Irvine Welsh hits out at ‘horrible’ music business as he feedback on rock star pal’s demise

Author Irvine Welsh has known as claims that Primal Scream keyboard participant Martin Duffy was remoted from the band forward of his demise final yr “heart-breaking,” and hit out on the music business as a complete.

The keyboardist died aged 55 last December after struggling a mind harm following a fall at his residence in Brighton.

Earlier this month, in a press release written for an inquest into the demise, Duffy’s teenage son Louie accused members of the band of abandoning the keyboard participant and shutting him out of a monetary deal to promote a part of their again catalogue.

Speaking about his pal’s demise, the Trainspotting author instructed Sky News: “I saw his son’s letter and it was heart-breaking, but you know you never know what goes on within bands.

“I miss Duffy very a lot and he was an ideal pal. He was having a tricky time simply earlier than he died. He was at my wedding ceremony final August. And he was very emotional.”

Duffy, who grew up in Birmingham, was recognized to have been scuffling with alcohol habit.

Welsh, who co-owns digital music label Jack Said What, stated he had spent lots of time with Duffy at his studio in Brighton over the previous few years, admitting “I miss him so much”.

Duffy joined Primal Scream as a full-time member in 1989 however had contributed to each single one of many band’s albums and performed on a few of their greatest hits of the 90s together with Movin’ On Up and Loaded.

The group – whose dance tracks merged acid rock and acid home – received the inaugural Mercury Prize award in 1992 with their critically and commercially profitable studio album Screamadelica.

In his letter, Duffy’s son – who stated his father had fallen into debt through the pandemic – accused the band of locking his father out of a £5m deal to promote a part of their again catalogue.

Addressing the allegation, Walsh added: “Anything that happens within a band or an organisation is entirely their affair. So, it wouldn’t be my business to talk about it because, you know, you’re always operating on limited knowledge.”

The Scottish novelist did go on to criticise the report business as a complete, including: “But I will say this, that the music industry is one of the most horrible industries… In any creative industry, it’s almost the industry part of it is the antithesis of what the whole thing is about.

“You do not know the politics of any type of band or label or report firm. It’s fully impenetrable from the skin and I imply no one in both of those camps has talked about it to me.”

Duffy’s son also alleged his father had been “pressured off the tour” following a gig in Glasgow, after which he said the musician aged “10 years in a matter of weeks” and was “not in a position to cope anymore”.

Referring to Duffy’s apparent separation from the group, Welsh said: “I used to be really stunned that he appeared to have… That he wasn’t concerned with the band anymore.”

Adding that he hadn’t spoken to any of the other band members since Duffy’s death, the author said: “It’s very unhappy, as a result of, you realize, it is like they’re all so tight these guys, and it is at all times unhappy when it occurs to a band.”

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Following news of his demise, Primal Scream lead singer Bobby Gillespie paid tribute to Duffy, calling him his “soul brother” and a “beautiful soul”, and crediting him with being “the most musically talented of all of us”.

Duffy was additionally a member of the rock supergroup The Chavs, shaped in 2004 by former Libertines guitarist Carl Barat and Burgess alongside drummer Andy Burrows from Razorlight.

In current years he toured as a part of Burgess’s stay band, enjoying music from the singer’s solo albums.

Throughout his profession, he additionally contributed keys to songs by Oasis, The Chemical Brothers and Beth Orton.

Sky News has contacted Primal Scream for remark.