitar solo in the flesh.

By the show’s halfway point, Pixies had already performed songs from their seminal first five records (the Come On Pilgrim EP, Surfer Rosa, Doolittle, Bossanova, and Trompe le Monde), along with a few B-sides and covers from that era thrown in. There were no spiels, save for one moment within “Vamos” when Black Francis introduced each member of the band (including himself) with the city they hailed from. Naturally, Santiago was last but not least, and when the frontman declared, “From Manila, Philippines,” the whole Filinvest Tent exploded in a frenzy of cheers. It was almost like when BINI introduced themselves at Coachella, but this time for indie rockers, and nearly made me shed a tear.

But something was noticeably amiss when Santiago was seen playing some songs sitting down; and he walked off the stage entirely for “Kings of the Prairie” and half of “Winterlong.” An Instagram post by his wife said he was under the weather, while others speculated that it was indigestion. Whatever it was, the guitarist had recovered enough to finish the rest of the set, which still had a few more highlights left in it: the “UK Surf” version of “Wave of Mutilation” (Pixies are the only band I’ve seen perform two different versions of the same song in one show), the two-hit combo of “Gouge Away” and “Tame,” and of course, “Where Is My Mind?” — their most streamed song ever, which made even Gen-Xers raise their phones to capture it.

After playing the fan favorite B-side “Into The White,” the four Pixies put their instruments down for a final bow, to which the crowd responded with a chant of “Joey, Joey,” for the homecoming hero. The band obliged with an encore of Surfer Rosa’s opening track “Bone Machine,” closing the show with another poignant moment. The first ever Pixies show in the country had no lasers, giant LEDs, or even spiels, but besides the band’s music that has been loved for decades, a big part of what made it great was that it actually, finally happened. After 40 years, Filipino fans got to show their love for the Pixies and their “Uy Pilipins” founding guitarist face to face, and the band reciprocated with a roaring 29-song set that was worth the wait.

Pixies 40 Live In Manila (May 10, 2026) set list:

• “Cactus”
• “Wave of Mutilation” (Doolittle album version)
• “Isla de Encanta”
• “Monkey Gone to Heaven”
• “Debaser” (preceded by first attempt at “Hey”)
• “Head On”
• “U-Mass”
• “Hey”
• “In Heaven”
• “Here Comes Your Man”
• “Ana”
• “Mr. Grieves”
• “Nimrod’s Son”
• “Vamos”
• “Motorway to Roswell”
• “Velouria”
• “The Happening”
• “The Thing”
• “Kings of the Prairie”
• “Winterlong”
• “Wave of Mutilation” (UK Surf version)
• “Chicken”
• “The Vegas Suite”
• “Gouge Away”
• “Tame”
• “Caribou”
• “Where Is My Mind?”
• “Into The White”
• “Bone Machine” (encore)

Pixies 40 Live In Manila was presented by Karpos.