Biography

An acclaimed South African rock band, Prime Circle emerged in 2002 with a muscular and versatile blend of post-grunge, arena-ready ballads, hip-hop, and soaring alternative rock. They found success almost immediately with the arrival of their debut album, Hello Crazy World, which went platinum on the strength of a handful of singles that topped the national charts for weeks on end. The band expanded their fan base to England and Europe in 2008 with the arrival of their third effort, All or Nothing, which was released internationally on EMI. Subsequent efforts like the gold- and platinum-selling Jekyll & Hyde (2010) and If You Don't You Never Will (2017) helped to further cement the group's status as a vital part of the diverse South African rock scene. Founded in 2001 in the mining city of Witbank, the group signed a contract with South African indie David Gresham Records the following year, and released their full-length debut, Hello Crazy World, in 2002. Comprised of Ross Learmonth (vocals, guitar), Marco Gomes (bass), Dale Schnettler (drums), Dirk Bisschoff (lead guitar), and Neil Breytenbach (keyboards), the band released one more album through the label, 2005's Live This Life, before being picked up by EMI. Featuring the hits "She Always Gets What She Wants" and "Consider Me," 2008's platinum-selling All or Nothing took home a pair of South African Music Awards (SAMA) and helped to establish the band outside of their homeland. 2010's Jekyll & Hyde sailed to similar commercial heights, with the single "Breathing" soaring to the number one slot on national radio, as did 2012's Evidence, which earned, among other accolades, record of the year at the 2012 Sama awards. The band issued their sixth full-length outing, 2014's Let the Night In, on their own label, and supported the release with a tour that saw them visiting countries like Italy, Spain, and France for the first time. In 2017 they scored two number one hits, "The Gift" and "Pretty Like the Sun," both of which appeared on their sixth long-player If You Don't You Never Will. Two years later Prime Circle issued the concert LP Live World, which collected 25 recordings culled from past performances from all over the planet. ~ James Christopher Monger, Rovi