The email that started the reforming of the Primitive Calculators …
Stuart had moved from Melbourne to Sydney in 1985 and returned in 2008 to work at Monash University. Frank, Denise and Dave (unless overseas) always lived in Melbourne.
The band reformed because we were asked to, and we all were living in the same city for the first time in decades.
Gigs played / Recordings made / TV and Radio dates
2009
January 4th, 2009
The Tote
January 9-11th, 2009
Review of ATP here
All Tomorrow’s Party
Thank you Ben Butcher for taking this photo then painting it as Primitive Calculators in Space. Love your work.
Warren Ellis and Nick Cave checking us out.
Thank you Tony Cornish for being our sound engineer and room mate for that weekend.
Love your work.
Thank Nick Cave for asking us to reform.
You do love your work. Well done.
February 21th, 2009
Applecore Festival, Thornbury
Thank you Michael Buckley for filming our gig. Love (and always have loved) your work.
March 25th,2009
St. Jeromes, City
March 27th, 2009
Rear View Gallery, Collingwood
Chrome Dome 7″ single launch
April 20th, 2009
Dogs in Space documentary “We’re Living On Dog Food” interview recorded with Richard Lowenstein, St.Kilda.
May 17th, 2009
Printing Museum, Footscray
The drawing above was given to Denise after the performance by the local artist Po. Thanks Po. Love your work.
June 13th, 2009
Noise and Sound, Thornbury
July 29th, 2009
Ding Dong Lounge
Review of the gig by Alan Bamford
September 19th, 2009
Chapter Music gig?
November 14th, 2009
Audio Action
November 20th, 2009
Thornbury Theatre, supporting Lightning Bolt (US)
November 21st, 2009
Manning Bar, Sydney, supporting Lightning Bolt
November 22nd, 2009
Hi Fi Bar, Brisbane, supporting Lightning Bolt
November 28th, 2009
Static Age Festival
2010
March 24th, 2010
Thornbury Theatre, supporting Jandek (US)
March 28, 2010
Adelaide, supporting Jandek
September 3rd, 2010
Yah Yah’s, Fitzroy
October 7th, 2010
North Melbourne Town Hall, Little Band night
2011
February 6th 2011
Bar Open, Fitzroy
April 14th, 2011
The Tote, with Slug Gutz
April 30th, 2011
May 3rd and 8th, 2011
Recording of single “Sick / C unt” at Julian Wu’s house, Windsor
Thanks Julian, love your work
August 27th, 2011
Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood
November 23rd, 2011
Melbourne Music Week
Melbourne Gaol, with Essendon Airport
Photo taken by Pete Dowd. Thanks Pete. Love your work.
2012
March 6th, 2012
Toff in Town, Swanston Street, City
August 31st to September 2nd, 2012
“The World is Fucked” album recording started at Headgap, Thornbury.
Thanks Neil Thomason, love your work.
September 7th, 2012
Polyester Records, City
September 29, 2012
Newcastle Sound Summit, NSW
October 5th, 2012
Single launch of “Sick / C unt”
November 17th
Chapter Music 20th Anniversary
North Melbourne
November 24th and 25th, 2012
December 4th, 18th and 19th, 2012
TWIF recording continues at Headgap, Thornbury
2013
February 6th, 2013
TWIF mixing at Headgap, Thornbury
June 11th and 25th, 2013
Mastering of TWIF at Stepford Audio Mastering, Collingwood
July 6th, 2013
The Tote, with Don
December 7th, 2013
The World Is Fucked record launch
Toff in Town, Swanston Street, Melbourne
PC at the Toff
2014
January 17, 2014
ABC Rage taping in Sydney.
Thank you Guy and Ben from Chapter Music for organising this. Love your work.
(The ABC told us 2 weeks later that they had lost the memory stick with the tape on it, so we had to return at a later date. We did, in May)
January 18th, 2014
Live to air Radio interview, Sydney
then played at Red Rattler, Marrickville
February 1st, 2014
Brisbane Hotel, Hobart
February 15th, 2014
The Tote, with Freetime
First Pocket Calculator gig
February 20th, 2014
Bar Open, Fitzroy. Little Bands with Don
March 9th, 2014
Public Bar, North Melbourne
May 1st, 2014
OAF, Darlinghurst, NSW
May 2nd, 2014
ABC Rage taping. This time it worked. It was good to have a “rehearsal” back in January so we knew what to expect.
