Buzzcocks
Encyclopedia
Buzzcocks are an English punk rock
band formed in Bolton
in 1976, led by singer–songwriter–guitarist Pete Shelley
.
They are regarded as an important influence on the Manchester music scene
, the independent record label
movement, punk rock
, power pop
, pop punk
and indie rock
. They achieved commercial success with singles that fused pop craftsmanship with rapid-fire punk energy. These singles were collected on Singles Going Steady
, described by critic Ned Raggett
as a "punk masterpiece". The widely covered "Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)
" remains one of their best-known songs.
The name "Buzzcocks" was chosen by Howard Devoto and Pete Shelley after reading the headline "it's the buzz, cocks!" in a review of the TV series Rock Follies
in Time Out magazine. The "buzz" is the excitement of playing on stage; "cock" is Manchester slang meaning "mate" (as in friend/buddy). They thought it captured the excitement of the Sex Pistols
and nascent punk scene.
's song "Sister Ray
". Peter McNeish, a fellow student at the Institute, responded to the notice. Trafford played electronic music and McNeish had played rock.
McNeish assumed the stage name Pete Shelley, and Trafford named himself Howard Devoto, after a bus driver in Cambridge. In late 1975, Shelley and Devoto recruited a drummer and formed an embryonic version of Buzzcocks that did not perform in front of an audience and which dissolved after a number of rehearsals. The band formed as the Buzzcocks in February 1976 and performed live for the first time on 1 April 1976 at their college. Garth Davies played bass guitar and Mick Singleton played drums. Singleton also played in local band Black Cat Bone.
After reading an NME
review of the Sex Pistols' first performance, Shelley and Devoto travelled to London together to see the Sex Pistols in February 1976. Shelley and Devoto were impressed by what they saw and arranged for the Sex Pistols to come and perform at the Lesser Free Trade Hall
in Manchester, in June 1976. Buzzcocks intended to play at this concert, but the other musicians dropped out, and Shelley and Devoto were unable to recruit other musicians in time for the gig. Once they had recruited bass guitarist Steve Diggle
and drummer John Maher, they made their debut opening for the Sex Pistols' second Manchester concert in July 1976. A brief clip of Devoto-era Buzzcocks performing The Troggs
"I Can't Control Myself" appears in the Punk: Attitude documentary directed by Don Letts
. In September 1976 the band travelled to London to perform at the two-day 100 Club Punk Festival
, organised by Malcolm McLaren
. Other performers included: the Sex Pistols, Subway Sect
, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Clash
, The Vibrators
, The Damned and the French band Stinky Toys
.
By the end of the year, Buzzcocks had recorded and released a four-track EP
, Spiral Scratch
, on their own New Hormones label, making them one of the first punk groups to establish an independent record label
, trailing only The Saints
' "(I'm) Stranded
". Produced by Martin Hannett
, the music was roughly recorded, insistently repetitive, and energetic. "Boredom" announced punk's rebellion against the status quo while templating a strident musical minimalism (the guitar solo consisting of two repeated notes). The demos recorded while Devoto was in the band were later issued officially as Time's Up. Long available as a bootleg, this album includes the alternative takes of all the tracks from the Spiral Scratch EP as well as early version of tracks that later appeared on the official debut Another Music in a Different Kitchen.
After a few months, Devoto left the group; he returned to college for a year, then formed Magazine
. Pete Shelley continued as vocalist; his high-pitched, melodic singing stood in stark contrast to the gruff pub rock
vocal stylings of many punk contemporaries. Diggle switched from bass to guitar, and Garth Davies rejoined on bass as Garth Smith or Garth. Garth appeared on the band’s first Radio 1 Peel Session, in September 1977, but due to his alcoholism he was quickly replaced with Steve Garvey, joining Dirty Looks in New York. This new line-up signed with United Artists Records
.
. The next single, "What Do I Get?" reached the UK top 40 charts. "Lipstick", the B-side to "Promises," shared the same ascending progression of notes in its chorus as Magazine's
first single, "Shot By Both Sides," also released in 1978.
