Celebrating 40 years since their genesis in 1986, Pixies announce details of a headline worldwide tour for 2026 titled Pixies 40. Today, the first shows have been confirmed, beginning in the UK in May, including a very special show at London’s iconic Royal Albert Hall before continuing onto Europe through June and July 2026. Tickets are on sale from Friday 26th September via Metropolismusic.com
The major live plans will see founding members Black Francis, Joey Santiago and David Lovering, together with bassist Emma Richardson, visit cities across the UK, Ireland, Germany, Italy and The Netherlands to celebrate this epic milestone, including their first performance at London’s iconic Royal Albert Hall.
It is fitting that the Pixies 40 shows begin in the UK, where they were first embraced by the British music press, before storming the globe. Over 35 years since their groundbreaking Platinum-certified album Doolittle catapulted the band into the UK Top Ten, and over 20 years since their celebrated reformation at Coachella, Pixies are deep into their second creative act.
Having spawned in Boston in 1986, Pixies have gone on to become one of alternative music’s greatest and most pioneering bands, remaining unmistakably distinctive in voice. Their immediately recognisable sound continues to influence new generations of musicians four decades on.
From their first chaotic club shows, Pixies redefined what a live concert could be. No glamour, no stage banter – just a relentless, explosive surge of sound. A glimpse into a new way rock music could be performed. 1987’s Come On Pilgrim (which followed the release of Demos – commonly known to fans as “The Purple Tapes” – also re-issued this October 2025) introduced Pixies’ surreal, fragmented songwriting. 1988’s Surfer Rosa proved they were unlike anything else and 1989’s Doolittle broke wider, twisting pop hooks into dark shapes and dragging swelling crowds into their jagged rhythm.
By the early ’90s, relentless tours across the US and Europe cemented Pixies as the essential alt-rock ticket before their 1993 split. Their 2004 reunion was seismic: instant sellouts, Coachella triumph, and bigger audiences than ever. Sharper, fiercer, and now spanning generations, Pixies became living proof of their own influence with five acclaimed albums since 2014.
The band’s tenth album The Night The Zombies Came saw Pixies described as “one of the most consistent, influential bands on the planet” by DIY Magazine, The Telegraph said, “the great Black Francis is touched by an extraordinary genius” whilst MOJO confirmed, “this most thrillingly deathly of bands remains alive”.
Four decades in, Pixies remain innovative, relevant, and unstoppable. Tickets for Pixies 40 are on sale from Friday 26th September HERE.
Pixies 40 2026 UK Tour Dates
20th May – Barbican, York
21st May – Alhambra theatre, Dunfermline
25th May – Aviva Studios, Manchester
28th May – Royal Albert Hall, London
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