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Primal Scream

Primal Scream Review: Primal Scream
Monday 31 January 2011

Venue: Selina’s, Coogee Bay Hotel, Sydney
Date: Saturday 29 January, 2011

There’s very little to say that’s negative about this gig, so I’ll get the nasty stuff out the way straight away, so we can all just bask in the gloriousness that was this evening. There were so many positives to this evening that it’s hard to find fault with any aspect of it, yet I will say this; Selina’s at Coogee Bay Hotel is a pretty rubbish venue for a gig this size. Ceilings so low that you’re not far from scraping your head on the roof, a complete lack of air-conditioning, and an audience pit with several cumbersome, view-obstructing columns. The stage, lighting, and sound included, couldn’t be faulted, but spatially and logistically, Selina’s was a nightmare, particularly the heat; when your crowd is comprised of hundreds of sweaty Brits in their late thirties hearing this album played live for the first time since, kitted out with whistle and smiley face T-shirt, they were driven up to London by their mum in the early nineties, then air-conditioning is of the utmost importance.

Having got the negatives out the way, let’s focus on the positives, or in other words, everything else about this gig. Primal Scream were excellent, luminescent, electric. I sauntered into a packed and sweaty Selina’s not sure what to expect; being released in 1991, Screamadelica was just a few years before my time, but Primal Scream’s later albums like 94’s Give Out But Don’t Give Up and 97’s Vanishing Point were fond memories of my musical awakenings, to the point where I eagerly researched the band’s back catalogue and found their magnum opus, Screamadelica. Upon discovering this album and falling in love with songs like “Movin’ On Up”, “Come Together” and “Loaded”, I cursed myself for not getting into music earlier; having grown up in the UK, how I would have loved to have been around when this album was being played live. 20 years later, I found myself in a pub in Coogee, trying to hide my anticipation and excitement for seeing this dream realised.

But would they be any good? Would the magic still be there in Bobby Gillespie’s frontman, in Mani’s bassist? Answer: yes. Opening with a rousing and charismatic rendition of “Movin’ On Up”, it was clear to everybody that Screamadelica sounds as good in 2011 as it did in 1991, as do Primal Scream. The choral soarings of “My love shines on” in that opening number were belted out by every member of the audience, spreading infectiously throughout the crowd like lyrical polio. From then onwards it was an outstanding gig; working through the classic album with energy and magnetism. Visually, the band were outstanding, leaping around the stage and performing with their trademark sense of chaos and vigour, with a colourful and tripply light show that evoked memories of the Madchester heyday in which the album was originally released.

Bursting from song to song, Primal Scream were simply on fire. Their performance of “Loaded”, the lead single from the album, will go down in my personal history as one of the live music highlights of my life; hundreds of devoted (if weathered) fans dancing and swaying along, the music that defined a generation and spawned countless imitators being played expertly live in front of us, a kaleidoscopic and beautiful light-show and an outstanding atmosphere; I was in gig heaven. They also deviated from the Screamadelica script slightly to include songs like “Rocks”, from Give Out But Don’t Give Up so not strictly kosher, but still one of the band’s hugest hits.

If you didn’t catch Primal Scream at the Big Day Out in your city, then hotfoot it over to Adelaide or Perth for the final Australian legs of their Screamdelica tour; trust me, you don’t want to miss this one. The album and the band still sound as fresh and musically innovative as they did 20 years ago, and Primal Scream are clearly a bunch of lads who still know how to put on a damn good show.

Tom Hoare

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