Their original career produced three LPs: Another Music in a Different Kitchen
, Love Bites, and A Different Kind of Tension
, each supported by extensive touring in Europe and the U.S. Their trademark sound was a marriage of catchy pop melodies with punk guitar energy, backed by an unusually tight and skilled rhythm section
. They advanced drastically in musical and lyrical sophistication: by the end they were quoting American writer William S. Burroughs
("A Different Kind of Tension"), declaiming their catechism in the anthem "I Believe", and tuning in to a fantasy radio station on which their songs could be heard ("Radio Nine"). In 1980, Liberty Records signed the band, and three singles were released. However, only one of these, the double 'A' side "Why She's A Girl From The Chainstore/Are Everything" made the Top 75.
In parallel with Buzzcocks, Pete Shelley, formed a more experimental and post-punk
band, The Tiller Boys, along with Eric Random and Francis Cookson, while Steve Garvey joined The Teardrops
in 1978, along with The Fall's Tony Friel and Karl Burns
; both bands were releasing material in late 1970s and broke up at the same time Buzzcocks split up.
, who released several singles between 1982 and 1989. Garvey formed Motivation
and joined Blue Orchids, moving to New York, shortly afterwards, to continue with the first band. Maher joined Wah!
by the time Buzzcocks broke up. Shelley and Devoto teamed up in 2002 for the first time since 1976, producing the album Buzzkunst
, a play on the German word for 'Art'. The album was a mix of electronic music and punk.
John Maher now owns and runs John Maher Racing, a vintage Volkswagen performance tuning workshop located on the Isle of Harris, Scotland. He has built and raced several Volkswagen Beetle
s. In 2005, Shelley re-recorded "Ever Fallen In Love" with an all-star group, including Roger Daltrey
, David Gilmour
, Peter Hook
, Elton John
, Robert Plant
and several contemporary bands, as a tribute to John Peel
. Proceeds went to Amnesty International
. Shelley also performed the song live, with Plant, Daltrey, Gilmour, Hook and Jeff Beck
at the 2005 UK Music Hall of Fame
.
Buzzcocks have reformed several times since 1989, featuring Shelley and Diggle with other musicians; initially with Maher and Garvey for a world tour, then briefly replacing Maher with Smiths
drummer Mike Joyce. In 1992, Tony Barber
joined on bass and Phil Barker on drums. This line-up toured on one of Nirvana's
last-ever tours in 1994. In April 2006, Barker left and was replaced by Danny Farrant
. In March 2006, the band released their eighth studio album, Flat-Pack Philosophy
, on Cooking Vinyl Records, the supporting tour found them playing on a leg of the mid-2006 Vans Warped Tour.
They made an appearance for Maxïmo Park
's homecoming gig in Newcastle upon Tyne on 15 December 2007.
In April 2008, Barber left and was replaced by Chris Remmington.
In January 2009 the band embarked on a UK and European tour, the "Another Bites Tour", in which they played their first two albums in full, as well as an encore of their other hits.
In July 2009, the Buzzcocks played in Serbia
for the first time, at the EXIT festival in Novi Sad
. Their song, "Why Can't I Touch It" was played in the second episode of the sixth season of TV series Entourage
.
On 9 November 2009, Buzzcocks played a very rare performance on a small Balcony overlooking Dame Street in Dublin, for the music viral show BalconyTV
.
In December 2009 they played as the main support act for The Courteeners
.
In August 2011 they headlined the first night of The Rhythm Festival in Bedfordshire.
to create the title of the long-running UK comedy panel game show Never Mind the Buzzcocks
. Diggle claimed in his autobiography that he and Shelley had only granted the BBC use of their name under the impression that it would be a one-off, probably unsuccessful pilot, and that they are now mildly disgruntled that the name is more readily associated in Britain with the TV series than with their band. Shelley himself appeared on the programme in 2000, where host Mark Lamarr introduced Shelley by saying without the Buzzcocks "there'd be no Smiths
or Radiohead, and this show would be called Never Mind Joan Armatrading
!"
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band formed in Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
in 1976, led by singer–songwriter–guitarist Pete Shelley
Pete Shelley
Pete Shelley is an English singer, songwriter and guitarist, best known as the leader of Buzzcocks.-Biography:...
