Live Review

The Primitives – Stereo, Glasgow

• 23rd Apr 2010

Until recently The Primitives could have been a “Where Are They Now?” question, as the indie band from Coventry had split in 1991, following the failure of third album Galore. But they reformed for two shows late in 2009, and have now embarked on their first UK tour in 18 years. For fans of the 80s rockers, it must have felt like all their birthdays had come at once.

A large crowd gathered in the basement of Glasgow’s Stereo, a fairly new venue with a good reputation and excellent acoustics. The night started with a change to the advertised programme, with support band Lucky Soul being replaced by Edinburgh based four piece The Curators – not to be confused with the German punk band of the same name.

With a standard line up of two guitars, bass and drums, The Curators played a decent if unremarkable set, mainly taken from their soon to be released (but still untitled) debut album. State of Grace, with some stand out guitar work, was perhaps the one track that stood out from the rest.

After the inevitable wait to change over the equipment, the house lights went down and dry ice erupted, covering the audience. The band strode onto the stage and after a quick hello they were straight into the first song. Within seconds the room was transported back to the 1980s as hardcode fans sang along with every word and the crowd bounced along.

The vocals were initially very low in the mix but this was soon rectified and singer Tracy Cattell took her place front and centre. Looking slim and svelte, she put everything into her performance. Stylishly dressed, as ever, in black and white, Cattell’s voice was strong and commanding as she played to the crowd. Provocative and impassioned, she swayed and danced on impossibly high heels as her voice soared.

The pace was fast and the band seemed intent on fitting as many songs as possible into a set that disappointed only in its brevity. I’ll Stick With You and Sick Of It were particularly powerful, with Paul Court’s mix of power chords and choppy guitar riffs setting the scene. Strong bass lines and thunderous drumming grounded the music while the vocals effortlessly brought it all together into a musical experience that was both nostalgic and fresh at the same time.

But the crowd favorite was, of course, Crash, which sounded as lively and vibrant as it did when it hit number 5 in the charts back in 1988. The track has been covered several times over the years, but Cattell demonstrated clearly that the original version is the best.

A mere forty minutes into an energetic set, the band left the stage. The crowd cried out for more and were rewarded with a short encore featuring the impressive Nothing Left To Say. Time constraints meant the close of the night was unfortunately not far behind, much to the disappointment of a very supportive audience.

This was an impressive performance from a group of musicians who played as if they had been together continuously for many years. Anyone not knowing the story of the band’s split would be amazed to find out that they had reformed so recently.

The hope must be that this tour will mark a new beginning for The Primitives, a band that somehow plays 80s music without ever sounding dated. Based on tonight’s performance they have a lot more still to give.