Pixies is an American alternative rock band which formed in Boston, Massachusetts, United States in 1986. They consist of Charles (Black Francis) Thompson IV (vocals, guitar; also known as ''Frank Black''), Kim Deal (bass, vocals), Joey Santiago (guitar) and David Lovering (drums). The band officially split in 1993 and reunited in 2004. They went on hiatus in 2007, with each band member pursuing projects of their own, only to reunite in 2009, with the announcement of a new tour commencing in Europe that summer. ...show more

Pixies is an American alternative rock band which formed in Boston, Massachusetts, United States in 1986. They consist of Charles (Black Francis) Thompson IV (vocals, guitar; also known as ''Frank Black''), Kim Deal (bass, vocals), Joey Santiago (guitar) and David Lovering (drums). The band officially split in 1993 and reunited in 2004. They went on hiatus in 2007, with each band member pursuing projects of their own, only to reunite in 2009, with the announcement of a new tour commencing in Europe that summer.

Although quite popular on alternative rock radio in the United States due to heavy airplay of the singles "Monkey Gone to Heaven" and "Here Comes Your Man", they were never widely popular there, but found success in Europe, especially in the UK (where they managed three top 40 singles "Velouria", "Planet of Sound" and a re-release of "Debaser") and Belgium and the Netherlands, where they were heavily broadcasted by alternative public radio. The band's style of alternative rock music is heavily influenced by punk and surf rock, and while highly melodic, is capable of being tremendously abrasive at the same time. Francis is the Pixies' primary songwriter and singer and has a distinctly desperate, yowling delivery. He has typically written cryptic songs about offbeat subjects, such as UFOs and surrealism.

References to mental instability, violent Biblical imagery, and physical injury feature in many of the band's songs. The group is frequently posited as the immediate forebear of the alternative rock boom of the 1990s, though they disbanded before reaping any of the benefits this might have brought them. Avowed fan Kurt Cobain's acknowledgement of the debt Nirvana owed to the Pixies, along with similar tributes by other alternative bands, ensured that the Pixies' legacy and influence grew substantially in the years following their demise. In 1993, during an interview with BBC Radio 5, Black Francis announced that the band had split - something he had not told his bandmates. ...show less