Bobby G in The Park
With a headline appearance at the very first T in The Park back in 1994, Primal Scream may have felt a little hard done by being overshadowed by other headlining acts such as The Who, Richard Ashcroft and Kasabian. Luckily for everyone else, the band appears to be at their best when they have a point to prove or have been written off and produced a magical set that had the packed tent roaring with delight.
Bounding on stage looking like Joey Ramone but having an endless energy, Bobby Gillespie wasted very little time with introductions and the band launched straight into 'Movin' On Up', a clear indication that the band were out to have a good time.
Before the song had even gotten halfway through, one eager fan had climbed up one of the supporting stanchions to get a better view of the band as he clambered high above the crowd. Unsurprisingly, this led to many copycat movers and soon, every supporting pole and barrier had people hanging off it and enjoying the attention as much as the band. After a few tracks, the band were asked to request that everyone came back to terra firma, and after some cajoling and lager throwing, normal service was resumed.
Although the fans may have came back down to earth, there was no derailing the band as the set traversed the years, showcasing what a great rock n roll band Primal Scream are. The guitars may be to the fore again with the keyboards and electronic glitches of the early 2000 albums hidden away but the tracks were no less venomous. 'Shoot Speed Kill Light' remains as awesome as ever with that thunderous Peter Hook-esque bassline rolling through the crowd and 'Kill All Hippies' remaining as strong as ever and proving it's all about the money and not about the soul.
With a track called 'Kill All Hippies', was it any great surprise that Primal Scream were on a bad trip at Glastonbury a few years back? The peace and love element of that festival plus the way that music is almost a side effect of Glastonbury may not suit the stylings of the Scream Team but in a dark and sweaty tent playing to a Scottish crowd, Primal Scream were always likely to excel.
Their previous T in The Park slot where they showcased the 'Evil Heat' album left many onlookers puzzled and confused but back in side with relative darkness, the band were on top form.
As much as there was plenty of old material to please long time fans, the band indulged in quite a few new tracks from 'Riot City Blues.' Many will see an irony in describing them as new tracks considering they sound as though they were fashioned by Richards, Pop or the MC5 back in the day but there was freshness and energy to the recent tracks and all featured dirty riffs and clap-alongs a plenty.
Gillespie even teased the crowd by talking about the subject matter of 'Suicide Sally and Johnny Guitar.' We all know who the tabloids and NME think the song is about but according to Bobby G, with a cheeky smirk, it's all about the turbulent relationship between himself and Mani. Mani, being Mani, responded to this by planting a sweaty kiss on Bobby's face, given the basic rock n roll nature of the lyrics, it's probably not about anyone specific to be honest.
So, a solid yet unspectacular weekend was rounded off by a fantastic set by one of rock n roll's stalwarts. They may no longer have the pride of place for the T in The Park, almost like that wayward son and cousin they still acknowledge but no longer embrace, but Primal Scream yet again proved, when it comes to the crunch, they can certainly deliver