.
They are regarded as an important influence on the Manchester music scene
Music of Manchester
-The pop groups of the 1960s and early 1970s:Manchester had an impressive music scene before 1976, with groups like The Hollies, The Bee Gees, Herman's Hermits, Wayne Fontana and The Mindbenders, Freddie and the Dreamers in the 1960s and Barclay James Harvest and 10cc in the early 1970s. Top of the...
, the independent record label
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
movement, punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
, power pop
Power pop
Power pop is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements, and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are...
, pop punk
Pop punk
Pop punk is a fusion music genre that combines elements of punk rock with pop music, to varying degrees. Allmusic describes the genre as a strand of alternative rock, which typically merges pop melodies with speedy punk tempos, chord changes and loud guitars...
and indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
. They achieved commercial success with singles that fused pop craftsmanship with rapid-fire punk energy. These singles were collected on Singles Going Steady
Singles Going Steady
Singles Going Steady is a compilation album by Buzzcocks, featuring their United Kingdom single releases from 1977–1979, along with their corresponding B-sides...
, described by critic Ned Raggett
Ned Raggett
Ned Raggett is a library assistant, freelance writer and music journalist. His work has been published in Allmusic, the OC Weekly, Plan B, Metal Edge and The Quietus, while pieces have also appeared in Dream, Arthur, as well as Stylus, The Broken Face, Fake Jazz, Freaky Trigger, Careless Talk...
as a "punk masterpiece". The widely covered "Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)
Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)
"Ever Fallen in Love " is a 1978 song written by Pete Shelley and performed by his group, Buzzcocks. It was a number twelve hit on the UK Singles Chart.-Background and writing:...
" remains one of their best-known songs.
The name "Buzzcocks" was chosen by Howard Devoto and Pete Shelley after reading the headline "it's the buzz, cocks!" in a review of the TV series Rock Follies
Rock Follies
Rock Follies, and its sequel, Rock Follies of '77, was a comedy musical drama shown on British television in the mid 1970s. The storyline, over 12 episodes and two series, followed the ups and downs of a fictional female rock band called the "Little Ladies" as they struggled for recognition and...
in Time Out magazine. The "buzz" is the excitement of playing on stage; "cock" is Manchester slang meaning "mate" (as in friend/buddy). They thought it captured the excitement of the Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
and nascent punk scene.
Early years
Howard Trafford, a student at Bolton Institute of Technology (now the University of Bolton), placed a notice in the college looking for musicians sharing a liking for The Velvet UndergroundThe Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City. First active from 1964 to 1973, their best-known members were Lou Reed and John Cale, who both went on to find success as solo artists. Although experiencing little commercial success while together, the band is often cited...
's song "Sister Ray
Sister Ray
Sister Ray may mean one of the following:* "Sister Ray", 1968 song by The Velvet Underground* A fictional enormous laser cannon in the video game Final Fantasy VII* Sister Ray , a punk rock band from Youngstown, Ohio...
". Peter McNeish, a fellow student at the Institute, responded to the notice. Trafford played electronic music and McNeish had played rock.
McNeish assumed the stage name Pete Shelley, and Trafford named himself Howard Devoto, after a bus driver in Cambridge. In late 1975, Shelley and Devoto recruited a drummer and formed an embryonic version of Buzzcocks that did not perform in front of an audience and which dissolved after a number of rehearsals. The band formed as the Buzzcocks in February 1976 and performed live for the first time on 1 April 1976 at their college. Garth Davies played bass guitar and Mick Singleton played drums. Singleton also played in local band Black Cat Bone.
