The Primitives

Although the original line-up that THE PRIMITIVES started with in Coventry (England) included PJ Court (vocals, guitar), Keiron McDermott (vocals), Steve Dullaghan (bass) and Pete Tweedie (drums), before releasing their first and successful album, “Lovely”, in 1988, Tweedie had already been substituted by Tig Williams, and Mcdermott was replaced by the platinum blonde Tracy Tracy, the band’s true icon. Coming out of the independent scene that bands like THE JESUS & MARY CHAIN, THE WEDDING PRESENT, MY BLOODY VALENTINE and PRIMAL SCREAM came out of, this line-up found the perfect balance between the crystalline guitars of THE BYRDS, the agility and speed of RAMONES and the unforgettable melodies of ORANGE JUICE.

“Lovely” was preceded by three singles, “Thru The Flowers”, “Really Stupid” and “Stop Killing Me”, the second of which was recently recognized by the prestigious magazine, Mojo, as one of the 40 most important indie-pop singles of all times. Little by little they are beginning to get our attention and the first big push the got was when Morrissey appeared in public with one of their t-shirts on. The definitive moment for them came with their previously mentioned marvellous debut, and their great, unforgettable song “Crash”, which reached the top 5 on the British sales lists and the top 3 on American rock sales lists, and catapulted them to a massive audience.

They sign with the multinational company RCA and release two notable albums: “Pure” in 1989 and “Galore” in 1991. But neither album reaches the same levels of success as their previous album, and this ultimately leads to the band’s dissolution in 1992.

Although the original line up that THE PRIMITIVES came into being with in Coventry (England) in the summer of 1984 has gone through some changes, the line-up they went through their whole career with was Paul Court (vocals, guitar), Tracy Tracy (vocals), Steve Dullaghan (bass) and Tig Williams (drums). They arise out of the indie scene that bands like THE JESUS & MARY CHAIN, THE WEDDING PRESENT, MY BLOODY VALENTINE and PRIMAL SCREAM also come from, and the group with this line up finds the sweet spot between the crystalline guitars of THE BYRDS, the speed and agility of RAMONES and the unforgettable melodies of ORANGE JUICE.

Paul creates the label Lazy Records to release the band’s first singles, “Thru The Flowers”, “Really Stupid”, “Stop Killing Me”… Although the label also later makes history as the company that MY BLOODY VALENTINE puts out its first releases with. “Really Stupid” was recently recognized by the prestigious magazine Mojo as one of the most important indie-pop singles of all times. Little by little they begin to get attention and their first big push comes when Morrissey appears in public with a THE PRIMITIVES t-shirt. In 1987, they sign with RCA and the following year release their debut album, “Lovely”, which includes their great and unforgettable song “Crash”, and which reaches the Top 5 on British sales lists, and the Top 3 on US rock sales lists, getting them out to a massive audience. They release two noteworthy albums on RCA after that: “Pure” in 1989 and “Galore” in 1991, but the band finally splits up in 1992.

Paul Court and Tig Williams continue to participate on diverse projects (STARPOWER, HEDY), while Tracylends her voice to other bands, like BAND OF HOLY. Until 2009, when the band gets back together in Coventry, their hometown, to pay tribute to the recently passed Steve Dullaghan, the group’s original bassist. The successful performance and positive response after more than 17 years without being on stage together makes them decide to tour Great Britain in April 2010 (where they are headliners at the Indietracks festival), and play some concerts in Europe and the US, including some time in Spain to be a big name at the Contempopránea and Lemon Pop festivals. In March 2011, they release two new songs and two covers of dark, women-fronted groups from the seventies on the EP, “Never Kill A Secret EP”, for the Fortuna Pop! label. These covers are the beginning of the new album they announce, and that’s when THE PRIMITIVES choose Elefant Records to be their home for these new releases for the whole world. The single “Turn Off The Moon” is an advance for “Echoes And Rhymes” (2012), an album that throws itself completely into the idea that initiated with the covers, with versions of artists like Dana Gillespie, Polly Niles, Olivia Newton-John, ADAM AND EVE, Sandy Posey, Laura Ulmer and REPARATA AND THE DELRONS.

In 2013 the 7” “Lose The Reason” arrives, announcing the arrival of “Spin-O-Rama” for 2014; first came the title track in 7” format as well, and then the full-length – the first since 1991. The album brings us right back to the band we fell in love with more than 20 years before, mixing their sixties pop ascendence (Nancy Sinatra, LOVE, THE VELVET UNDERGROUND, THE CREATION) with their punk spirit, made even better by the C-86 sound (SHOP ASSISTANTS, TALULA GOSH) and the Brit influence (THE STONE ROSES, THE CHARLATANS, TEENAGE FANCLUB), showing us that the PJ Court and Tracy Tracy gang are at the top of their game.

In 2015 they participate on a limited-edition series of 7”, “Reworked By Series”, where the Argentinian group MODULAR remixes two of THE PRIMITIVES’ songs, “Purifying Tone” and “Lose The Reason”.

After that we have to wait until 2017 for new material to come – “New Thrills”, a numbered, limited-edition 10” vinyl that includes four previously unreleased tracks. On it, songs like “I’ll Trust The Wind” and “Squeak 'N' Squawk” remind us of some of the best moments of groups like PRIMAL SCREAM and THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN.

Through 2018 they maintain an intense level of concert activity. After that there are more sporadic appearances, in festivals like At The Edge Of The Sea in Brighton, or the Visor Fest in Murcia.

In 2024, Elefant Records rereleases “Spin-O-Rama” on vinyl, with a color change for the cover, and announces a subsequent rerelease of the covers album as well as a compilation of all the singles from this group’s second stage.