Primal Scream, one of those rare bands that reshapes the air around them, are set to return to Australia in January 2025. It’s been seven years since their last visit, and the wait feels seismic. There’s a certain gravity to a band like Primal Scream – the ones who change the shape of modern music with an album like Screamadelica (1991), a record that tore apart genres and won the Mercury Prize for it, while giving us anthems like “Movin’ on Up” and “Loaded.”
This time, they’re back with Come Ahead, their twelfth studio album, set to release November 8th, 2024. The new songs are a direct current from frontman Bobby Gillespie, who channels the kind of vulnerability and bite we’ve come to expect from his years at the helm of a band that’s been both the soundtrack to revolution and late-night revelry. The album’s first single, “Love Insurrection,” is a shimmering rally cry for peace set in a disco fug, while “Deep Dark Waters” pulls us under with brooding intensity, both proving that the band hasn’t lost a step since their 2016 release, Chaosmosis.
“I’m very excited about this album in a way that you would be making your first record. If there was an overall theme to Come Ahead it might be one of conflict, whether inner or outer. There is also a thread of compassion running through the album. The title is a Glaswegian term. If someone threatens to fight you, you say, ‘come ahead!’ It’s redolent of the indomitable spirit of the Glaswegian, and the album itself shares that aggressive attitude and confidence. They have a word for this up there, gallus. Come Ahead’s quite a cheeky title too.” Bobby Gillespie
From Fontaines D.C. to Dua Lipa, Primal Scream’s influence is still cutting new paths through the music landscape, and their return to Australia – with dates set for Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth – feels like the kind of event that will remind us why they’ve always mattered. It’s not just nostalgia; it’s an ongoing conversation, and this band is still holding the mic.
Primal Scream 2025 Tour Dates
Fri 10 Jan – Forum Melbourne
Sat 11 Jan – Enmore Theatre (Sydney)
Mon 13 Jan – The Fortitude Music Hall (Brisbane)
Tue 14 Jan – Hindley Street Music Hall (Adelaide)
Thu 16 Jan – Fremantle Prison
Go HERE for ticketing information.
