Coventry, UK · indie pop · jangle pop

The Primitives

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C86 jangle-pop with a fuzz pedal and one perfect, permanently sunny single — 'Crash', still crashing.

The Primitives began with singer Keiron McDermott alongside guitarist PJ Court, bassist Steve Dullaghan and drummer Peter Tweedie. McDermott left to reform his previous band, and Court, needing a singer, posted an ad at Coventry library; Tracy Tracy answered that same afternoon. Tig Williams joined on drums in 1987 and remained a constant member from then on.

Emerging alongside the C86 crowd, the band was often grouped with Transvision Vamp and the Darling Buds under the label 'blonde pop,' built on bright melodies, jangling guitars and fuzz. Morrissey was photographed wearing a Primitives T-shirt, a small nod from a singer whose own band shared some of that scene's audience.

Early singles came out on the band's own Lazy Records before the label passed to RCA in 1987. Lovely (1988) reached number six on the UK album chart, with 'Crash' hitting number five in the UK and number three on the US Modern Rock chart, backed by a sold-out UK tour that closed with two nights at London's Town & Country Club.

The follow-up, Pure (1989), produced three more chart singles, and 1990 brought a co-headlining US tour with the Sugarcubes and a short run of Japanese dates. Commercial returns fell with 1991's Galore, and the band split the following year. 'Crash' resurfaced in 1994 on the soundtrack to Dumb and Dumber.

Steve Dullaghan's death in 2009 prompted a reunion, with Raphael Moore joining on bass. The reformed lineup played first shows in Coventry and London that October, toured the UK in 2010 with a single New York date, and supported the Wedding Present at Koko later that year.

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indie popjangle pop