You never know what to expect when you wait for a Primal Scream show. I met them for the first time in Glastonbury last summer…but you know everything is awesome and special during a festival. And you know, Glasto! I’m not sure who should have been excited most between me (for being there) and them (for playing there).

Anyway The Alcatraz wasn’t sold out (not even close) but you could feel the excitement in the air within the tied to the 90s audience.

Lights went down, music began and they appeared on stage. My first thought when I saw Bobby Gillespie (the frontman), was “Oh my, he will never get to the end“. He started acting like a 30s diva, moving up and down on the stage in his green silk shirt as thinking “I’m singing, but i’m not really giving a damn of you people over there. I’m shaking your hands, smiling at you but the one over the stage it’s me, the only one“.

2013, first song of the last album, first song of the show. A new beginning after the failing last records. The usual mix of everything and nothing that makes you move in any case. It took 3 or 4 songs before Bobby started to shine in all his great shape like someone just back to reality after an out-of-body experience.

The rest of the band were at their best: Martin Duffy, at the keyboards since the 80s, Darrin Mooney, after the drummers frequent changes, Barry Cadogan, the youngest member of the band and…wait, is it a girl playing the bass? Is it always been a girl, who played the bass with Primal Scream? This question was spinning on my mind during couple of songs. Then an epiphany came: Bloody Mani! He left to re-start doing nothing (except for the 2012 amazing world tour) with the Stone Roses. Doing nothing because I’m sure they’re pretending to record new material, but nothing happens till now. But this is another story. The cute bass player knows her job in the end!

The gig went on with a very balanced set: rolling on most of More Light tracks, mixing with some from XTRMNTR and a gem from Evil Heat (Autobahn 66). Then a 4 hits series that made us move compulsively (It’s Alright It’s ok, Swastika Eyes, Country Girl and Rocks).

After a short break, a glittering Bobby (thanks to a gold lamè shirt) back on the stage saying that they were “going to play quite a few songs from the Screamadelica album.”  An encore with 3 Screamadelica tracks, started with a tribute to Kurt Cobain (he sang a verse of Heart-Shaped Box during Higher Than The Sun), spaced by an old I’m Loosing More Than I’ll Ever Have before saying goodbye to Milan with Loaded and Movin’ On Up.

After the end of the music before leaving the stage the band seemed to keep on saying: “My Light Shines On” , indulging on shaking hands and soaking up the love from the audience.

Ema