I saw Primal Scream put on one of the best gigs of the year at the O2 Academy in Glasgow - it was a joy

Primal Scream made a triumphant return to Glasgow last night for the first of two sold out shows at the O2 Academy.

It had been almost three years since the band performed a headline city in the city, with their last performance coming further up the road from Eglinton Street at Queen’s Park back in July 2022.

Since that last gig, the band have released their twelfth studio album ‘Come Ahead’ which came out in November last year.

A special mention goes to the bands support on the night, Baxter Dury who made his first return to Glasgow in two years. He is giving his old man, Ian, a run for his money and is a brilliant entertainer as well as lyricist.

Primal Scream opened up with “Don’t Fight It, Feel” which began a night of top tunes from the band which were so eclectic and full of energy.

New songs such as “Love Insurrection”, “Ready To Go Home” and “Love Ain’t Enough” didn’t feel out of place in a setlist that was great mix of Primal Scream tunes from throughout their back catalogue.

The end of the gig was a real highlight as the band powered through some of their biggest hits, an absolutely storming performance, swaggering through “Loaded”, “Swastika Eyes”, “Movin’ on Up”, “Country Girl”, “Melancholy Man” “Come Together” and “Rocks”.

There was something really special about “Loaded” as wherever you looked around you on the floor, absolutely everyone was enjoying the moment as they danced away and switched off from the outside world. This could also be said for “Come Together” as the band delivered the simple yet effective message to ‘come together as one’. The Glasgow crowd appreciated the nostalgia-tinged sentiment.

Primal Scream are still bringing a lot of joy to people’s lives 38 years after releasing their debut album Sonic Flower Groove, and 43 years after the rock band were originally formed in 1982 in Glasgow by Bobby Gillespie and Jim Beattie.

A wispy yet insistent, enigmatic, shaman-like presence, Bobby Gillespie remains one of the best frontman you can see live out in the wild and if you get the chance on this tour, you need to go and see Primal Scream - a band with a lot still to give.