Steve Van Zandt, guitarist in Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, has accused Primal Scream of being unable tour for long periods because of their alleged drug use.

Van Zandt claimed he had made a number of attempts to get the group to support the E Street Band in the US but was rejected on each occassion.

"I begged them to come over. I had a whole tour for them. Their agent talked me out of it,” Van Zandt told the Daily Record.

"He said: 'They can't do 20 shows.' I'm like, 'Come on, man. We do 20 shows a month.'

"Primal Scream could be the biggest band in the world. They are fantastic when they make rock records - once every 10 years. But they can't tour because of drug problems, or whatever.

"I don't have patience for it. I'm like, all right, you want to be a drug addict, go be a drug addict. Don't waste my time."

Primal Scream wowed fans in Texas over the weekend with a performance at the SXSW festival.

(by Jason Gregory)