 |
Live Performance at Zouk, Singapore PopOut Magazine, February 2000 |
Their fans waited a long time for them to play here, so you can imagine the thrill when they found out that Singapore was chosen as the venue for Primal Scream to kick off their world tour. What this meant was that we were the first to hear them showcase tracks from their latest release, XTRMNTR, since it was only released at the end of January, obviously long after the band's gig here.
And as soon as you stepped into the venue, you could almost feel the anticipation of the crowd as they stood there impatiently, waiting for their idols to show up on stage. At 9:30 pm - a prompt half hour after their scheduled show time - the guys walked casually onto the stage and picked up their instruments.
And perhaps it was apt that they kicked off with a tune from their new album. 'Exterminator' was the first song they played and, if that was anything to go by, we just know that it was going to be a great gig. Even those who were trying their best to stay cool couldn't resist, as everyone was seen jumping up and down and wilfully bouncing along to the beats.
But if there was anyone who wasn't quite aware of what was going on, it must have been the band's lead singer, Bobby Gillespie. The once member of Jesus And Mary Chain looked very much like he was totally oblivious of his surroundings and the chaos that he and his band were causing. And he was probably the calmest person in the house too. Because not only was the crowd jumping around, so was the entire band, except the drummer of course, who obviously had to sit down to play his instrument. But Bobby was just delivering his lines very calmly and even squatted down on stage during the bits when he didn't have to sing.
The group sang all their big hits, including 'Kill All Hippies', 'Swastika Eyes', 'Blood Money' and 'Rocks'. In between , there was the enthralling guitar solos from Andrew Innes and entertaining antics of bassist Mani - formerly of The Stone Roses - when he wasn't sipping from his can of Tiger beer, that is.
The set was over way too soon, but they predictably returned for a two-song encore, kicking off with 'Funky Jam', which sounded very much like a Rolling Stones song, to be honest. Two songs clearly weren't enough and the crowd made sure that the band knew that. After much clapping, screaming and all-round enthusiasm from the capacity crowd, the band returned for one last number. This time, it was a rendition of the MC 5 song, 'Kick Out The Jams', which proved to be very popular with everyone present. So everyone went about their business of jumping up and down again for the very last time because Primal Scream never returned.
The one-hour gig was obviously not enough for their fans, but it turned many of us non-fans around and proved just why Primal Scream is regarded so highly in the music business and has lasted so long.
- written by Balvinder Sandhu for PopOut Magazine.