Frank Black Celebrates 30 Years Of ‘Teenager Of The Year’ At The London Palladium

by | Feb 12, 2025

Tonight was the final night of Pixies frontman Frank Black’s tour to celebrate the 30th anniversary of his classic solo album Teenager Of The Year, a tour that saw him performing the LP in full alongside most of the band that recorded the album originally.

Frank Black @ The Palladium

Frank Black @ The Palladium (Louise Phillips)
Frank Black @ The Palladium (Louise Phillips)

Support for the tour came by way of Newcastle-hailing indie trip The Pale White who played a set featuring tunes from the group’s sophomore album, The Big Sad, dropping this April. From the start, it was clear that the trio revolve around drummer Jack Hope’s kinetic playing and the way the band harmonise vocally. Woolly Thunder had a Big Star influence and Adam Hope’s guitar was good and jangly, but it was all about his brother’s antics for me. I think it was My Abacus that was looking back to better times, when harmony vocals were all-important. They may have felt Trapped In A Vacuum, a most understandable feeling in the 2020’s, but I felt caught in a Britpop moment as the song rushed past me.

They were truly thankful for the chance to play London’s fabulous Palladium venue before Tom Booth’s bassline led off Nostradamus that seemed to predict a better future than the present we are currently in before closing with Lost In The Moment that the band certainly seemed to be, even if most of the audience were lost in anticipation for Frank Black’s set.

  • The Pale White @ Oslo
    The Pale White @ Oslo
  • The Pale White @ Oslo
    The Pale White @ Oslo
  • The Pale White @ Oslo
    The Pale White @ Oslo
  • The Pale White @ Oslo
    The Pale White @ Oslo
  • The Pale White @ Oslo
    The Pale White @ Oslo
  • The Pale White @ Oslo
    The Pale White @ Oslo
  • The Pale White @ Oslo
    The Pale White @ Oslo
  • The Pale White @ Oslo
    The Pale White @ Oslo
  • The Pale White @ Oslo
    The Pale White @ Oslo
  • The Pale White @ Oslo
    The Pale White @ Oslo
  • The Pale White @ Oslo
    The Pale White @ Oslo
  • The Pale White @ Oslo
    The Pale White @ Oslo
  • The Pale White @ Oslo
    The Pale White @ Oslo
  • The Pale White @ Oslo
    The Pale White @ Oslo
  • The Pale White @ Oslo
    The Pale White @ Oslo
  • The Pale White @ Oslo
    The Pale White @ Oslo
  • The Pale White @ Oslo
    The Pale White @ Oslo
  • The Pale White @ Oslo
    The Pale White @ Oslo
  • The Pale White @ Oslo
    The Pale White @ Oslo
  • The Pale White @ Oslo
    The Pale White @ Oslo
  • The Pale White @ Oslo
    The Pale White @ Oslo
  • The Pale White @ Oslo
    The Pale White @ Oslo
  • The Pale White @ Oslo
    The Pale White @ Oslo
  • The Pale White @ Oslo
    The Pale White @ Oslo
  • The Pale White @ Oslo
    The Pale White @ Oslo
  • The Pale White @ Oslo
    The Pale White @ Oslo
  • The Pale White @ Oslo
    The Pale White @ Oslo
  • The Pale White @ Oslo
    The Pale White @ Oslo
  • The Pale White @ Oslo
    The Pale White @ Oslo
  • The Pale White @ Oslo
    The Pale White @ Oslo
  • The Pale White @ Oslo
    The Pale White @ Oslo
  • The Pale White @ Oslo
    The Pale White @ Oslo
  • The Pale White @ Oslo
    The Pale White @ Oslo
  • The Pale White @ Oslo
    The Pale White @ Oslo
  • The Pale White @ Oslo
    The Pale White @ Oslo
  • The Pale White @ Oslo
    The Pale White @ Oslo
  • The Pale White
    The Pale White
  • The Pale White @ The Palladium
    The Pale White @ The Palladium
  • The Pale White @ The Palladium
    The Pale White @ The Palladium
  • The Pale White @ The Palladium
    The Pale White @ The Palladium
  • The Pale White @ The Palladium
    The Pale White @ The Palladium
  • The Pale White @ The Palladium
    The Pale White @ The Palladium
  • The Pale White @ The Palladium
    The Pale White @ The Palladium
  • The Pale White @ The Palladium
    The Pale White @ The Palladium
  • The Pale White @ The Palladium
    The Pale White @ The Palladium
  • The Pale White @ The Palladium
    The Pale White @ The Palladium
  • The Pale White @ The Palladium
    The Pale White @ The Palladium
  • The Pale White @ The Palladium
    The Pale White @ The Palladium
  • The Pale White @ The Palladium
    The Pale White @ The Palladium
  • The Pale White @ The Palladium
    The Pale White @ The Palladium
  • The Pale White @ The Palladium
    The Pale White @ The Palladium
  • The Pale White @ The Palladium
    The Pale White @ The Palladium
  • The Pale White @ The Palladium
    The Pale White @ The Palladium
  • The Pale White @ The Palladium
    The Pale White @ The Palladium
  • The Pale White @ The Palladium
    The Pale White @ The Palladium
  • The Pale White @ The Palladium
    The Pale White @ The Palladium
  • The Pale White @ The Palladium
    The Pale White @ The Palladium
  • The Pale White @ The Palladium
    The Pale White @ The Palladium
  • The Pale White @ The Palladium
    The Pale White @ The Palladium
  • The Pale White @ The Palladium
    The Pale White @ The Palladium
  • The Pale White @ The Palladium
    The Pale White @ The Palladium
  • The Pale White @ The Palladium
    The Pale White @ The Palladium

