Music

Primal Scream were in typically bilious mood at last year’s Glastonbury, baiting the crowd (‘you’re all fucking hippies’) and refusing to leave the stage. With their anger still visible, bets were on that this new album would feature the same claustrophobic sound that they built on ‘XTRMNTR’ and ‘Evil Heat’. Instead, contrary to the last, Bobby G and co have returned to a boozy rock ’n’ roll that wouldn’t sound out of place on America’s white trash comedy ‘My Name Is Earl’.

Their least inventive record since 1994’s ‘Give Out But Don’t Give Up’, it sees the Scream aspiring to the goodtime sound of their heroes: The Stones, the Flamin’ Groovies and New York Dolls. And, sure, it’s a riot on the driving ‘Country Girl’, the punky blues of ‘The 99th Floor’ and Velvet Underground homage ‘Dolls’. But, too frequently, ‘Riot City Blues’ is a rock ’n’ roll cliché that features more of other bands than it does Primal Scream: ‘Beggars Banquet’ being a major point of call, not least for Gillespie to rekindle his love of Jagger’s lyrics.

Maybe Kevin Shields, replaced here by Killing Joke’s Youth, might have given their dumb-ass rock ’n’ roll a twist, but as it stands there’s not much past the surface. ‘Let’s have a good time!’ screams Gillespie. Right on! Just try and do it your own way.