After reading an NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
review of the Sex Pistols' first performance, Shelley and Devoto travelled to London together to see the Sex Pistols in February 1976. Shelley and Devoto were impressed by what they saw and arranged for the Sex Pistols to come and perform at the Lesser Free Trade Hall
Free Trade Hall
The Free Trade Hall, Peter Street, Manchester, was a public hall constructed in 1853–6 on St Peter's Fields, the site of the Peterloo Massacre and is now a hotel. The hall was built to commemorate the repeal of the Corn Laws in 1846. The architect was Edward Walters The hall subsequently was...
in Manchester, in June 1976. Buzzcocks intended to play at this concert, but the other musicians dropped out, and Shelley and Devoto were unable to recruit other musicians in time for the gig. Once they had recruited bass guitarist Steve Diggle
Steve Diggle
Steve Diggle is a guitarist and vocalist in the British punk band Buzzcocks.-Early years:He was born in Manchester, and grew up in Bradford and Rusholme, where he was a mod...
and drummer John Maher, they made their debut opening for the Sex Pistols' second Manchester concert in July 1976. A brief clip of Devoto-era Buzzcocks performing The Troggs
The Troggs
The Troggs are an English rock band from the 1960s that had a number of hits in UK and the US. Their most famous songs include, "Wild Thing", "With a Girl Like You", and "Love Is All Around"...
"I Can't Control Myself" appears in the Punk: Attitude documentary directed by Don Letts
Don Letts
Don Letts is a British film director and musician. He is credited as the man who through his DJing at clubs like The Roxy brought together punk and reggae music.-Biography:...
. In September 1976 the band travelled to London to perform at the two-day 100 Club Punk Festival
100 Club Punk Festival
The 100 Club Punk Special was a two-day event held at the 100 Club—a typically jazz-oriented venue in Oxford Street, London, England—on 20 and 21 September 1976. The gig showcased eight punk rock bands, most of which were unsigned...
, organised by Malcolm McLaren
Malcolm McLaren
Malcolm Robert Andrew McLaren was an English performer, impresario, self-publicist and manager of the Sex Pistols and the New York Dolls...
. Other performers included: the Sex Pistols, Subway Sect
Subway Sect
Subway Sect were one of the original British punk bands. Their influence was limited by the very small amount of recorded material they released.-The early days:...
, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
, The Vibrators
The Vibrators
- Early career:The Vibrators were founded by Ian 'Knox' Carnochan, bassist Pat Collier, guitarist John Ellis, and drummer John 'Eddie' Edwards. They first came to public notice at the 100 Club when they backed Chris Spedding in 1976. On Spedding's recommendation, Mickie Most signed them to his...
, The Damned and the French band Stinky Toys
Stinky toys
Stinky Toys were a punk band from Rennes, France which started in 1976 and featured Elli Medeiros , Denis Quilliard, alias Jacno, , Bruno Carone , Albin Dériat , and Hervé Zénouda ....
.
By the end of the year, Buzzcocks had recorded and released a four-track EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, Spiral Scratch
Spiral Scratch (EP)
Spiral Scratch is a four-track EP by the British punk rock band Buzzcocks, recorded in 1976 and released in January 1977. It was the first punk record to be self-released , and only the third record ever by a British punk band When reissued in 1979, it...
, on their own New Hormones label, making them one of the first punk groups to establish an independent record label
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
, trailing only The Saints
The Saints (band)
The Saints are an Australian rock band, which formed in Brisbane in 1974 as punk rockers. Founders were Chris Bailey , Ivor Hay , and Ed Kuepper . Alongside mainstay Bailey, the group has had numerous line-ups...
' "(I'm) Stranded
(I'm) Stranded
Stranded is the debut album by Australian punk rock group The Saints which was released by EMI on 21 February 1977. Their debut single, " Stranded", was issued ahead of the album in September 1976, which Sounds magazine's reviewer, Jonh Ingham, declared was the "Single of this and every week"...
". Produced by Martin Hannett
Martin Hannett
Martin Hannett , sometimes credited as Martin Zero, was a record producer and an original partner in Factory Records with Tony Wilson...
, the music was roughly recorded, insistently repetitive, and energetic. "Boredom" announced punk's rebellion against the status quo while templating a strident musical minimalism (the guitar solo consisting of two repeated notes). The demos recorded while Devoto was in the band were later issued officially as Time's Up. Long available as a bootleg, this album includes the alternative takes of all the tracks from the Spiral Scratch EP as well as early version of tracks that later appeared on the official debut Another Music in a Different Kitchen.
