More than a decade after their last performance, the 2004 comeback tour of iconic rock band Pixies went down as one of the best in music history. We were asked by Demon Music Group at the BBC to create a packaging identity for four iconic gigs at the O2 Academy Brixton as they were pressed on vinyl for the first time.

Legendary artist & designer Vaughan Oliver defined the style of the Pixies in their early album covers. Our look & feel needed to pay some homage to that world but be distinct — the band are legends now and these precious live recordings deserved a packaging identity to match.

Pixies are a relentless live band — their blistering punk energy delivers their catalogue back-to-back for hours. We wanted to immortality this grit and energy in our photographic treatment style.

With a distinct architectural style, phenomenal sound, and a deep history of live music, the O2 Academy Brixton is a favourite venue among artists, fans, and critics alike. How could the building tie authentically to the concept?

The product consisted of two formats: an 8LP box set with colour splatter vinyl and 8CD hardback book. The book was printed with UV and foil cover, including a booklet with fan quotes, show photography and a fold-out poster. 

Put another way, we created a premium product for die-hard fans.

The venue was central to our concept. Drawing inspiration from the building’s architectural drawings, we depicted the Pixies banners flying high, an audio conquest for their fans. Put the four vinyls on the floor together and they make up the famous academy frontage.

Both our silhouette spotlight graphics and the special vinyl colours were taken directly from the original CD artworks released in 2004. By using the band’s silhouettes against these colours, we depicted the band’s live allure.

From shots of the band to photographs of the crowd, scans of ticket stubs to the images of the Brixton Academy itself, all photography was treated with a grungy grain that’s evocative of the Pixies wall of sound style.

The vinyl disc colour splatter has a beautiful contrast against sleek black packaging. The limited edition version of the LP release also included splatter vinyl with juxtaposed impact against the stark black packaging.

The live recordings were feverishly received by Pixies fans. The artwork for the individual sleeves is still being used by streaming platforms and even the band have been snapped with the boxset too!

It was an absolute dream to work on a project for a world renowned band like Pixies, we’re thrilled with how the project came out, finding the right balance of celebrating the venue, creating a style for future live releases and above all else, creating artwork that fits into the Pixies world.