CityLife

Primal Scream's Mani lays out new mission

REVITALISED: Primal Scream

FOR any poor souls out there struggling to combat the befuddling symptoms, which stem from the unyielding onslaught of winter – you could do a lot worse than spend 20 minutes in the company of Gary ‘Mani’ Mountfield.

As if anyone outside the medical fraternity was best equipped to banish Seasonal Affective Disorder, then it’s the one-time Stone Roses and long-time Primal Scream bassist.

You see Mani is one of life’s luminous, glass-half full characters – possessing the type of winning charisma, which if it were to be harnessed could light up the over-sized Santa currently dangling from Manchester Town Hall even on an off day.

And despite the bluster, coupled with his whip-tight basslines, this is precisely the reason an astute Bobby Gillespie pounced to recruit Mani as the latest member of the Glasgow-formed Scream team on hearing of his availability following the Roses’ shambolic split in the mid-1990s.

Twelve years on and the Failsworth-raised bass-slinger is understandably delighted with how the intervening years have panned out.

“It’s flown by, I’ve notched up 20-odd years in music and it’s been a bit of a blur. The Stone Roses is like a ship that disappearing over the horizon now – I’ve spent more time in Primal Scream."

The Heaton Chapel resident is also thrilled with the dynamics of current outfit too.

“It’s a lot more diplomatic you know, I’m not here to promote John Squire and Ian Brown – I’m here for me and my boys.

“The shackles were taken off me personally and I was off the lead, so I’m shining now.”

Clearly vindicated to have gone the distance in another seminal act, did he feel himself and one of the great, lost drummers Alan ‘Reni’ Wren were overlooked by some during his time in the Roses?

“There’s people out there who thought me and Reni were getting worked by Ian and John’s feet – like some Marionettes, but we were there in our own right."

Warming to the question, Mani continues: “This is my fifth or sixth LP with the Scream and productivity’s great, there’s not just two people having all the publishing money from other people’s work – we keep it fair, there’s no egos.”

Brown of course has established himself as a respected, if at times, patchy solo artist and Squire is an artist in the full sense of the word – exhibiting in London on numerous occasions in recent years, with an residency lined-up for 2009 in Oldham too.

Unfathomable

But what of the unfathomable Reni - a drummer many place only second behind Keith Moon in the list of rock ‘n’ roll sticksman? Can Mani shed any light on the mercurial Whalley Range man?

“Reni is the great enigmatic mystery of the modern era! Who knows what he’s up to – I’ve not seen him for a good nine months, but you know what, when Mr Alan Wren goes quiet that’s when you know something coming!

“He’s a very driven and motivated guy and if he was to come out and drum again it would have to match the Roses, that’s the sort of guy he is – other than that, he could have his own comedy show, because he’s also the funniest f**ker I’ve ever met!”

After asserting his pleasure at his current position, a now unstoppable Mani wastes no time in informing CityLife just how - with the contents of their ninth studio LP Beautiful Future to bolster their setlist – “on fire” they are in the live arena too.

Due in Ardwick to play the Apollo on December 12, Mani, now 46, believes he and the rest of the band are benefiting from toning down their rock ‘n’ roll antics.

“We’re on it at the minute, we’ve all done a lot of growing up these last few years, everyone’s having kids and we’ve kicked the partying into touch a wee bit – we’re concentrated and focused on being as good as we can.

Whippersnappers

“We trying to show these young whippersnappers that the old boys have still got it!”

Perhaps their poppiest album to date, in comes as no surprise to find out a large chunk of their latest studio offering was hammered out in Altantis studio in Stockholm – home, no less, to all those poptastic ABBA gems.

As with London’s Abbey Road, the history still hangs thick in the air, as Mani remembers.

“It was awesome, all the tackle was still in there – so it would have been rude not to have a go! The marimba from Money, Money, Money was used for a couple of our tunes and Duffy loved playing the grand piano from Dancing Queen too.”

The record also featured a cornucopia of collaborators too – with a roll call featuring folk legend Linda Thompson, Bjorn Yttling (him of the whistling champions Peter, Bjorn and John), kaleidoscopic indie pin-up Lovefoxx and Queens Of The Stone Age’s lynchpin John Homme all playing their part.

And despite have nothing but good words to say about all of them, it was current Arctic Monkeys-collaborator Homme who left Mani reeling.

“What an absolute behemoth on the guitar! The Arctic Monkeys will become such a better band after working with him as that guy’s so knowledgeable - he’s a music lover too, less we forget.

Double-header

“I’d love to see the day when the Scream and Queens Of The Stone Age go out on tour on a double-header – that would be f**king mind-blowing man!”

And while the band’s career pinnacles – 1991’s era-defining Screamadelica and 2000’s ultra-dark, yet thoroughly enthralling XTRMNTR – may never be matched, you have to applaud Gillespie and Co’s ability to repeatedly reinvent themselves and go boldly in search of something fresh and new.

With the tour set to round off with at date in the band’s spiritual home of Glasgow, despite clearly revelling in life on the road – Mani will be happy to acquiesce back into his role as family man in time for Christmas.

“It’s our turn to cook this year, so me and the missus will be catering for around 15 of the family at our place in Heaton Chapel.”

Any ambitions to follow in the culinary family footsteps were soon quashed when his love affair with music accelerated as a teenager though.

“My dad and my brother are both chefs, but I ran away to join the circus! I didn’t have the will power to stay in the kitchen, plus there was a big wide world out there that I wanted to see.

“When I can be mithered I’m good in the kitchen though - I’ve picked up a few tricks down the years.”

On and off stage then, expect Mani to be cooking up a storm in Manchester come the yuletide period.

 Primal Scream play the Apollo as part of the NME Rock 'N' Roll Riot Tour on Friday, December 12. £22.50. Call 0844 847 8000.