After a few months, Devoto left the group; he returned to college for a year, then formed Magazine
Magazine (band)
Magazine are an English post-punk group active from 1977 to 1981, then reformed in 2009. Their debut single, "Shot by Both Sides", is now acknowledged as a classic and their debut album, Real Life, is still widely admired as one of the greatest albums of all time...
. Pete Shelley continued as vocalist; his high-pitched, melodic singing stood in stark contrast to the gruff pub rock
Pub rock (UK)
Pub rock was a rock music genre that developed in the mid 1970s in the United Kingdom. A back-to-basics movement, pub rock was a reaction against progressive and glam rock. Although short-lived, pub rock was notable for rejecting stadium venues and for returning live rock to the small pubs and...
vocal stylings of many punk contemporaries. Diggle switched from bass to guitar, and Garth Davies rejoined on bass as Garth Smith or Garth. Garth appeared on the band’s first Radio 1 Peel Session, in September 1977, but due to his alcoholism he was quickly replaced with Steve Garvey, joining Dirty Looks in New York. This new line-up signed with United Artists Records
United Artists Records
United Artists Records was a record label founded by Max E. Youngstein of United Artists in 1957 initially to distribute records of its movie soundtracks, though it soon branched out into recording music of a number of different genres.-History:...
.
Signing to United Artists
Their first UA Buzzcocks single, "Orgasm Addict", was a playful examination of compulsive sexuality that was (and remains) uncommonly bold. The BBC refused to play the song, but the single sold well. Later, more ambiguous songs staked out a territory defined by Shelley's bisexuality and punk's aversion to serious examination of human sexualityHuman sexuality
Human sexuality is the awareness of gender differences, and the capacity to have erotic experiences and responses. Human sexuality can also be described as the way someone is sexually attracted to another person whether it is to opposite sexes , to the same sex , to either sexes , or not being...
. The next single, "What Do I Get?" reached the UK top 40 charts. "Lipstick", the B-side to "Promises," shared the same ascending progression of notes in its chorus as Magazine's
Magazine (band)
Magazine are an English post-punk group active from 1977 to 1981, then reformed in 2009. Their debut single, "Shot by Both Sides", is now acknowledged as a classic and their debut album, Real Life, is still widely admired as one of the greatest albums of all time...
first single, "Shot By Both Sides," also released in 1978.
Their original career produced three LPs: Another Music in a Different Kitchen
Another Music in a Different Kitchen
Another Music in a Different Kitchen was Buzzcocks' first album, released in 1978 and including the hit single "I Don't Mind", which reached #55 in the United Kingdom singles chart in May 1978. The corresponding CD was released in March 1994 on the same record label...
, Love Bites, and A Different Kind of Tension
A Different Kind of Tension
-Personnel:*Pete Shelley – guitar, vocals, keyboards*Steve Diggle – guitar, vocals*Steve Garvey – bass*John Maher – drums-Vinyl information:*A blue vinyl version was re-released around 1986....
, each supported by extensive touring in Europe and the U.S. Their trademark sound was a marriage of catchy pop melodies with punk guitar energy, backed by an unusually tight and skilled rhythm section
Rhythm section
A rhythm section is a collection of musicians who make up a section of instruments which provides the accompaniment section of the music, giving the music its rhythmic texture and pulse, also serving as a rhythmic reference for the rest of the band...
. They advanced drastically in musical and lyrical sophistication: by the end they were quoting American writer William S. Burroughs
William S. Burroughs
William Seward Burroughs II was an American novelist, poet, essayist and spoken word performer. A primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodernist author, he is considered to be "one of the most politically trenchant, culturally influential, and innovative artists of the 20th...
("A Different Kind of Tension"), declaiming their catechism in the anthem "I Believe", and tuning in to a fantasy radio station on which their songs could be heard ("Radio Nine"). In 1980, Liberty Records signed the band, and three singles were released. However, only one of these, the double 'A' side "Why She's A Girl From The Chainstore/Are Everything" made the Top 75.
