It’s hard to believe that it’s been 20 years since the irrepressible Kim and Kelley Deal.
Alongside bandmates Jim Macpherson on drums and bassist Josephine Wiggs – released The Breeders’ seminal sophomore album Last Splash, which rocketed to both critical acclaim and commercial success on the back of the omnipresent ‘Cannonball’ single and their renowned live show.
In fitting celebration of this milestone, the line-up of The Breeders responsible for Last Splash are reuniting and will be touring their classic album throughout Australia this October!
While we already knew that they’re visiting Australia this year courtesy of the ATP-curated ‘Release The Bats’ festival being held in Melbourne, they’ve now announced headlining dates in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth, performing Last Splash in its entirety for Australian fans all over the country.
To cooincide with the anniversary, The Breeders will also release a deluxe edition of Last Splash titled LSXX, which includes previously unreleased tracks, original demos, private photos and much, much more for the discerning fan.
Of course one half of the Deal sisters needed no introduction prior to forming The Breeders way back in 1990 – Kim had of course been bassist of alt-rock behemoth the Pixies since their inception (the two bands co-existing in perfect harmony for a number of years until the Pixies dissolved in acrimony sometime in 1992), while her identical twin Kelley forged a career in computer programming in California, far from their native Ohio. The pair had played together in their teens singing Hank Williams covers in Dayton bars, so when Kim formed this new project with the Throwing Muses’ Tanya Donelly, it was natural that Kelley would be roped into the fold at some point of time.
The original tenure of The Breeders was a brief and torrid affair. Donelly left the band not long after 1990 debut Pod, to be eventually replaced by Kelley Deal (even though she famously couldn’t play guitar at the time), and they were soon opening for Nirvana on their immense 1992 European tour, but things sadly fell into disarray not long after the massive success of Last Splash. In 1995 Kelley was involved in a drug bust that forced the band into an indefinite hiatus, and – although Kim revived the name a while later and various line-ups of The Breeders have been active on and off ever since, releasing two further albums along the way – until now the band’s definitive line-up has never been brought back together, which is why this impending reunion is ever so special for all involved.
So whether you’re a fan from back in the day looking for a stroll down memory lane or a newcomer with an interest in timeless rock’n’roll, make sure you check out The Breeders when they visit Australia this October. They’ll be playing Last Splash in it’s entirety as well as delving into the depths their awesome catalogue. It may be decades until we get to see them in action again, don’t take the risk!
The Breeders 2013 Australian Tour
Handsome Tours pre-sale from 12pm AEST Monday 22nd April, general public tickets on sale 12pm AEST Tuesday 23rd April from www.handsometours.com
Monday October 28
Sydney – Enmore Theatre
Tuesday October 29
Brisbane – Tivoli
Thursday October 31
Perth – Astor
The Breeders will also headline ATP ‘Release The Bats’ festival in Melbourne – www.atpfestival.com
