Primal Scream's Toronto Return

On paper, Primal Scream shouldn't have lasted five years, let alone 25. And yet the band have endured for over a quarter-century, led by the primordially cool and perpetually po-faced Bobby Gillespie. The band's ability to evolve their sound over time is equalled only by their ability to metabolize drugs, and the outfit's hard-rocking appearance at the Phoenix was a hella-good showing regardless of what Scream era is your favourite.

Primal Scream's last Toronto appearance took place in 2000 and was an all-star affair, with My Bloody Valentine sound sculptor Kevin Shields along for the ride. This performance may not have had the same star power, but it did see Gillespie and friends in fine form bashing their way through a long set of catalogue favourites and selections from the band's 2008 effort, Beautiful Future.

Gillespie has always been more of a moaner than a vocalist, and his drawl proved an apt accompaniment for his band's guitar-driven clatter. Accordingly, the most memorable aspect of the performance was the group's ability to meld the disparate sounds from disparate albums into a succinct set list that somehow worked.

With twin guitars, bass (provided by ex-Stone Roses member Gary "Mani" Mounfield) and a massive keyboard set-up, the band had options — with Gillespie's non-plussed demeanour as the common thread running through it all. He seldom cracked a smile and spent good portions of the show staring at the floor, but there's no denying that he possesses that "it" quality that makes him a natural frontman — which is made more amazing by the fact that he still looks like a schoolboy at 40-something.

Choice cuts like "Kill All Hippes" and "Jailbird" were unleashed early, but Primal Scream hit something of a rut by mid-set. The Beautiful Future material dragged at times, which was best exemplified by the dreadful title track, a throwaway slab of MOR nonsense if there ever was one. Luckily, the band backloaded the set with a number of their best tunes, including "Swastika Eyes," "Country Girl" and the Screamadelica-era standout "Movin' On Up."

To help drive the tunes home, a number of songs featured fairly elaborate laser and strobe accompaniment. This was a much appreciated visual since, short of a few leers from Gillespie and posturing from second guitarist Barrie Cadogan, the stage show is steady but not spectacular.

Much like the latter third of the main set, the encore was nicely stacked and built around the bluesy stomp of "Rocks" and angsty set closer "Accelerator." Things cumulated with Gillespie showing some heightened emotion, offering handshakes to the front row and engaging in a little bit of bouncing up and down for everybody else.

Primal Scream are definitely one of those bands where it's easy to take them for granted until you can see the sheer quality and quantity of their discography in a live setting. And considering Toronto dates tend to be close to a decade apart, these opportunities don't present themselves nearly often enough.

Here's Primal Scream's set list:

"Kill All Hippies"
"Can't Go Back"
"Miss Lucifer"
"Suicide Sally And Johnny Guitar"
"Jailbird"
"Burning Wheel"
"Beautiful Future"
"Higher Than The Sun"
"Deep Hit Of Morning Sun"
"Exterminator"
"Suicide Bomb"
"City"
"Shoot Speed/Kill Light"
"Swastika Eyes"
"Country Girl"
"Movin' On Up"

Encore:

"Damaged"
"Necro Hex Blues"
"Rocks"
"Accelerator"