Two and a half years into their reformation,  and the Pixies – now fifteen years since their last record – are still mining the gold of the past for slender treasure. These two simultaneous DVD’s offer frankly underwhelming representations of the Pixies live experience. Both record one night (or afternoon) in the life of the band in their entireity, in a distinctly no-bullshit/no-frills approach.

“Acoustic : Live In Newport” is, overall, a better bet. Over 80 minutes, the band perform a playful acoustic set encompassing a large portion of their work. A distinctly chummy, intimate feel enscapulates the show on a beachfront. Perhaps surprisingly, the show sees the band bathed in bright daylight, trimmed of frills such as lighing, drama, and the usual gamut of enthusiastic screaming and serrated guitars : armed with only acoustic instruments, the DVD sees a musically exceptional performance, as the band perform relatively straight, minimalist interpretations of the past. Camerawork is unexceptional and unobtrusive (only really being noticable during “Where Is My Mind?” homage to FightClub with blurred vision, or the occasional cutaway to an offstage burger flipper or boat watching the performance from the sea) : the focus clearly on the band and carefully framed to reduce visibility of the otherwise obtrusive Dunkin’ Donuts logo that dominates the stage to the point where it’s almost invisible. The sound is clear and precise, and the package is technically more than adequate.

“Live In Newport” sees the band at their most human, joking, bantering, and relaxed with their status. A ‘new’ song – “All Around The World” – is the big selling point here, being a more than adequate cover of an old chaingang favourite – whilst the rest of the set features well, most of the Pixies best known songs in a style not dissimiliar to 2003’s “Frank Black Francis” set of acoustic numbers. Extras include a functional, but minimal set of rehearsal footage and fractions of a warmup show. Overall, whilst it adds nothing much to the Pixies legacy, it certainly plugs the gap between then and the still-non-existent new album quite satisfactorily.