Primal Scream

Okay this is the best gig I’ve ever seen Bobby and the boys do. It’s a huge performance and they are deserved headliners. So possibly I could have seen Razorlight but I chose the Scream and the tent rocked!

‘Movin’ On Up’ starts with some kind of crowd explosion, the tent literally reverberating with voices. Gillespie and his band are on form, that’s clear from the off, they are sounding pumped and tight and there’s no quarter given. The band are happy to be playing and there appears to be masses of their family on the viewing gantry above them, perhaps playing to their kids brings out the best in them. Certainly Mani is enjoying himself playing his bass behind his head.

‘Dolls’ has a slightly Who tinged beat to it, very clever, the band persist with this through-out and it works well, shame they weren’t on the main stage to demonstrate this, although the audience are approving. The band are occasionally in Pete Townsend shapes and Bobby occasionally pulling a Daltry stance and Mani performing leaps with bass at the end.

‘Jailbird’ has Darrin drumming to put the Moon in Mooney, it’s supercharged and the heat in the tent is intense as the front of the crowd turns to a sweaty froth. Reminding us of another of Bobby’s bands the Jesus and Marychain the band go into an instrumental frenzy with ‘Shoot Speed Kill Light’ and Bobby’s doing his best poses with the mic.

“Are you having a good time down there London?” asks Mani and we all cheer back “Yeah!” and we are. It might be hot enough to strip the colouring from the plastic cups but we’re enjoying it too much to consider heading for the possibly cooler climes outside. “So are we!” he yells as the songs come fast it turns into one of those rock and roll sets where it all works. ‘Medication’ arrives in the midst of a few new tracks like ‘Hells Comin’ Down.’

They close with three classics firstly through the blinding white lights and dry ice clouds and the occasional band member in silhouette for ‘Swastika Eyes’. Then the first the most recent ‘Country Girl’ which has the crowd going wild and the last ‘Rocks’ not bad for a band to raise the roof with their latest effort having been around over 20 years.

A great performance full of a more bluesy style, foot stompin’ sweaty rock in a packed hot cauldron of a tent! Primal Scream and Bobby Gillespie are back at their best. If you watched Razorlight you missed out on something special.

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