Photo: WENN
The shortcomings of the iTunes Festival (the fact that assembling a couple of thousand of competition winners doesn’t make for the most lively of crowds) has been well documented.
With Primal Scream’s enduring music appealing to both the Britpop-ravers of the early 90s and the contemporary alternative scenes, one might have expected that a randomly amassed audience of fans would’ve had a little more fire (and beer) in their bellies, no matter their age. Especially considering that it’s a Friday night!
Shamefully, the lacklustre performance the Roundhouse crowd puts in amounts to a grossly unjust disservice to a band at the peak of their creative powers; a band that deliver an exceptional greatest hits set, albeit with frontman Bobby Gillespie missing a little of his usual ardour.
Primal Scream’s latest album, More Light – a politically charged, sonically audacious masterpiece – has given the Scottish alt-rockers a renewed sense of purpose in the aftermath of their Screamadelica anniversary shows; one of artistic renaissance. Tonight they showcase six of these new creations, kicking the set off with More Light-opener ‘2013’ – a sprawling, intoxicating piece of psych-rock bolstered by sleazy sax and Bobby’s angst-laden, lyrical commentary about Britain today. Witnessing Bobby, in the same dapper pink suit he donned for Glastonbury, prowling around such intimate settings means that you catch every one of his fluid body movements – his gentle, snake-like swaying hypnotising all in attendance.
The many different, sometimes conflicting sounds of Primal Scream records all meld together in a live setting, with the garage punk, 60s rock’n’roll, soul, acid house and 90s indie all connected by that distinctive, Primal psychedelic core. Tonight, the Stones-lite material such as ‘Jailbird’ and the Britpop of songs like ‘I'm Losing More Than I'll Ever Have’ settle seamlessly next to the thumping techno beats of ‘Swastika Eyes’ and the haunting, Eastern grooves of newbie ‘River Of Pain’, featuring a menacing free jazz interval.
When Primal Scream close the main set with the vigorous, straight-up rock’n’roll couplet of ‘Country Girl’ and ‘Rocks’, the audience finally shows some signs of life. In turn, Bobby’s eyes sparkle, a grin flashes and his limbs begin to fly. It’s now clear that the frontman feeds off his crowd; for each ounce of passion they show, he quadruples it. So when the band finish the night on the gospel tinted, Screamadelica heavyweights ‘Loaded’ and ‘Movin’ On Up’, the crowd applaud and sing, Bobby soars, and all-round euphoria ensues.
If only the Roundhouse had indulged in this kind of celebration from the start, we could have fully engaged Bobby Gillespie for the whole night and eradicated the distant atmosphere that lingered for much of the show.
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