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Monday 21 March 2011

Screamadelica Live Last Night


Sometimes I think you have to fold your cynicism up, put it away in a drawer, and just surrender to good stuff. Last night Primal Scream were fantastic. Sunday night, second show at the Apollo, it didn't matter a bit. We left with smiles on our faces and looped noises and feedback ringing in our ears.

Weatherall played an hour of tunes as warm up, some dub and a mixture of stuff from his Nine O' Clock Drop and Sci-Fi Lo-Fi compilations mainly. At nine Bobby and the band appeared, Bobby dedicating the show to the memory of Mani's Mum who'd passed on recently. Then, straight into Movin' On Up. Slip Inside This House and Don't Fight It, Feel It made dance-rock seem like the best idea anyone's had. The quiet section- Damaged, I'm Coming Down (with great sax playing, not something I often type), Inner Flight, Shine Like Stars- all played brilliantly. Great visuals too. Higher Than The Sun was worth the price of admission alone- halfway through they switched into the dub symphony version, Mani playing Jah Wobble's bassline, then turning it into a space-dub version of Bo Diddley's Who Do You Love? After that, Loaded felt like all the best bits of your life compressed into five minutes and then Come Together (both versions) that finished with Bobby directing the massed ranks of the Apollo audience/choir in a singalong of 'Come, together as one' while the rest of the band had gone off. They encored with Country Girl, Jailbird and Rocks which, y'know, rocked. The band seemed to be up for it all night. There are times when I've seen Primal Scream and the most Bobby Gillespie can do is hang off the mic stand, but last night he was all over the stage, skipping about and engaging. Andrew Innes seemed to be having the time of his life, althoug I'm not sure velvet trousers are ever a good idea. So, I know this seems like gushing but it was genuinely good, and while I'm sure we can all pick holes and snipe, sometimes you've just got to hold your hands up and let the good times roll. Top gig Primal Scream.

This is Come Together live at Olympia in London last November. Both versions together. Fourteen minutes long. Come together, as one.

Come Together (Live November 2010).mp3 - 4shared.com - online file sharing and storage - download

5 comments:

John Medd said...

Did you remember to take your cynicism out the drawer when you got back?

swiss adam said...

Yup, it's back where it should be now.

drew said...

Glad it was worth it.

I spent last night at the Crowne Plaza at Manchester Airport, great!

jim said...

i was at that london show

and i agree with everything you say

well, on this post anyway...

davyh said...

I enjoyed reading this and I'm really glad you had a good night: you made me wish I'd been there. I saw them on the original tour at Brixton Academy in 91 - though I don't remember much about it, other than loads of psychedelic paraphernalia & flowers in front of the stage, and them being on very late, cos it was a 'rave' not a 'gig' maaaaan.

Anyway - well done, carry on, and apologies for the delay in commenting.