LIVE REVIEW: Primal Scream, The Boiler Shop, Newcastle, Saturday 7 December 2019
Their latest release, Maximum Rock ‘n’ Roll sums up Primal Scream perfectly. An intoxicating amalgam of rock with a liberal dose of dance and pop thrown in for good measure, creating a sound so unique and crossing so many boundaries that they deserve a genre of their own.
A sold-out Boiler Shop was testament to that and the atmosphere built up steadily after support act The Roves nicely warmed the crowd before lights out and The Clash’s London Calling thundered out of the PA.
As frontman Bobby Gillespie strode out in a shocking pink suit with matching shirt and shoes, he cut a striking figure as they launched into Don’t Fight It Feel It from their iconic Screamadelica opus – a sure-fire way of instantly getting everyone onside.
For the next hour and a half, it was indeed maximum rock ‘n’ roll, with Primal Scream digging deep into their 11-album catalogue. From the psycho-hypnotic dance beats of Miss Lucifer to the New York Dolls-inspired rock ‘n’ roll sleaze of Dolls and the breezy pop of Velocity Girl, they had it covered.
Not to mention the slow burning blues of (I’m Gonna) Cry Myself Blind and the wistful ballad I’m Losing More Than I’ll Ever Have, which showed their expansive musical palette.
The glorious gothic chiming guitars of Andrew Innes on 100% Or Nothing from their latest Chaosmosis album bristled with life as the crowd grew more and more animated.
By the time the big hits Loaded and Movin’ On Up arrived the entire floor was a heaving mass of dancing bodies which reached boiling point for the absolute stomper Country Girl.
What a sight it was to see the whole venue bouncing, dancing and jumping. This is exactly what music is all about.
With this being election week, Gillespie urged the crowd to do the right thing and boot Boris out before launching into Come Together, a song to unite all, before Rocks, the greatest song the Stones never recorded, lifted the roof clean off the Boiler Shop.
