The fact that one of the most critically acclaimed and enduring bands of the last few decades were able to sell out four nights at the Roundhouse in Camden during their first tour in 12 years shows that Pavement have not lost the immense cult following they gained in the 90s.

The California group have been celebrated across multiple generations for their abrasive, dissonant sound, laid back approach, and frontman Stephen Malkmus' nonsensical, discordant vocal style. For years, Pavement have insipired generations of musicians through their proof that being virtuosic is not a necessary element in great songwriting, having recordings that often use guitars that sound as if they have been tuned a week prior to the session, and Malkmus barely hitting the note when he sings, and yet still their tracks become hits, most notably 'Cut Your Hair', 'Range Life', and 'Spit on a Stranger', although this would lead them to have the label of 'slackers' forced upon them by music journalists over the years. Their epononymous debut LP 'Slanted and Enchanted' also came at no. 199 on Rolling Stone's top 500 albums of all time.

Even before the band have gotten on stage, their presence is still felt among hundreds of people gathered in the Roundhouse, knowing that one of the most influential bands of the whole 90s alternative rock scene are only a few meters away from them, waiting for the staff to test the microphones and tune the guitars on stage (which to me seemed a bit pointless, I mean it is Pavement after all?).

Throughout the concert, the atmosphere is built by the fans who have clearly developed a deep personal connection with Pavement's music. Shouts of "We love you Stephen!" can be heard from across the crowd in between songs, showing their impact on people has reached as far as North London 8,000 km away from their hometown of California.

As well as being effortlessly cool on stage, Pavement prove that 12 years onwards, they still know how to put on a good show. Their setlist is carefully curated to balance out their energetic, noisy numbers with their more soothing, tender tracks. The set opens with fan favourite 'Grounded' to set the atmosphere. The tension in the crowd is tangiable, before they erupt into classic Crooked Rain track 'Gold Soundz'. After perfoming the dissonant 'Zürich is Stained', the energy in the crowd is immediately apparent when they begin to sing the hook for their most mainstream hit, 'Cut Your Hair'. They show that they know their audience well and how they will behave, as the lights flash over the crowd when they shout the iconic line "No big hair!" with Malkmus, similar to how the lights would flash over the crowd in a Bruce Springsteen gig during 'Born to Run'. During the encore, after having their ears ringing from the jagged, abrasive noise, there's a sense of relief when the band treats the audience to their warm alt-country-folk track 'Range Life'.

However, at the end of the set, when most bands might perform a well known hit to round off the evening, Pavement leaps in the opposite direction entirely by playing a cover of jazz saxophonist Jim Pepper's 'Witchi-tai-to', completely subverting the audience's expectations

At the Roundhouse in Camden Town in 2022, as well as throughout their whole career, Pavement show off their wide range of talents, from being able to stir up an audience into a will frenzy, to being able to create poignant and melancholic tunes as well, without having to show off a thirty minute guitar solo to prove their undeniable music abilities.