Primary were an Australian electronic rock band which formed in 1995 the Fonti brothers: Jamie on keyboards and Sean on bass guitar, and Connie Mitchell on lead vocals. According to Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, the group were "Dominated by South African-born 's hyperactive and full-frontal vocals, with thunderous electronic rock underpinning the music, Primary sounded like a techno Skunk Anansie. Jamie Fonti coined the phrase 'Hybrid Electronica Rock' in order to describe the band's sound." The group released two albums, This Is the Sound and Watching the World. They disbanded late in 2003.
History
Primary formed in 1995 in Sydney as a techno rock group by the Fonti brothers Jamie on keyboards and Sean on bass guitar, and Connie Mitchell on lead vocals. The Fontis had played in My Heart Bleeds for You, a mid-1980s punk, hardcore band. Sean was then in Massappeal, Caligula from and Def FX. The Fonti brothers had met Mitchell in a recording studio in 1994, while they recorded demo tracks for Caligula. When that project finished Jamie and Mitchell started writing tracks together while Sean was a member of Def FX. Primary's first recording, a five-track extended play, Vicious Precious, produced by Paul McKercher and Ollie J, was released in March 1998, and featured Paul Wheeler on drums. At the ARIA Music Awards of 1998, "Vicious Precious" was nominated for ARIA Award for Breakthrough Artist – Single. Bousfield left the bandin 1999. Nick Launay produced the band's first full-length album, This Is the Sound, which appeared in June that year on WEA/Warner. It peaked in the ARIA Albums Charttop 40. Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, felt it was "an accomplished album that boasted state-of-the-art production values, and a batch of reverberating tracks." He described how the group were "Dominated by South African-born 's hyperactive and full-frontal vocals, with thunderous electronic rock underpinning the music, Primary sounded like a techno Skunk Anansie. Jamie Fonti coined the phrase 'Hybrid Electronica Rock' in order to describe the band's sound." Jason Howard joined Primary on lead guitar and made his performance debut in April 1999. They became known for their energetic live shows, with Mitchell's on-stage presence and costumes a talking point. Their second album, Watching the World, was released on 28 May 2001. Australian music journalist, Ed Nimmervoll, declared it to be his Album of the Week: "they kept the focus on the songs. In the end Primary offer music with many layers of interest. 's lyrics are a strong counterpoint to the depth of the band's music." The band announced on their website on 24 April 2002 that they were recording demos for a proposed third album, but it was not released. They played a gig in November 2003 at the Annandale Hotel. Mitchell joined Sneaky Sound System in 2004 ahead of their self-titled album.
