Photo: Press
If there's anything that you can say about Primal Scream, it's that they're a band of survivors. In the face of heavy drug problems, changing line-ups and ever-shifting musical trends, Bobby Gillespie and co have always been a solid, strong and relentless presence in culture for over 30 years. The crowd and response they draw at Kendal Calling is testament enough to their influence and legacy.
Ahead of their headlining slot at Kendal, we caught up with frontman Bobby Gillespie backstage.
"I don’t really think about it," shrugs Bobby Gillespie, musing the band's longevity in the face of their peers and contemporaries disappearing - and many reforming. "I’m just involved in our world, and I wish other musicians all the best especially if I like their music or I like them."
There's clearly one strong example that springs to mind when it comes to 90s revivals, which Gillespie is quick to address: "In the case of the Stone Roses, I saw them before they got famous. I saw them before the first album came out, playing to like 40 people in Brighton. Myself and Andrew (Innes, Primal Scream's guitarist) and my girlfriend at the time went down to this gig at the Escape Club in Brighton on recommendation of the kid who promoted it."
He continues: "So we went down and there was like 40 or 30 people there. The Stone Roses were fucking amazing.They played four songs and then they said that they were a bit pissed off I think that no body was there and then a few months later they kind of got really, exploded so… I don’t know what that’s gotta do with this but what I’m trying to say is I've liked the band for a long time and we've got a lot in common."
One of the things the two bands share is a clear power, meaning, image and energy - the likes of which we don't really see in many bands these days. Few have the same staying power. Does Gillespie see anything in any new bands that match that, or do they all fall short of the mark?
"No - I think theres a lot of good music around," he admits. "But you can’t compare what we do or what we and The Stone Roses did with younger bands because it’s a different time a different energy. The culture's different, but there's a lot of good stuff out there."
And that's where Gillespie really comes alive - he's been pretty carnivorous when it comes to consuming new music: "Things that I've liked this year so far have been the Deerhunter album and Kurt Vile’s Waking On A Pretty Day. I love Laura Marling’s album - I think that’s my favourite record of the year. But as for unknown bands I quite like a band called Skinny Girl Diet and we’re going to have them open for us when we play at the iTunes festival in September. They're three girls but very ‘punk’ and pretty cool."
Once you start Bobby Gillespie off on new bands, it's pretty hard to stop him: "There's also The Allah Las. Their album’s amazing, that came out last year. Beachwood Sparks made a great album - they’ve been around for a long time but its incredible. Either way, there's a lot of stuff to keep me occupied."
Primal Scream live at Kendal Calling 2013, photo by Witt Woo Photography
Bobby Gillespie will also be pretty occupied by Primal Scream's upcoming tour, with dates at iTunes Festival on 20 September before headline shows in London, Manchester and Glasgow in December. For more information visit Gigwise gig tickets.
Their latest album, More Light, is out now.
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