This highly melodic group, from Coventry, England, formed in the summer of 1985, with a line-up featuring Kieron (vocals), Paul Court (b. 27 July 1965; vocals, guitar), Steve Dullaghan (b. 18 December 1966; bass) and Pete Tweedie (drums). Kieron was soon replaced by Tracy Tracy (b. Tracy Cattell, 18 August 1967, Australia).

The group set up their own label, Lazy Records, and achieved a modicum of success on the UK independent circuit with 'Thru The Flowers', 'Really Stupid' and 'Stop Killing Me'. Despite the label now having status as a subsidiary of the major RCA Records set-up, the Primitives maintained their roots in the 'indie' scene and were, for a time, the pop press darlings.

With echoes of Blondie and the Ramones, the Primitives' jangling guitarwork brought them national fame in early 1988, when 'Crash', a classic piece of 'indie' pop, reached the UK Top 5. The accompanying album, Lovely, reached the UK Top 10, but any chance of consolidating this position was halted by personnel changes. The acrimonious ousting of Pete Tweedie saw the inclusion of Tig Williams, with further line-up changes when Andy Hobson replaced Dullaghan.

Subsequent singles failed to emulate the success of 'Crash' and the follow-up album, Pure, was only a partial success. The Primitives ended the 80s touring the USA and returned to the UK to undergo extensive touring around Britain, hoping to regenerate those brief glory days. Both Dullaghan and Tweedie would join Hate, while Hobson's tenure in the bass position was a fleeting one, being replaced in 1989 by Paul Sampson. When Galore failed to sell, the Primitives disbanded.

Colin Larkin: Encyclopedia of Popular Music; Guinness Publishing Ltd., 1995
Vol. 5: Primitives - Three's A Crowd