Primitive Calculators were an Australian post-punk band, formed in 1978. Described by British critic Everett True as sounding like "a very aggressive Suicide", the band were known for their mix of harsh guitar noise, fast and repetitive drum machine beats, and abrasive synthesisers. Along with fellow Melbourne act Whirlywirld, the Primitive Calculators played a leading role in founding the experimental Little Band Scene of the late 1970s, wherein both bands and other acts formed numerous short-lived bands by frequently swapping members and inviting non-musicians to join in at live shows. They reformed periodically, with a live self-titled album released in 1982, which had been recorded at a 1979 performance. Primitive Calculators reunited again in 2009.
History
First era
Primitive Calculators were formed in 1978 in Melbourne as an electronic music group by Stuart Grant on guitar and vocals, David Light on bass guitar and keyboards, Frank Lovece on drum machine and vocals and Denise Rosenberg on keyboards. The members had met as teenagers in Springvale, a working-class outer suburb of Melbourne, in the early 1970s. The four moved together in 1977 to St Kilda, then the centre of the local punk rock scene, where they formed the Moths. It was from the 1979 show at The Hearts hotel. On Drugs was released on 13 April 2018 with Grant the only original member of Primitive Calculaters left.