Bobby Gillespie on the Glasgow locations that shaped him as Screamadelica celebrates 35 years
Primal Scream frontman Bobby Gillespie still has a deep rooted connection to Glasgow.
Primal Scream's landmark album Screamadelica was released 35 years ago today, and it is still widely considered as one of the greatest Scottish albums of all time.
Lead singer Bobby Gillespie was born and raised in Glasgow, and although he now lives in London. there is no doubt that the Springburn-born boy still has a deep affinity for his hometown.
Speaking about growing up in Glasgow, Gillespie said: "The streets were our playground you know, and if not the streets, then we had the abandoned locomotive works at the bottom of our street. I would break into that and just climb up the pipes, up into the girders, imagining I was in an adventure movie like Where Eagles Dare."
Here are the Glasgow locations that mean the most to Bobby Gillespie.
Bobby Gillespie described his time at Hyde Park Primary School in Springburn as a "lovely period of my life."
Bobby Gillespie
Gillespie told me: During that STV clip when I went back to Springburn Library and Springburn railway station, although everything looks different from what it did when I grew up there as there were streets of tenements and the locomotive works - I get a strange feeling when I go there. Something about it still takes you back to those days. The area I grew up in has been wiped off the map, so the place really affects me. It affects me emotionally."
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Reflecting on his childhood growing up in Glasgow, Gillespie told me that Celtic Park and Hamdpen were two of his favourite places in the city. He said: Both are linked to amazing memories from being a teenager and getting into football and going to Scotland and Celtic matches and various amazing matches as well as games and players that I saw..
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Gillespie told me: “There was Gloria’s Record Bar in Battlefield, which doesn’t exist anymore. I could take you there. It was very close to my primary school - Mount Florida. That was an interesting place pre-punk. Also Soundtrack Records and Tapes on Cathcart Road where I bought a lot of records when I first really got into music in 1976/77."
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Gillespie told me: "There was great record shops in town like Bloggs, Listen and Bruce’s around the late seventies. I still spend most of my time in record shops."
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Gillespie's favourite venue in Glasgow was The Apollo. Speaking about the venue on Renfield Street he told me: “The Apollo - I f****** lived my teenage years in The Apollo! I was there every week and I loved going to concerts when I was 16-19. I think when I think when I got to 19 or 20 I left The Apollo and started going to the Tech College, the Art School, The Mayfair, The Venue and Tiffany’s."
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When reflecting on other gig venues that meant something to him, Gillespie said: "A lot of bands like Magazine or the Killing Joke weren’t big enough to play The Apollo so they played Tiffany’s. I saw the Two Tone tour there which was The Specials, Madness and The Selecter which was incredible. I loved all those venues but just loved going to gigs when I was younger. It was a magical time and there was so many great bands to go and see. I think I was born at the right time."
Urban Glasgow