A furious tirade launched against the British Conservative party by rock band Primal Scream appears to have been sparked by confusion between two similar riffs.
The group issued an angry statement railing against the use of their music amid reports on Twitter that British home secretary Theresa May left the stage to the strains of 1994 top ten hit Rocks.
Not only were the famously left-wing Scottish band upset at being associated with the “sick” party, they said, but lyrics about drug taking and prostitution hardly seemed appropriate.
However the party, which had initially appeared to confirm the song had been used, later insisted that in fact the track chosen was Bohemian Like You by the Dandy Warhols.
Rocks did not feature among the music on an electronic playlist used for the conference, they said.
The confusion appears to have begun when Labour MP Kerry McCarthy, tipped off by someone in the hall, wrote on Twitter than the Primal Scream song was used and posted a link to the lyrics.
Tipped off by journalists at the conference who had received confirmation that the offending track was played, the band’s management issued the strongly-worded statement from the musicians.
It said they were “totally disgusted”, strongly opposed the Tory-led coalition government which was “waging a war on the disenfranchised” and “would like to distance ourselves from this sick association”.
After doubts emerged over the truth of the Twitter reports however, the official in charge of sound at the conference confirmed that he had no Primal Scream on the iPod used to store the conference soundtrack.
Ms McCarthy said the two songs “admittedly sound similar”.
PA