Photo: WENN
“It’s a really beautiful venue this, I’ve never been here before - world famous,” Bobby Gillespie tells the Palladium crowd. While he’s on-the-money in terms of the building’s history and aesthetics, it’s an interesting decision to allow Primal Scream – who gained popularity being part of the acid house movement - loose in a place that most often plays host to West End shows.
It all feels just a little too comfortable; everyone’s still firmly in their seats as the house lights go down and the band appear on stage. It’s not long until the theatre is set alight though, as Gillespie struts across the stage in a shimmering gold jacket to set-opener ‘Movin’ on Up’. Backed by a seven-piece choir, and six screens projecting kaleidoscopic animations of the Screamadelica artwork behind them, it’s clear The Scream have gone all-out.
With tonight’s show being in support of new record Chaosmosis – an album which relies heavily on collaboration on guest vocals – singer Hannah Marsden has been poached from her band The Snides to provide vocals on pop-gem ‘Where The Light Gets in’, among older tracks.
A second singer is introduced to harmonise with Marsden and bassist Simone Butler on 2013’s ‘It’s Alright, It’s Ok’ as Gillespie asks the crowd: “I can’t fucking hear you, I thought this was a rock n roll show?!” hoping to temp the crowd into the track’s “ooh la la” breakdown chant. Admittedly, it takes the crowd a while to break the static atmosphere put in place by those rows of red theatre seats, but things slowly begin to descend into madness.
‘Shoot Speed/ Kill Light’ sends the crowd into a trance with relentless brain-washing flashes of the song lyrics as Gillespie’s silhouette moves in front of monochrome visuals. “Ok, we’re gonna slow it right down,” he mumbles to introduce the heartbreak ballad of ‘(I’m Gonna) Cry Myself Blind’. It may be the first dip of energy in the show so far – yet at this point, the crowd are firmly in the hands of Bobby Gillespie.
There’s a birthday dedication to guitarist Andrew Innes’ wife in the form of ‘Trippin’ On Your Love’ before the sirens of ‘Swastika Eyes’ ring-out. The big hit double-header of ‘Country Girl’ and ‘Rocks’ provokes audience members to spill-out into the theatre gangways. Gillespie’s vocals are barely audible above the loudest singalong of the evening, as he’s embraced by a stage-invader, who is still being pulled from the stage after the band leave.
An encore opening with darker Chaosmosis track ‘100% Or Nothing’ transports the Palladium back to Screamadelica days once again: “You gonna help me get down, London Town” Gillespie demands, over the groove of ‘Loaded’, as he sways with maracas in-hand. The house lights are turned on for the euphoric chants of ‘Come Together’, with none other than Florence Welch spotted singing in the crowd with arms aloft.
It’s nothing short of a greatest hits set, proving Primal Scream can transform venues of any kind into their very own high-energy, and rowdy nostalgia trip. It could be the most chaotic show London Palladium has seen for a while – somebody get that safety curtain down!