After the between-set break, a packed Palladium welcomed Frank Black and his band onto the stage. The star told us they would play a couple of tunes from his first solo album before they aired Teenager Of The Year, following-through with set-opener Czar from his self-titled debut solo LP, that showed his troupe was ready to rule the Palladium, with Lyle Workman taking his first rather jagged guitar solo of the evening. Ten Percenter had Eric Drew Feldman’s solid as can be bassline with Rob Laufer’s keyboards driving it along.

The Boston-hailing frontman then told us about how he and his brother would hustle for change in a bar. And when that bar got its first arcade game they made out like bandits, as he introduced the opening song of tonight’s focus LP Whatever Happened To Pong that the group seemed to speed through. Thalassocracy had a powerful energy to it. Black switched to Acoustic guitar for the first time for (I Want To Live On An) Abstract Plain that had the right kind of abstract edge to it. He made clear why Calistan was named so and his thoughts on how California was being run 30 years ago, that and getting the chance to play parcheesi. I think it was Vanishing Spies when Eric Drew Feldman and Rob Laufer switched places as they did regularly through the set, so it was Feldman’s keyboards driving the tune on. Speedy Marie had a good amphetamine edge to it before almost the whole Palladium sang along to Headache, a truly brilliant live airing.

Sir Rockaby felt like an immense comedown, the group slowing to a lullaby pace before everything built back up to the anthemic Freedom Rock that felt truly powerful, although in our current times we may be dreaming of different freedoms to 30 years ago! The 59-year-old band lead explained Two Reelers was about his love of slap-stick comedy, Three Stooges style before Workman’s guitar really flew at sharp angles. Things then felt a little odd for Fiddle Riddle with the tune builing all around Nick Vincent’s drums and Feldman’s  lilting bassline for the closest Frank Black gets to skanking. Ole Mulholland was dedicated to the old Los Angeles and was a proper widescreen anthem with great interplay between Workman and Black’s guitars. Fazer Eyes showed the band’s more glammy side with the keyboards sounding a bit Mott against Workman’s flashier solo.

I’m sure they would have been happy, if I Could Stay Here Forever on this stage, with an adoring crowd loving the faultless musical interplay. They got to the song most associated with The Palladium’s old Sunday Night host Bruce Forsyth, and as Black sang The Hostess With The Mostest I kept expecting to see Isla St Clair or Anthea Redfern being projected onto the stage backdrop. The band slowed things down on the organ led Superabound, before they paid tribute to another London venue Big Red with this dark brooding ballad.

Space Is Gonna Do Me Good allowed Workman to freak out a good bit, with Vincent’s drums really seemed to be powering the rocket ship. Of course White Noise Maker describes this lot perfectly, and had a celebratory edge to it tonight. Black made clear how much he liked CB radio when he was young, dreaming of the Pure Denizens Of The Citizens Band. Sadly Bad, Wicked World seemed to sum up our times even more than it did 30 years ago, but tonight’s was a super punchy rambunctious rendition. The last song on Teenager Of The Year Pie In The Sky – was super caustic and had a real abrasive edge.

