Live Review: Breeders @ Forum, Melbourne

Playing noisy femme-punk alt-rock, Ohio band The Breeders tore up Melbourne/Naarm’s Forum Theatre this week as part of their Last Splash 30th anniversary tour. The band delivered a set of classic grungy alternative rock, focusing mainly on the hits and deep cuts from the band’s first two albums, Pod and Last Splash, along with a few surprises. 

Opening for the band were local alt-punks MOD CON. A trio of tight, tough-as-nails rockers signed to brilliant local label Poison City, MOD CON sounded like a blend of Devo and Bikini Kill with a little bit of surf rock hidden in the mix. An excellent choice to open the show, they built the energy for the crowd of mixed demographic. 

Led by Tropical Fuck Storm guitarist and secondary vocalist Erica Dunn, MOD CON tore through a brisk set of originals. The band blended punk rock, melodic writing and dynamic vocals across their set, with tracks Electric Whip, Scorpio Moon and Do It Right Margo being definitive highlights.  

Before The Breeders came on stage, the cover of their album Last Chance, the record which this tour is celebrating, was displayed on the screen behind the stage for the audience to ponder before the show began. 

Following the release of her prior band Pixies’ 1989 classic album Doolittle, Pixies bassist Kim Deal started her own project: The Breeders.  

Initially a somewhat underground supergroup, the band has had multiple lineup changes, including the inclusion of Deal’s twin sister Kelley on lead guitar, Josephine Wiggs on bass and Jim MacPherson on drums. 

After thirty years, five albums, several hiatuses, and lots of music, the band are back together to celebrate what made them so essential in the scene of the day. Blending alt-rock aesthetics, a deep respect for 60s pop and a fuck you attitude, this is The Breeders. 

Taking to the stage to the tune of the post-punk band Bauhaus’ creepy classic Bella Lugosi’s Dead, the band waved to the crowd and jumped right into Saints from their 1993 album Last Splash.  

The guitar tone, the heavy reverb, and the drum sound all perfectly capture the feeling of the era - this is the sound of the early 90s.  

Jumping back a few years to their debut record Pod from 1990, Kim Deal and company changed the vibe with Doe before jumping way into the future to play a few from their latest record, 2018’s comeback album All Nerve. 

Introducing her sister to sing a song, the Deal sisters swapped roles for a moment while Kelley Deal sang I Just Wanna Get Along off Last Splash. 

Further favourites included No Aloha, Iris, and When I Was A Painter, but the big highlight was hearing The Breeders’ redefining cover of The Beatles’ White Album track Happiness Is A Warm Gun.  

Perfectly embodying the grungy, dynamic and lethargic energy of the song in a whole new way, this track has a studio version on their debut record but is much more effective in the live realm. 

During a tune-up, Wiggs told the audience about her day in Melbourne. Visiting the gallery, checking out the old jail, walking through the cemetery. Hilariously, Kim Deal contrasted, then felt obliged to share that during the busy day, she’d just sat around drinking coffee and watching crap TV. Sadly, not everyone can be as motivated as Jo Wiggs. 

Sending off the show with the bits of Cannonball and New Year made for a double punch of nostalgia. Cannonball’s weird little back-and-forth riff is such an earworm. It’s no surprise it’s been sampled. 

Finally reminding us of where it came from, the band broke into the early Pixies favourite Gigantic, which Kim sang in the old band. So, of course, she also took bass duties for this one. Kim’s vocals sounded just like the Surfer Rosa recording, with a voice aging like a fine wine, embracing the cracks in the bigger leaps. 

Of course, there was then a three-song encore. This made for a set of twenty-four tracks - a generous offer for an older band. 

The best of the night was their mesmerising encore cover of the Ed’s Redeeming Qualities song, Drivin’ On 9 recorded magically on The Breeders sophomore album Last Splash. The guitar and violin back-and-forth during the song was heartwarming and memorable, to say the very least. 

Bringing humour, sincerity, noise and creativity to alternative rock music has clearly always been at the core of The Breeders’ music. It’s far more important to have a good time than anything else, and all band members expressed so much gratitude and love to the audience, each individually thanking the fans at different points. 

They are a true class act and an example of how to do it as a legacy band - don’t miss them next time they come around.