Born and raised in the San Fernando Valley on a steady diet of punk and glitter rock, Prima Donna are infamous on the LA scene. Their curriculum includes musical road trips with Eddie and the Hot Rods, Adam Ant, Glen Matlock & The Philistines, The Dictators, and even Green Day, who they supported on two arena tours on two continents. Frontman Kevin Preston has also continued participation in Green Day side-project Foxboro Hot Tubs.
While touring the US and Europe, Prima Donna was in and out of the studio numerous times, both at home in L.A. and in Milan, Italy. The finished product is “Nine Lives and Forty Fives”, a 11-song variety pack that displays the band’s skills in the studio, and compiles some of their rarest and rawest recordings, including “Rock and Roll is Dead,” available for the first time in US. The song was named one of the Top Ten Songs of 2013 by Little Steven’s Underground Garage.
Electrifying, snotty, fast and defiantly raw. – SLUG MAGAZINE
Los Angeles-based band Prima Donna is doing its part to keep rock ‘n’ roll alive. – YAHOO! MUSIC
Track of the Week: Prima Donna’s “Deathless” is a rather lovely nugget of new-wavey pop-rock, like The Strokes, but harder. Steven Van Zandt is a fan. – CLASSIC ROCK MAGAZINE
The product of numerous sessions in different locales over the course of a couple of years, Nine Lives and Forty Fives follows the band’s usual garage-rocking glam punk MO, with tunes and attitude in equal measure. Preston and Aaron Minton’s exuberant guitar and sax riffs roll across the bouncing rhythms of bassist Lights Out Levine and drummer David S. Field, as Preston’s grainy pout lords over all. The band’s attack brings out the best in its energy-spewing songs, from the sneering “Rubbish” and the pogoing “Pretty Little Head” to the roaring “Eat Your Heart Out” and the cheeky “Tattooed Love Girls.” The quartet also blasts through a trio of covers that give insight into their musical minds, putting the Prima Donna stamp on Dwight Twilley (“I’m On Fire”), the Rubinoos (“Rock and Roll is Dead”) and Blondie (“Rip Her to Shreds”).
By the time its 33 minutes are over, Nine Lives and Forty Fives will leave you exhausted from head-bopping, air guitar slashing and general leaping about the room in rock & roll abandon. – Michael Toland / BLURT
With a “… laser focus. Firing on all cylinders” the prettiest men in rock n roll, Glam rockers Prima Donna have done it again with the release of their latest album Nine Lives and Forty Fives. Fast, edgy, in-your-face with an attitude, this album lets us know without doubt they don’t give a shit about who they insult or what the world thinks of them, because it’s just the nature of rock n roll and the musician’s life on the road amid one-night-stands, groupies and the next gig. It’s bold, brash and beautiful, and I’m loving every minute of it. – HUFFINGTON POST
Los Angeles punk rockers Prima Donna have been glamming the Sunset Strip since 2003. With their new album, Nine Lives And Forty-Fives they’re ready to take the party out to the world. – NEW NOISE MAGAZINE
Nine Lives and Forty-Fives is a bracing album, and no summer party could be complete without this. For those of us who were born a little too late to appreciate this style of music in any sort of setting, Prima Donna excels at making the old feel brand new all over again. – INVISIBLE INK
The phrase ‘all killers, no filler’ really applies to this album, the pace just doesn’t let up. It’s a dirty rock n roll album with a big, smudged lip stick mark plastered all over it. Anyone who has a love for rock n roll with a glammy flavour will love this album. – THE SOUL OF A CLOWN
With their bright, room-filling sound, Los Angeles rock band Prima Donna's pairing with previous tour mates Green Day and Adam Ant makes a lot of sense. ‘Pretty Little Head’ is from the band's forthcoming album, Nine Lives and Forty-Fives, and combines the band's glam-rock leanings with a wild guitar solo and a wordless hook. – ALLMUSIC
Prima Donna tips their cap to their forebears while adding their own driving verve and energy. Beatles-esque vocal harmonies meet clap-along rhythms in their latest number "Deathless". – POPMATTERS
I don't care what strain of Rock and Roll you're into this is a must own record and Prima Donna once again show how it's done. Simply stunning and as strong a record as you're gonna hear all year. – UBER ROCK
Roll down the windows, clap along and play this f*cker loud! – COLOR IS ITS OWN REWARD