Primal Scream play XTRMNTR – Glasgow Barrowland (September 2026 – Gig review) 

If I was to assume your favourite Primal Scream album is Screamadelica then I would follow that up by suggesting XTRMNTR is next in line. While 1991’s Screamadelica is an hour-long acid house trip, XTRMNTR, which came nine years and two albums later, is an aggressive mix of industrial rock and electronica. 

Since 2011, when Screamadelica celebrated its 20th anniversary, we have been treated to numerous tours commemorating the album in full. Tonight, it’s the XTRMNTR’s turn, with this being the second of three sold out nights at the Glasgow Barrowland.

Glasgow’s very own Vlure give the crowd the perfect warm-up with a fantastic set of dark, high-energy, post-punk electronica. As their slot progressed and the ballroom got busier Vlure’s onstage intensity increased, with a pre-watershed dose of Friday night raving. 

‘Hello, this is Gorgeous, anybody out there read me?’ the sample taken from the 1980 film Out of the Blue kickstarts Primal Scream’s opener ‘Kill All Hippies’. The accompanying opening riffs are devastatingly loud and purposeful before frontman Bobby Gillespie takes the reins with his swooning delivery ‘You got the money; I got the soul’.

‘Accelerator’ sounds just as bold as it first did in 2000 with a frenetic garage rock delivery. The thrashing guitars channels peak MC5 and while Gillespie’s rock’n’roll drawl is enough to make Iggy Pop weep in envy. 

True to the album itself we get two versions of ‘Swastika Eyes’, in what has become one of Primal Scream’s signature tracks, the Jagz Kooner version is the most captivating of the two. It’s heavier and more techno driven, with distorted guitars and sound effects. The latter version, which on record is accredited as The Chemical Brothers version, is more dialled down and has a backing melody that is accustomed to the signature sound of Ed Simons and Tom Rowlands. 

As is customary with album anniversary gigs the encore provides an opportunity for a truncated selection of greatest hits. ‘Loaded’ and ‘Moving on Up’ provide a contrast of the warm optimism and hedonistic vibe that Screamadelica gave us 35 years ago, compared to the stark anti-war imagery projected on stage throughout tonight. ‘Country Girl’, the only post 90’s song to feature in the encore, is the perfect end to an electrifying evening, with its Stones-esque ‘Brown Sugar’ style riffs, it has the Barras in full sing-along mode. 

Photo credit: Lindsay Fraser