1992 was an eventful year for all manner of reasons; the Maastricht Treaty ushered in the European Union, the First Division became the Premiership, Grunge became a mainstream consideration in the US and Dr Dre sparked Rap’s renaissance with legendary album ‘The Chronic’. In the UK, two competitions were inaugurated, although the Crop Circle Competition in Berkshire didn’t manage to make it to a second year. Fortunately the Mercury Prize has gone from strength to strength in the years that followed, as have the band that claimed the coveted the very first Album of Year Award.

Primal Scream have become an institution in British music, never sticking too closely to a certain sound or ethic and constantly reinventing themselves over the course of albums like Vanishing Point, XTRMNTR and Beautiful Future. Their career kicked off though with their classic album Screamadelica, a brave and visionary record that has since come to represent one of the most radical periods in popular British culture. Fusing what was accepted from guitar based bands with the open-minded approach of Acid House and the groove orientated production that was becoming prevalent in the Balearic’s emergent club scene.

Bobby Gilespie, a childhood friend of Alan McGee and a stalwart of Glasgow’s alternative scene, had formed Primal Scream whilst still in school. The band released two albums at the end of the Eighties, but it was the dawn of the new decade that brought a brand new sound and vision to the music they made. Having met Andrew Weatherall at a Rave, Gillespie asked the DJ to remix a Primal Scream tune for the dance floor. Weatherall took the track ‘I’m Loosing More Than I’ll Ever Have’, added drums taken from an Italian bootleg of Edie Brickell’s ‘What I Am’ and the now immortal sample from the B Movie The Wild Angels starring Peter Fonda. ‘Loaded’ became an instant underground hit that soon penetrated through to the mainstream, and forged a friendship between Weatherall and the band that would influence the sound and sonics of Screamadelica. “It’s the combination of Andy and ourselves that’s just f****** brilliant. He can take that quintessential element from one of our songs and make it really focused. He’s got vision and inspiration, when these days most producers are just glorified engineers” Gillespie told The Face in an interview that preceded the albums release.

Never one to keep his thoughts to himslef, Gillespie told another journalist how he felt the album would be perceived in years to come. “We’ve actually made a classic record” he explained “People will still be able to listen to it in forty years time and it will still sound as relevant as it does now”. Such bravado might have been written off as big talk at the time, but twenty years on and the record still maintains a vibrancy and timelessness, qualities that Gillespie and his band were brave enough to strive for. The iconic ‘Psychedelic Sunburst’ cover, created by Creation’s in-house designer the late Paul Cannel, was recently honoured alongside the likes of The Rolling Stones, David Bowie and The Clash by the Royal Mail, who issued a series of stamps featuring iconic album covers.

The band too seem ready to acknowledge the importance of the album, not just with regards to their own careers, but to British culture at large. They recently announced a very special show that will take place in November this year. Taking to the stage with a full choir, a brass section and vocalist Denise Johnson, Primal Scream will perform ‘Screamadelica’ in it’s entirety… something they’ve never done before. It will be the first time the album has been performed live and will no doubt bring back fond memories for anyone who caught them on their legendary tours of the early Nineties.

Tickets for the show, which takes place at London’s Olympia on November 27th, will go on sale on February 26th. Meanwhile, the band are currently recording their tenth album with producer David Holmes.