Primal ScreamAssuring the slowly-growing Enmore crowd they wouldn't fuck around before the night's heavyweight headliners, rockers The Delta Riggs kicked their warm-up set off with a flurry of war cries from frontman Elliott Hammond. The boys from Melbourne delivered a sweet list of tunes, including Counter Revolution, crowd favourite Money and a bunch of toe tapping new works. The prospect of a full-length release was made more exciting with the powerful drum beat and organ of America, the most interesting new addition to their live show. Hammond was reckless, smashing a tambourine and dance-stumbling over everyone on stage, antics that divided audience opinion – pretentious or rock'n'roll?
Thankfully, the stage was cleared and Primal Scream figurehead Bobby Gillespie took the centred mic stand to deliver a cool new release, appropriately titled 2012. The Scottish rocker gradually warmed in the opening few tracks, walking to stage front to let the die-hards sing Movin' On Up's famous chorus – the stand moved aside for the night's effortless grooving.
In a mixture of old and new, Primal Scream delivered an eclectic bill much like their full repertoire, but tunes with more of a rock bite achieved the biggest buzz in a room of '90s kids who just wanted to dance. The build of XTRMNTR's Accelerator saw guitarists Andrew Innes and Barry Cadogan point the headstock of their instrument to the ceiling, thrashing through the climax, while drummer Darrin Mooney's tabla drums offered an interesting Indian-flavour in It's Alright, It's Okay.
There's no denying that the music from the Screamadelica record has stuck as Primal Scream's most influential work, as grown men sighed in ecstasy for the female vocals looped in Come Together, while the maraca-laden Gillespie sent the crowd into a frenzy during the encore's Loaded. The band were backlit for the whole set, colours alternating to set the perfect environment for the psychedelic acid house, alternative rock or experimental genres that the Scots swapped between with ease, while bright white lights flooded the Enmore Theatre during the sampled chorus of Loaded, the floor filled in a sea of arms praising the hugely instrumental favourite. There was something about the Glasgow group's precision and ability to make it look easy tonight. Bobby Gillespie hardly broke a sweat, even during energetic closer Rocks, as he twisted his body around the stage and stared blankly at fans with a confidence that let them do the hard rocking for him.