Primitive Calculators ABC Rage intro
Dave picks Bruce Springsteen and Stuart gets the year right
Stuart explains how Jimi Hendrix was more than just the best guitarist ever
Denise gives her opinions about the Whitlam years and Michael Jackson
Frank and Stuart share their appreciation of ABBA
Frank and Stuart share their appreciate of Suzie Quatro
Stuart shows his love towards Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs
Stuart talks Slayer and Air Supply
Stuart talks Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five and Denise gets the year right
Denise helps out the 13 year old son of her friends by showing his band’s video
May 18th, 2014
The Tote, Collingwood. Little Band night.
May 31st, 2014
ABC Rage programme
July 19th, 2014
Grace Darling, Fitzroy. Little Band night.
August 2014
Andrea Blake (Chrome Dome, Vacuum) joins the band to replace Frank on “drums on a laptop”
Frank continues as back up vocalist.
August 15th, 2014
Grace Darling, Fitzroy
Pocket Calculators
August 17th, 2014
Old Bar, Fitzroy
Pocket Calculators
November 12th to 16th, 2014
Recording of “On Drugs” album starts at Headgap
December 10th to 14th and 16th, 2014
Recording continues at Headgap
2015
January 2015
Frank leaves the band.
January 7th to 9th and 19th, 2015
Recording continues at Headgap.
February 6th, 2015
3PBS Drive Live, Collingwood
February 4th, 2015
Bakehouse Studio live performance.
March 3rd to 23rd, 2015
China Tour
See doco about tour and Chinese bands on YouTube here
Thanks Jake Lloyd Jones at MerJa Media for doing the doco.
Thanks Thomas Hyland for filming our adventure with Jake.
Love your work.
March 10th
Zoomin’ Night / improv and solo show, Beijing,
with Liu Xinyu, Noise666, DJ HVAD.
March 12th
XP, Beijing,
with XiaoHong & XiaoXiaoHong, Vagus Nerve.
The Calculators bring Billy Thorpe performing Mama to China.
March 13th
JUE Festival, Beijing,
with SUBS and Birdstriking.
March 14th
Aperture Club, Xian,
with Skyfire.
March 15th
System Error show at Aperture Club, Xian,
with XiaoHong & XiaoXiaoHong.
March 18th
Next Door, Yiwu
with XiaoHong & XiaoXiaoHong.
March 19th
Inferno, Shanghai,
with Torturing Nurse, XiaoHong & XiaoXiaoHong
Torturing Nurse
March 20th
YuYinTang, Shanghai,
with Snapline and Sontag Shogun (US)
Alan Bamford took this video of us doing “The Same”.
Thanks Alan, RIP, loved your work, always.
Snapline
Sontag Shogun
March 21st
VOX, Wuhan,
with AV Okubo and XiaoHong & XiaoXiaoHong.
XiaoHong & XiaoXiaoHong
Our tour support band.
Thanks Zhu Wenbo and Zhao Cong.
Love your work.
AV Okubo
July 2015
Denise leaves the band.
Andrea Blake leaves a few weeks later.
October 3rd, 2015
Pocket Calculators at Yarraville
October 10th, 2015
Memo, St.Kilda
November 19th, 2015
Pocket Calculators at Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy
2016 – 2018
March 20th, 2016
Keele Street, Collingwood with Strange Neighbours
June 12th, 2016
Metro, Adelaide
July 19th, 2016
3CR live to air
August 18th, 2016
Yah Yah’s, Smith Street, Fitzroy
September 2016
Dave leaves the band. Stuart is now the only founding member left.
September 20th, 2016
Howlers, Brunswick
December 18th, 2016
China documentary “Which Way is China“
Sydney Launch
November 18th, 2017
Why Punk talk by Denise
MPavillion, Melbourne
March 23rd, 2018
Pocket Calculators
The Tote, Collingwood
June 1st, 2018
Curtain Hotel, Carlton
“On Drugs” album launch