At the LP’s conclusion, the band didn’t depart the stage but instead went back to the first solo album for what was as good as a three-song encore, that opened with Los Angeles – a love letter to Black’s long time home town and all its quirks. He then thanked us all before Every Time I Go Around Here that also had a nice nostalgic edge before the frontman told us just how much the Ramones inspired him and The Pixies, closing the night with a rousing sing along to I Heard Ramona Sing that seemed a perfect way to end a great celebration of a classic album.

Live review of Frank Black @ The Palladium, London by Simon Phillips on 6th February 2025. Photography by Louise Phillips.

The Vive Le Rock Xmess Party Got The Party Season Started At London’s Water Rats

The Jacques (Nick Sayers)

The Jacques Announce Riotous New Single ‘All The Other Sinners’ Ahead of Second Album ‘Make Repetition!’

London/Bristol alt-rock trio The Jacques are ramping up momentum ahead of their second album Make Repetition! with the release of their blistering new single All The Other Sinners — a searing, melody-drenched slice of chaos and catharsis out now.

Cam @ The Tabernacle (Henry Finnegan / @finneganfoto)

Cam Captivates London With A Night Of Raw Vocals And Real Stories At The Tabernacle

In a sweltering Tabernacle, a somehow both vast and intimate venue, a sweat-soaked audience filled every seat for...
J.Fla (Press)

J.Fla Redefines Herself With Empowering New Single ‘Stellar Paradox’

South Korean singer-songwriter and YouTube sensation J.Fla has taken a giant leap into the cosmos with her newest release, Stellar Paradox, marking the start of a bold new chapter in her musical journey. Known to millions for her viral YouTube covers, J.Fla now turns the spotlight firmly onto her own voice with a genre-blending, emotionally charged original that paves the way for her highly anticipated upcoming EP, due in late summer 2025.

Chloe Qisha @ BST Hyde Park 2025 (Kalpesh Patel)

Chloe Qisha Closes The Rainbow Stage In Style At BST Hyde Park 2025

After a tempestuous afternoon that saw Hyde Park lashed by torrential rain and set times thrown into flux, it was Chloe Qisha who restored the calm — and then brought the fire — as she closed the Rainbow Stage on Sunday evening with a confident, emotionally astute set that proved worth the wait.

Lusaint (Jade Vowles)

Lusaint Captures The Ache Of A Sunlit Longing With New Single ‘Summertime’ Ahead Of ‘The Apothecary’ EP

Rising Mancunian star Lusaint has unveiled her latest single Summertime, a smoky, jazz-laced track brimming with emotion and understated power. Arriving in the wake of earlier 2025 releases Joking and Neon Lights, Summertime serves as the final preview before the release of her hotly anticipated new EP The Apothecary, due later this summer.

Tanner Adell @ BST Hyde Park 2025 (Kalpesh Patel)

Tanner Adell Brings Southern Sparkle To The Rainbow Stage At BST Hyde Park 2025

In a festival often dominated by heavyweight pop, Tanner Adell’s mid-afternoon set on the Rainbow Stage offered a thrilling detour into rhinestone-studded country pop — with a Gen Z twist and plenty of attitude. On a stacked BST Hyde Park Sunday that saw Sabrina Carpenter headline the Great Oak Stage for the second time of the weekend, it was Adell who delivered one of the day’s most memorable performances before the heavens opened and drenched London in a biblical downpour.

Gracie Abrams @ BST Hyde Park 2025 (Kalpesh Patel)

Gracie Abrams Brings Intimacy And Surprise To BST Hyde Park 2025

Gracie Abrams, the rising pop luminary from Los Angeles, California, delivered a spellbinding set opening for Vermont’s Noah Kahan at BST Hyde Park on 4th July 2025. At just 25, Abrams has built a devoted fanbase drawn to her confessional lyricism and delicate vocal delivery — and her mid-afternoon set on the Great Oak Stage proved why she’s become one of pop’s most emotionally resonant voices.

The Royston Club (Sam Crowston)

The Royston Club Reveal Tender New Single ‘Cariad’ Ahead Of Anticipated Second Album ‘Songs For The Spine’

The Royston Club are stepping firmly into the indie-rock spotlight with the upcoming release of their second album, Songs For The Spine, set for 8th August. Following the Top 20 success of their debut, the Wrexham quartet return with soaring momentum: vinyl pre-orders sold out in minutes, streaming numbers rising, and a loyal, lyric-chanting fanbase that packs out venues across the UK.

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This

Share Thing