Primitive Calculators were an
Australian post punk band of the
1970s, known for their use of synthesizers and their chaotic, noisy sound. They met as teenagers in
Springvale, a rough working-class outer suburb of
Melbourne, moving in 1977 to
St. Kilda, then the epicentre of the
punk rock scene. Despite socialising with the likes of
Nick Cave from
The Boys Next Door and
Ollie Olsen of
Whirlywirld, they remained outsiders to this scene (most of which was comprised people from middle-class backgrounds with private-school educations), and in 1978 moved to
Fitzroy. There they found like-minded friends, and were instrumental in organising a series of gigs named "
Little Band nights", where hastily-formed bands would play for 15 minutes each; this led to a compilation EP being recorded. The Primitive Calculators played their last gig in March 1980, though their self-titled live album came out in the early 1980s. The band reformed briefly in 1986 to perform a live version of their song "Pumping Ugly Muscle" in the film
Dogs In Space.
In 2001, a 1979 live recording of "Pumping Ugly Muscle" was included in "Can't Stop It", a compilation of Australian post-punk bands from '78 to '82, released by Chapter Music. The title of the CD was taken from the Calculator's only studio recording, in December 1979, which was a 7" single with the tracks "I Can't Stop It" and "Do That Dance".
This led to a renewed interest in the band and later the 2003 release of the "Glitter Kids" EP, of three live recordings from 1979 by Meeuw Muzik in the Nederlands.
The Primitive Calculators' album was reissued on CD by Chapter Music in 2004, with extra tracks from related projects (The Moths , other live recordings from 1979 and an unnamed Primitive Calculators/Whirlywirld hybrid recorded in London, 1981).
External links
Official web site