Pavement + Monotonix

What's the most striking thing about watching the reunited Pavement?

Stephen Malkmus looks exactly the same as he did twenty years ago: time has worn down neither his physique nor his voice, and if anything his guitar technique has actually improved.

The other members of the band show some wear - a bit of extra weight here, some early balding there - but the news is that these five gentlemen, all well past forty now, can really play, and they do it like few others can.

Forget lo-fi and sloppy technique: the 2010 Pavement come out swinging with grit to spare and a run of songs that few other bands on earth can boast, enough to make any of their contemporaries jealous.

So much for anyone expecting them to show up bloated, bored and out of shape.

Judging by their approach on stage, we'd bet these five are back for good, not least because their respective solo projects haven't exactly brought much glory to any of them individually.

They come out of the gate at full speed, and within the first half hour they've already blown through "Silence Kit", "Stereo", "Two States" and the much-loved "Gold Soundz": not a bad start at all, but it's just the appetizer.

The crowd is having a great time, having been properly warmed up by the wild set from Israel's Monotonix, a devastating trio who set the floor of the finally-reopened Atlantico Live (formerly Palacisalfa) ablaze, playing right in the middle of the crowd and pulling everyone into the show.

Things unimaginable today, the kind you'd only have seen in London back in 1977: look up some of their videos on YouTube, it's really worth it.

But back to Pavement: the focal point of the show is unquestionably Malkmus, who not only sings brilliantly but also handles the six-string with real skill, even throwing in the odd bit of showmanship.

With no new album to promote, the show turns into a thoroughly enjoyable sort of greatest-hits set, one that leaves all of us feeling about fifteen years younger.

They roll out a hyper-energetic version of "Fight This Generation", the indie-pop perfection of "Range Life", gems from their debut album like "Trigger Cut" and "Summer Babe", and what many consider their generational anthem, "Cut Your Hair".

Just as on "Quarantine The Past", their recently released retrospective, of the five official albums the only one unjustly (in our view) overlooked is the last one, "Terror Twilight", represented solely by "Spit On A Stranger": an attitude that smacks of a half-hearted disavowal of the, all things considered, fine work done at the time with Nigel Godrich.

"Box Elder" closes out the first part of the show, followed by two encores, the second of which is devoted solely to "Here".

Among other things, Malkmus, in one of his rare spoken remarks, is keen to point out that this is their second Rome show: the first dates back almost twenty years, on the "Slanted & Enchanted" tour, with Pavement as the year's breakthrough band opening for the wonderful Sonic Youth, fresh off "Dirty".

It seemed like a way of reminding everyone where the roots of the band's experimentalism actually lie.

Rome deserved this grand-scale return, and it was rewarded with an excellent show, brimming with positive energy, and by the end of the concert enthusiastic comments were pouring in from all the fans in attendance.

And now, eternal boys, I hope this is only a see-you-soon.

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