I had been to the Poetry Club, a disued Railway Arch in the West End of Glasgow that has been taken over (and named) by the artist Jim Lambie, on a few previous occasions thanks to my sisters band TeenCanteen playing a couple of times and the fact that Carla's boyfriend Michael runs a fantastic night there (and in Edinburgh) called Neu! Reekie.
Michael strongly advised that I buy tickets for Friday 14th June as there may be some very special guests who might just be in town the night before the Roses. I knew it wasn't the Roses as they had another show, Primal Scream were the obvious choice given it was a hometown show and Lambie had designed their artwork for the Screamadelica tour and latest album.
The fact that Michael couldn't even guarantee me a guest pass was more than enough of a nod and a wink to send me scurrying off to Brown Paper Tickets to snap up 4 for the night.
Who would I take? I know loads of people who would love to see Primal Scream in such an intimate setting.
The fact that my wife, brother and best friend were all busy with babysitting, a 30th and Sonar meant that I asked 3 bass players and huge music fans that I knew would really appreciate the night; Gordon, Craig and Neal certainly did appreciate it!
We met for drinks in the Merchant City to go and see the Ian Tilton 'Set In Stone' exhibition of classic and rare Roses photographs. From there it was on to outside Tuts and then to the Poetry Club.
There was a real buzz about the place as we handed over out tickets and got our silver wristbands for the evening.
John Giorno, a father figure to the New York City underground scene in the 60's, was flown over by Jim Lambie especially for the evening, a father figure to the New York underground scene. John's NYC accent sounded glorious as he used his extensive vocabulary to hold the room in his spell.
But anyway....on to Primal Scream.
The band entered the small stage via the fire escape to a somewhat surreal vibe - we couldn't actually believe this was happening. The band started with 'Out Of The Void', a song that really fitted in well with the vibe that the Poetry Club creates. It sounded fantastic.
They picked up the pace with '2013', the opening track from their latest album, sounding as vital and as fresh as anything from their lengthy career. 'Burning Wheel' was trippy and blissful, Simone Butler looking and sounding like she will have no problems fitting into the considerable sized shows left by one Gary 'Mani' Mountfield.
It was on the closing trio of 'It's Alright (It's OK)', 'Hit Void' and a ferocious 'Rocks' that the abnd and crowd really started to gel. Gillespie was the ultimate pro, commanding attention from the room and getting the crowd going. I got the sense that he was enjoying the underground vibe of the night. 'Rocks' was fast and furious and just as the crowd had been whipped up into a storm then the band exited via the fire escape - the same way they had come in.
I can only imagine what an encore of 'Loaded' and 'Come Together' would have been like!
Still, this was a bit of a dream gig. Primal Scream playing to about 70 people in a converted railway arch in Glasgow. Superb.
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