Adelaidians are a fickle bunch and it comes as no surprise why mid size international acts that should sell out venues like HQ and The Gov avoid Adelaide like the plague after the pathetic turn out for indie stalwarts Primal Scream.
At a guess it would have been a surprise if the numbers through the turnstiles would have nudged four hundred and no doubt someone would have made a huge loss on this occasion considering the costs of getting the band, crew and staging to our quiet little back water.
Nevertheless, those who decided to stay in front of the box missed a great show and for me one of the best shows I’ve seen in the last few months. Trying to recall the last time I saw Primal Scream is really showing my age as that was nearly some ten years ago. Furthermore, this is the band that delivered quality albums such as Screamadelica, ...Give Up, Vanishing Point and not forgetting XTRMNTR.
Walking out to little fanfare the band did pick up on the lack of atmosphere and were a little pedestrian at times, yet, still delivering a professional workman like performance. Bobby Gillespie is as casual as they come and is full of indie charm and swagger and Mani (of Stone Roses fame) was a joy to watch and there was the occasional chuckle as he tried offer an incoherent babble of praise to the people who did turn up.
The set list was awesome and I could walk away knowing they played all the hits I wanted to hear. Strobe lights ablaze, drums pounding and guitars on fire launching straight in to Kill All Hippies. In close succession the classics followed with Jailbird, Suicide Sally and Johnny Guitar but the crowd did fire up for Higher Than The Sun from the infamous third album Screamadelica. Beautiful Future passed by as the majority of the crowd didn’t recognise that from their new album and probably didn’t realise they still made albums.
Like a well oiled machine The Scream found their rock chops with Exterminator, Suicide Bomb and Sick City. To close out their main set the hit machine was wheeled out for Swastika Eyes, Movin’ On Up and Rocks getting people moving and a little more excited. I think this would have been the perfect closer but they did return for an encore which did include Uptown, Country Girl and Accelerator.
A top night and we can only hope it doesn’t take so long for a return visit.
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