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Q Live reviewLONDON ULUOctober 2,1997 Bobby Gillespie is a happy man. A rancid-looking Moterhead T-shirt has been delivered to him in Primal Scream's dingy dressing room wrapped in leftover Christmas paper, upon which the words Rock 'Em Jock are scrawled. "I'll wear that for the encore," he declares. Said T- shirt is placed on a chair and promptly forgotten about. This is only to be expected. Primal Scream, always on a different body clock to the world, returned to London from Amsterdam this very morning - having enjoyed what insiders are calling "a cracking night out" - and Gillespie has much on his mind. Not least of which is this evening's decidedly intimate benefit gig for the Liverpool dockers: the latest stop on a tourthat has aireadytaken in large halls, European festivals and a tent in London's Victoria Park, and one which has reportedly found the band in wildly erratic form. Gillespie believes that this unpredictability is symptomatic of Primal Scream's ongoing quest to save rock'n'roll, "Rock'n'roll is dead," he muses. "There's too much money in it and not enough imagination. Nothing's happening. But we're just getting better all the time, especially with the live thing. We're getting more exploratory and innovative and free-form. There's more space within the Vanishing Point songs, so we're able to stretch ourselves a bit. "The first night in Victoria Park, we were fairly awful. But the second, we were amazing. If Innes (Andrew, the band's musical director) is in the right frame of mind it can be incredible." Hunt and Duncan Mackay's grubby horns. The recorded version, which features Michael Karoli from Can on guitar and the piano playing talents of a certain Liam Gallagher, is, argues Gillespie, "absolutely massiveand magical". Theseare terms which could also apply to the final quarter of Primal Scream's ULU set. A almighty reading of Higher Ground [ed: are they idiots!] gives way to Kowalski's brain frazzling blitz, during which the bass of former Stone Rose, Gary "Mani" Mounfield, and the band's much-loved new drum machine creates fair approximation of the sound of ajet engine going off ins dustbin. A malevolent version of the aforementioned Motbrhead's signature tune and a vicious swipe at? And The Mysterians' garage punk anthem 96 Tears round things off as encores. Back in the dressing room, beers are cracked and a couple of garrulous dockers' spokesmenjoin assorted hangers on and the band in toasting the night's success. This particular party is set to run and run. Paul Rees Originally appeared in Q Magazine December 1991. Copyright © EMAP Metro. Back |
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