Late ’80s indie band The Primitives have reformed and come to Eric’s on Mathew Street on Sunday 23rd June.
It’s hard to believe that it was some 25 years ago, that The Primitives fronted by indiepop blonde bombshell Tracy Tracy, emerged from the independent scene that spawned The Jesus and Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine, The Wedding Present and Primal Scream. Their sound distilled the shimmering guitar jangle of the Byrds, the buzzsaw style of The Ramones and 60’s girl group melodies into two and a half minute pop gems. Regular session guests on John Peel’s radio show, with many an appearance in his Festive Fifty, their career was boosted/hindered when Morrissey named them as one of his favourite bands.
The Primitives were originally formed in 1985 by P.J. Court (born Paul Jonathan Court) (vocals, guitar), Steve Dullaghan (bass), Peter Tweedie (drums) and Keiron McDermott (vocals). Vocalist McDermott was replaced by Tracy Tracy (born Tracy Cattell). Tig Williams replaced Pete Tweedie on drums in October 1987. With Tracy their major rivals within the ‘blonde pop’ scene were Transvision Vamp and The Darling Buds.
Their 1998 album Lovely reached number 6 in the U.K. charts and was preceded by three singles, Thru The Flowers, Really Stupid and Stop Killing Me, the second of which was recently recognised by Mojo magazine as one of the 40 most important indie-pop singles of all times. Their pop classic Crash, which reached the Top 5 at home and the Top 3 in America, catapulted them to a massive audience. They signed to R.C.A. and released two notable albums: Pure in 1989 and Galore in 1991 before the band’s dissolution in 1992.
Last year they released their first L.P. in 21 years, a collection of covers of 1960’s obscurities, called Echoes & Rhymes. All of the songs selected for the album were versions of songs by obscure, female-fronted groups from the 1960’s. From garage to psychedelia, with touches of soul and sunshine pop, multiple styles come together to form a special type of compilation, revisited with all the love and affection and energy of the band’s own buzzsaw sound.
This March will also see the release of Everything’s Shining Bright – The Lazy Recordings 1985 – 1987, the bands new compilation through Cherry Red Records. The album features all the Lazy releases, plus, from 1987, previously unreleased, differed versions of songs that ended up on Lovely, along with some 1985 demos and the 1987 I.C.A. show with Morrissey introducing the band on stage.
The reunion that came about as a result of the death of their bassist, Steve Dullaghan, which put them back on stage after almost two decades away. It has also culminated in a surprising album that is full of energy and that shows that the authors of Crash their ’88 anthem are still in enviably good shape.
The band reunited in their hometown of Coventry at the end of 2009, to pay homage to the recently deceased Dullaghan and the success of their performance and the public’s positive response convinced them to give it another go
Tickets for The Primitives show at Eric’s on Sunday 23rd June are available from the Box office on 0151 2369994. Tickets are priced at £12.