Representative Albums: "Bombshell: The Hits & More," "The Best of the Primitives," "Pure"
Representative Songs: "Crash," "Stop Killing Me," "Sick of It"
Biography
British indie pop band the Primitives was formed in Coventry, England in mid-1985 by singer Kieron, guitarist Paul Court, bassist Steve Dullaghan, and drummer Pete Tweedie; after a handful of gigs Kieron was replaced by vocalist Tracy Tracy, a peroxide-blonde bombshell whose presence inspired a more melodic approach, which earned the group inevitable comparisons to Blondie. The Primitives' debut single "Thru the Flowers" appeared on their own Lazy label in 1986 and was quickly followed by radio sessions for Janice Long, Andy Kershaw, and John Peel. Their second effort, "Really Stupid," preceded the band's first European tour, with "Stop Killing Me" appearing in early 1987. Tweedie was dismissed from the group (allegedly for mistreating Tracy's cats) prior to the Primitives' signing to major label RCA, and with new drummer Tig Williams the group recorded their 1988 debut LP, Lovely, scoring a major UK pop hit with the masterful "Crash." After completing an American tour, Dullaghan exited the lineup, with bassist Paul Sampson stepping in for 1989's Pure; the album failed to recreate the success and excitement of its predecessor, however, and when 1991's Ian Broudie-produced Galore met a similar fate, the Primitives disbanded. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
Paul Court (guitar, vocals)
Keiron McDermott (vocals)
Tracy Tracy (vocals, tambourine)
Steve Dullaghan (bass) [deceased]
Paul Sampson (bass)
Pete Tweedie (drums)
Tig Williams (drums)
The Primitives emerged from the independent scene of the mid-Eighties that begat, amongst others, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Primal Scream, My Bloody Valentine, the Soup Dragons and the Wedding Present. They shared a love of melody, the Sixties, fast Ramones-influenced guitars and the pop sensibility of the Buzzcocks and Orange Juice. The band was formed in 1985 by Keiron McDermott (vocals), PJ Court (born Paul Jonathan Court) (vocals, guitar), Steve Dullaghan (bass) and Pete Tweedie (drums). McDermott was soon replaced by Australian vocalist Tracy Tracy (born Tracy Cattell).
Their career was also boosted when The Smiths singer Morrissey named them as one of his favourite bands.[citation needed] After a successful first album, which presented them with their UKTop 5hitsingle "Crash" in early 1988 (and made the Top 3 in the U.S. Modern Rock Charts), their career began to fade in the early 1990s. They split in 1992 following the commercial failure of their final album, 1991's Galore. Their major rivals within the 'blonde pop' scene were Transvision Vamp and The Darling Buds, both of whom bore a similar look and sound.[citation needed]
The Primitives reformed for a concert in Coventry on 2 October 2009, and went on to play more concerts, including the Buffalo Bar in London on 9 October 2009.
