Summer in the Cities: Primal Scream & Simple Minds

Our Summer in the Cities tour hits Glasgow, where rain-slicked streets, pub jukeboxes, and all-night clubs blur into a sound that is spiritual, scrappy, and just a bit strange. From gospel rave lift-offs to shimmering stadium dreams, Don and Dude dig into two records that lock Glasgow’s grit, melancholy, and imagination into vinyl.

The Albums

Primal Scream – Screamadelica (1991)

Screamadelica catches Primal Scream right as they trade jangly guitars for a heady blend of acid house rhythms, gospel choirs, and dubby studio haze. It feels like a full night out in musical form, moving from joyful, communal peaks to bleary comedowns and ambient drift, all while keeping Glasgow heart and rock soul at the center.

Simple Minds – New Gold Dream (81–82–83–84) (1982)

New Gold Dream... finds Simple Minds stepping into a luminous, synth-rich sound that feels both glamorous and spiritual. Tight grooves, chiming keyboards, and Jim Kerr’s incantatory vocals turn city streets, romantic longing, and big-picture searching into one glowing, hypnotic dream.

Diggin’ Albums

Crown Lands – Apocalypse (2026) Modern Canadian prog epic packed with towering riffs, sci-fi storytelling, and a 19-minute title track that pushes their Rush-inspired sound into full-on cosmic saga mode.

Nazareth – Hair of the Dog (1975) Gritty Scottish hard rock classic built on thick riffs, snarling vocals, and barroom swagger, capped by the title track and their slow-burning take on "Love Hurts".

Ed O’Brien – Blue Morpho (2026) Psychedelic-tinged alt rock from the Radiohead guitarist, exploring change and emotional healing with spacious guitars and gently trippy textures.

Bruce Hornsby – Indigo Park (2026) Piano-driven, genre-blurring songs that meditate on memory and time, bringing together rock, jazz, and friends from across his long career.

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“Glasgow is a brilliant city. It’s the only place I’ve been where I’ve had a good time and an awful time all at once.” – Billy Connolly