Kim Deal @ Wulfrun Hall Wolverhampton, 18th June 2025
Kim Deal has brought nine musicians along with her on this tour, including strings keyboards and horns, along with the usual drums, guitars and bass, as a statement of intent. She also plays the whole of her new album ‘Nobody Loves You More’ in the order the songs appear on the album. This is an artist stating in no uncertain terms that the presentation of their art is paramount. Usually this just means stage sets and lighting, and keeping fans happy by playing all the hits, but with Kim Deal you are experiencing the most creative and adventurous musician of her generation, and the current generation too, so she has a concept in mind and tonight it is played out with a heartwarming intensity that relies more on feel than precision. This is absolutely music for humans; and thankfully humans have filled the Wulfrun Hall to see Kim, where she is given a rapturous welcome.
The performance starts with the low key and laid back ‘Nobody Loves You More’ and ‘Coast’, before the dirtiest drum beat ever kicks in on the hypnotic ‘Crystal Breath’ – “Beat’s gonna lead us. Beat on” she practically screams out, with her band pumping out the song behind her. Played live the track sounds even more raw and funky than the record, and the crowd can’t help but get pulled into the rhythm. The tone is then dramatically changed for the heartbreaking ‘Are You Mine?’ Where Kim sings softly about her mum, who was in the late stages of Alzheimer’s when she died in 2020, after Kim had cared for her during those final years.
The show changes again for the growling ‘Disobedience’ and highlights Kim’s love of dynamic shifts in her music – after all, her work with Pixies was instrumental in the loud-quiet-loud arrangements that influenced everyone after ‘Surfer Rosa’ was released. With Kim though, it never feels forced – she is the master of it.
Kim mentions never playing Wolverhampton with any of her previous bands and asks the audience whether this is correct. It seems to be, as I remember only seeing the Breeders in Birmingham in 2002 and they later played at the Digbeth Institute on the last tour in 2018. As we know, the Midlands is often missed out of band’s tour schedules altogether, so this is no surprise. Interestingly, I saw Kim’s old compadre Frank Black on this very stage back in 1996.
Kim highlights her skills and musicianship tonight playing acoustic, electric and bass guitars. Her instruments and amp are set to perfectly show her individual playing style and it is an honour to see her at such close range and marvel at her technique.
The recorded work of Kim Deal is sometimes claustrophobic and discomforting. It is always surprising, sometimes alarming, but always has her voice front and centre and Kim always sounds like she means every word. I always feel as if she pitches her songs so they are almost out of her range, so she has to make an effort to sing rather than making it easier and just going through the motions. This makes her live performances edgy and compelling. It is the same with her choice of guitar sound, as she plays with one eye on her feet as she dances between her distortion and phase pedals on her crowded pedal board. Kim always appears to be on the edge of control in all the things she does and it is a perfect picture of the human condition.
Following the new album performance Kim treats the faithful crowd to Breeders songs and the one song she was allowed to contribute to her Pixies career: ‘Gigantic’ and Kim is right, the addition of horns to this arrangement is startling. Her two encores are an absolute treat. If you broke up with anyone in 93/94 you had to be playing the album or ‘Jr’ version of ‘Do You Love Me Now?’, and hearing it again tonight brings back a whole load of memories, as I am sure it does for everyone else here.
Now, if you think you’re cool, you’ll never be as cool as Kim Deal tuning her guitar up slowly and carefully in front of an audience, all of whom are silent, just entranced, and then she’ll look up and smile her intoxicating wide smile and say ‘You okay?’. Someone should bottle that level of cool, if it could even be contained.
To end the night, it is one of the best songs ever recorded ‘Cannonball’ – it is ferocious and messy and dirty and raw, the rhythm always catches me out at the beginning and it almost seems to stumble along until finally exploding into that distorted chorus – Kim’s second microphone a staple piece of equipment (like her whistle) on this performance since forever… it sounds massive and I never get tired of hearing it.
There are not many artists who can admit to being in three of the best bands ever, and then leaving them for an even more creative solo career, but Kim Deal can. She has released a perfect album and an unforgettable tour… but still, when temperatures hit 27 degrees in Wolverhampton, I thought playing ‘Saints’ would have been a no brainer: “Summer is reeeeaaaddy when you are.” Maybe next time.
Kim Deal Setlist:
Nobody Loves You More
Coast
Crystal Breath
Are You Mine?
Disobedience
Wish I Was
Big Ben Beat
Bats in the Afternoon Sky
Summerland
Come Running
A Good Time Pushed
Beautiful Moon
Safari (The Breeders song)
Off You (The Breeders song)
Biker Gone
No Aloha (The Breeders song)
Drivin’ on 9 (The Breeders song)
Gigantic (Pixies song)
Encore:
Do You Love Me Now? (The Breeders song)
Cannonball (The Breeders song)
Review and photos: Alan Neilson
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