The Pixies return to action this summer with a series of European concert dates, including a June 14 appearance at the Isle of Wight festival with Neil Young, Billboard has confirmed.  The gigs will be the first for the alternative rock standard-bearers since 2007, dispelling doubts that the group's most recent hiatus was permanent.  Further details about the additional European shows will be released soon.  No North American gigs are planned, according to Billboard's sources.

The Pixies reunited in 2004 after an 11-year break.  From 2004-2007, the group toured throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, and Australia, including appearances at the Coachella, Lollapalooza, and Sasquatch festivals.  The reunion was the subject of the 2006 documentary, "loudQuietloud: A Film About the Pixies."

In 2006, the group's Frank Black told Billboard that he had written new songs for the band and tried to convince reticent bassist Kim Diehl to consider making a new Pixies record, to no avail. But, he said, his own heart wasn't in it either. "I tried to find my Pixies muse and write a so-called Pixies number," he said, "but they just weren't any good. They sounded a little contrived or something. That's the problem with trying to repeat something you did a long time ago; if you go 'Okay, I'm gonna try to recreate something, tap into some mood I used years ago,' even if it's the same songwriter, it's kind of fakey."