Simon RushworthAs Primal Scream prepare to revive socio-political game changer XTRMNTR, frontman Bobby Gillespie tells Rushonrock editor Simon Rushworth that the more things change, the more things stay the same.
Twenty-six years ago it seemed entirely plausible that Bobby Gillespie and Andrew Innes would use Primal Scream’s lofty platform to scrutinise those in power. For too long, they’d been keeping their powder dry.
A decade on from the band’s hedonistic, party-starting breakthrough Screamadelica, there was a renewed appetite within the band to get serious. Or seriously angry. The politically charged XTRMNTR had authority in its sights and nobody was safe: in 2000 government, the police and unscrupulous multinationals all felt the wrath of a band emboldened.
“I’m very proud of that record,” says Bobby. Primal Scream are set to play XTRMNTR in its entirety across the UK next month and a prescient album has never sounded so relevant. “I remember meeting my future wife around that time. I was in love and I had this amazing new album ready to release.
“One night I’d had a couple of drinks and I played Accelerator (track two on XTRMNTR) at full volume through these enormous speakers and I said to the lady who would become the mother of kids ‘if I never make another record again I don’t care’.
“Everything that I ever wanted to say and do as a teenager came out on that record. All my dreams as an artist are laid bare. XTRMNTR was what I always imagined my music would sound like if I was ever in a band and I didn’t give a f*** what anyone else felt about it. I’d made the record I’d always wanted to make, with my mates, and I’m still so proud of that today.
“We started doing the press around the album and I’d invite people to my flat for a party. After a while I’d play the new record and they’d be like ‘what is that!’. Everybody was blown away. It didn’t sound like any other band at the time but it was the realisation of what Primal Scream could become, the music we could make and what we really stood for. We’d finally fulfilled our promise.”
If many industry insiders feared XTRMNTR represented commercial suicide — aggressive and divisive song titles included Kill All Hippies, Swastika Eyes and Blood Money — then Gillespie and co-writer Innes didn’t care. And their critics were proved wrong anyway. The band’s sixth album peaked at number three on the UK album charts and Swastika Eyes nudged the Top 20 backed by some serious Radio One support.
As sonically enraged as it was lyrically intense, XTRMNTR was the foreboding antithesis to new millennial optimism and its anger resonated with a fresh generation of campaigning voices. Fast forward to 2026 and Gillespie feels the album’s key themes remain deeply relevant.
“When we wrote that record a neo-liberal Labour government was in its first term and they were doing some good things,” adds the familiar voice of Primal Scream. “But 9/11 was just around the corner, the War on Terror was about to begin and, as a nation, we became part of a much wider and far-reaching global conflict. It was the beginning of where we find ourselves now. In the years that followed XTRMNTR there was mass immigration, the financial crisis and ongoing wars in the Middle East — it proved to be a prescient piece of work. Things haven’t changed too much.”
It’s no surprise that Gillespie remains politically active and a passionate voice for change. As a member of the Artists For Gaza collective — the charity that’s raised more than £140,000 for Healthcare Workers For Palestine — the Glaswegian’s keen sense of social conscience runs deep. Gillespie and good friend Paul Weller are two prime movers in an organisation determined to shine a light on what the pair perceive to be the single greatest human rights ‘issue of the day’.
“Paul’s had a terrible time getting artists to agree to play the gigs,” admits Gillespie. “If you ask me everybody in rock music — or at least indie rock music — are cowards. In my opinion there’s a genocide going on in Palestine and everyone can see it. Everybody knows it’s happening but too many people in music choose to look the other way.
“The people that shout about it are the female pop artists. People like Dua Lipa, Lorde and CMAT. They’re prepared to use their platform to address the issue and these young women are very articulate. But where are the white guys in indie rock music? They’ve got their heads in the sand.
“Like Paul, I’ve asked artists to play the Gaza gigs and they either don’t return your email at all or they come back with a lame excuse. What can you do?”
Gillespie’s frustration is clear and it’s that simmering anger and bitter disappointment in his peers that helps fuel Primal Scream’s reassuringly explosive live shows. September’s headline run kicks off with a hometown double header at Glasgow’s Barrowland from September 3-4 before stops in Newcastle, Nottingham, Manchester, Bristol and London. Tickets are available here.
Bobby Gillespie portraits by Adam Peter Johnson.