Me and Mani

There’s no question that one of the bands I was most excited to see at SXSW 2009 was Primal Scream. Since the early 1990s, I had been a worshipper of Bobby Gillespie and company’s hedonistic, ever-shifting styles of rock.

Gary “Mani” Mounfield joined the Primals in 1996. The SXSW 2009 night I caught him with Primal Scream, he was filling a quick break in the set with one of the most famous bass lines ever:  James Jamerson’s lick from The Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back”.

When Mani kicked into that bit, I was thinking to myself: “This is one of the best bass lines ever… but it’s not as good as the one from ‘Fool’s Gold’ is it?”

Mani was – of course – the bassist of the legendary Manchester group The Stone Roses who exemplified the “Madchester” scene mixing dance, funk and rock and have stood the test of time to prove they were one of the best bands ever.

After the Primals feiry SXSW set at Cedar Street Courtyard, I got to say cheers to Mani for a sec and then ran into him the next day when we were both freaking out to ’60s garage legends The Sonics.

Being a Manchester rockophile, I’m very excited about Mani’s new band Free Bass alongside fellow Manc four stringing friend Peter Hook (Joy Division, New Order) and Andy Rourke (The Smiths) due at some point this year… allegedly.