Primal Scream play historic Clash cover

Primal Scream have bagged the prestigious Godlike Genius prize at the Shockwaves NME Awards tonight (March 1) - and they celebrated by offering up a major surprise during their live performance.

The band’s name was announced at London’s Hammersmith Palais by NME editor Conor McNicholas and The Clash's guitarist Mick Jones.

Jones then joined them onstage to play a version of The Clash’s 1978 single ‘(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais’.

The band also performed their own favourites ‘Movin’ On Up’, ‘Country Girl’, ‘Rocks’ and ‘Swastika Eyes’.

They were joined by The View guitarist Pete Reilly, who added guest guitars on 'Rocks'.

During their acceptance speech, frontman Bobby Gillespie paid tribute to new bands such as The View and The Gossip, before thanking the NME.

"It’s fucking amazing, man. I’ve been buying the NME since I was 15. I used to buy issues because the bands looked good on the cover, you know?" he told NME.COM. "All the bands I got into were through that magazine, so to get this award means a hell of a lot."

For all the latest rolling news, backstage gossip and spats from the Shockwaves NME Awards 2007 go to NME.COM/Awards.

For more coverage from this year’s awards check our on site blogs:

News Vulture for a live run down of all the action.

Too Much Information for behind-the-scenes gossip at this year awards.

Meanwhile get next week’s special edition issue of NME out on UK newsstands from March 7 for the ultimate coverage of the Shockwaves NME Awards 2007.