Austin Psych Fest Artist Spotlight: Primal Scream

Primal Scream harks back to a more innocent era when rock stars had long, shaggy hair, organs were cool and tambourines were a staple of any respectable rock band. A psychedelic rock band that’s toyed with genres as diverse as trip hop and industrial rock, Primal Scream’s sound can best be described as a love letter to 60’s classic rock with drone and dance influences interspersed.

Originally from Scotland, Primal Scream boasts a 30 year history that roughly began when Bobby Gillespie of The Jesus and Mary Chain joined as lead vocalist and percussionist. Their early history throughout the 80’s was marked by a retro indie-rock tone and two albums that met with poor critical reviews.

In the 90’s, they released their most successful album, Screamadelica, which incorporated acid house and was produced by influential electronic artist The Orb, Rolling Stones producer Jimmy Miller and producer Hugo Nicolson. Primal Scream began to abuse drugs as they toured during this time.

In the late 90’s and early to mid-2000’s, the group released Vanishing Point, a highly regarded dark shoegaze/dance album. They began to engage in political activism through music in the 2000’s, releasing songs such as “Swastika Eyes”.

Check out a new single below:

Of course, Primal Scream’s biggest hits are more upbeat. Just don’t expect them to stay within common Western music scales for too long.

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By Nicholas Randall