Katana VentraIP

Primal Scream

Primal Scream are a Scottish rock band originally formed in 1982 in Glasgow by Bobby Gillespie (vocals) and Jim Beattie (guitar). The band's current lineup consists of Gillespie, Andrew Innes (guitar), Simone Butler (bass), and Darrin Mooney (drums). Barrie Cadogan has toured and recorded with the band since 2006 as a replacement after the departure of guitarist Robert "Throb" Young.

For other uses, see Primal Scream (disambiguation).

Primal Scream

Glasgow, Scotland

1982–present

Primal Scream had been performing live from 1982 to 1984, but their career did not take off until Gillespie left his position as drummer of The Jesus and Mary Chain. The band were a key part of the mid-1980s indie pop scene, but eventually moved away from their jangly sound, taking on more psychedelic and garage rock influences, before incorporating a dance music element to their sound with their 1991 album Screamadelica, which broke them into the mainstream. The band have continued to explore different styles on subsequent albums, experimenting with blues, trip hop and industrial rock. Their most recent album, Chaosmosis, was released on 18 March 2016.

History[edit]

Formation and early years (1982–1984)[edit]

Bobby Gillespie moved to Mount Florida in southeastern Glasgow, where he attended King's Park Secondary School, where he first met Robert Young.[1] Another schoolfriend was Alan McGee, who took Gillespie to see his first concert, Thin Lizzy.[1] McGee and Gillespie were heavily influenced by punk rock, and they joined a local punk band, The Drains, in 1978. The Drains' guitarist was a 15-year-old Andrew Innes.[1] The band was short-lived, and Innes and McGee moved to London while Gillespie chose to remain in Glasgow.


After the punk movement ended, Gillespie became disenchanted with mainstream new wave music.[1] He met another schoolfriend who shared his outlook, Jim Beattie, and they recorded "elemental noise tapes", in which Gillespie would bang two dustbin lids together and Beattie played fuzz-guitar.[2] They soon moved on to The Velvet Underground and The Byrds cover songs before starting to write their own songs, based on Jah Wobble and Peter Hook basslines. Gillespie later said that the band "didn't really exist, but we did it every night for something to do."[1] They named themselves Primal Scream, a term for a type of cry heard in primal therapy. Still essentially a partnership, Primal Scream first played live in 1982.[2]

First recordings, Sonic Flower Groove and Primal Scream (1984–1989)[edit]

Their first recording session, for McGee's independent label Essential Records, produced a single track entitled "The Orchard", with Judith Boyle on vocals. Beattie later claimed that they burned the master tape.[1][2] After the aborted recording, Gillespie joined The Jesus and Mary Chain as their drummer, and alternated between the two bands. While The Jesus and Mary Chain became notorious for their chaotic gigs, Gillespie and Beattie expanded Primal Scream's lineup to include schoolfriend Young on bass, rhythm guitarist Stuart May, drummer Tom McGurk, and tambourine player Martin St. John. This lineup was signed to Creation Records, an independent record label founded by Alan McGee, and recorded the group's debut single, "All Fall Down", which received positive reviews.[1]


After the release of the single, Gillespie was told by The Jesus and Mary Chain leaders William and Jim Reid that he was to either dissolve Primal Scream to join their band full-time or resign.[1][2] Gillespie chose to remain with Primal Scream. Stuart May was replaced by Paul Harte, and the group released a new single, "Crystal Crescent". Its B-side, "Velocity Girl", was released on the C86 compilation, which led to their being associated with the scene of the same name. The band strongly disliked this, Gillespie saying that other groups in that scene "can't play their instruments and they can't write songs."[1]


The band toured throughout 1986, and Gillespie became disenchanted with the quality of their performances. He said that there "was always something missing, musically or in attitude."[1] They switched to McGee's newly set-up Warner Bros. subsidiary Elevation Records. Before the band entered Rockfield Studios in Wales to record their debut album, McGurk was asked to leave. The group subsequently began recording using session players. They spent four weeks recording with producer Stephen Street before deciding to halt the sessions.[1]


May was subsequently dismissed; Gillespie's former bandmate Innes was brought in as his replacement, and the band found a new drummer, Gavin Skinner. With their new lineup, the band re-entered the studio, this time in London with producer Mayo Thompson. By the time Sonic Flower Groove was completed, it had cost £100,000.[1] The album reached number 62 on the British charts[1] and received poor reviews, with AllMusic calling it "pristine but dull."[3] The backlash from the album caused internal strife within the band. Beattie and Skinner subsequently resigned.[2]


The band, now consisting of Gillespie, Innes and Young, relocated to Brighton to regroup.[1] Young switched to guitar, and they recruited bassist Henry Olsen and drummer Phillip "Toby" Tomanov, who had both been in Nico's backing band, The Faction. They traded in their jangle pop sound for a harder rock edge, or as Gillespie said, "[w]e had found rock 'n' roll."[1] The band re-signed to Creation Records and released their first single in two years, "Ivy, Ivy, Ivy". This was followed by a full album, Primal Scream. The band's new sound was met with poor reviews, NME called it "confused and lacking in cohesion".[1] Fans responded as unfavourably as the critics, with many of the old fans being disappointed or simply confused by the new sound.[1] Both Sonic Flower Groove and Primal Scream featured contributions from Felt keyboardist Martin Duffy.

– lead vocals (1982–present)

Bobby Gillespie

– guitar, keyboards, backing vocals (1987–present)

Andrew Innes

– drums, percussion (1997–present)

Darrin Mooney

Simone Butler – bass guitar, keyboards, percussion (2012–present)

List of bands from Glasgow

List of Scottish musicians

Official website

at IMDb

Primal Scream

discography at Discogs

Primal Scream