In parallel with Buzzcocks, Pete Shelley, formed a more experimental and post-punk
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
band, The Tiller Boys, along with Eric Random and Francis Cookson, while Steve Garvey joined The Teardrops
The Teardrops (band)
The Teardrops were a Punk/New Wave band formed in Prestwich, Greater Manchester, England, in 1978. The founders and always the core of this band were Trevor Wain, John Key and Jimmy Donnelly with various good friends from the Prestwich music scene:- Buzzcocks bassist Steve Garvey, members of The...
in 1978, along with The Fall's Tony Friel and Karl Burns
Karl Burns
Karl Burns is a British musician best known as drummer for The Fall, featuring in many incarnations of the band between 1977 and 1998....
; both bands were releasing material in late 1970s and broke up at the same time Buzzcocks split up.
Breakup and reunions
After recording demos for a fourth album the group disbanded in 1981, when Shelley took up a solo career. Diggle and Maher formed Flag of ConvenienceFlag of Convenience (band)
Flag of Convenience were a rock group formed in 1982 by former Buzzcocks members Steve Diggle and John Maher, along with bassist Dave Farrow and keyboard player D.P. The band continued with a changing line-up until 1989, with later incarnations releasing records under the names F.O.C. and Buzzcocks...
, who released several singles between 1982 and 1989. Garvey formed Motivation
Motivation (band)
Motivation was a short-lived band formed in Manchester, England, c...
and joined Blue Orchids, moving to New York, shortly afterwards, to continue with the first band. Maher joined Wah!
Wah!
Wah! is a U.S. band performing and creating music for the New Age and yoga market. The female lead singer Wah! and the band’s name are synonymous....
by the time Buzzcocks broke up. Shelley and Devoto teamed up in 2002 for the first time since 1976, producing the album Buzzkunst
Buzzkunst
Buzzkunst is an album by former Buzzcocks members Pete Shelley and Howard Devoto under the name ShelleyDevoto.-Track listing:All tracks composed by Pete Shelley and Howard Devoto# "Can You See Me Shining?"# "Strain of Bacteria"# "Deeper"...
, a play on the German word for 'Art'. The album was a mix of electronic music and punk.
John Maher now owns and runs John Maher Racing, a vintage Volkswagen performance tuning workshop located on the Isle of Harris, Scotland. He has built and raced several Volkswagen Beetle
Volkswagen Beetle
The Volkswagen Type 1, widely known as the Volkswagen Beetle or Volkswagen Bug, is an economy car produced by the German auto maker Volkswagen from 1938 until 2003...
s. In 2005, Shelley re-recorded "Ever Fallen In Love" with an all-star group, including Roger Daltrey
Roger Daltrey
Roger Harry Daltrey, CBE , is an English singer and actor, best known as the founder and lead singer of English rock band The Who. He has maintained a musical career as a solo artist and has also worked in the film industry, acting in a large number of films, theatre and television roles and also...
, David Gilmour
David Gilmour
David Jon Gilmour, CBE, D.M. is an English rock musician and multi-instrumentalist who is best known as the guitarist, one of the lead singers and main songwriters in the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. In addition to his work with Pink Floyd, Gilmour has worked as a producer for a variety of...
, Peter Hook
Peter Hook
Peter Hook is an English bass player, musician and author.He was a co-founder of the post-punk band Joy Division along with Bernard Sumner in the mid-1970s. Following the death of lead singer Ian Curtis, the band reformed as New Order, and Hook played bass with them throughout their career until...
, Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
, Robert Plant
Robert Plant
Robert Anthony Plant, CBE is an English singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career...
and several contemporary bands, as a tribute to John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
. Proceeds went to Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
. Shelley also performed the song live, with Plant, Daltrey, Gilmour, Hook and Jeff Beck
Jeff Beck
Geoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck is an English rock guitarist. He is one of three noted guitarists to have played with The Yardbirds...
at the 2005 UK Music Hall of Fame
UK Music Hall of Fame
The UK Music Hall of Fame was an awards ceremony to honour musicians, of any nationality, for their lifetime contributions to music in the United Kingdom. The Hall of Fame started in 2004 with the induction of five founder members and five more members selected by a public televote, two from each...
.
Buzzcocks have reformed several times since 1989, featuring Shelley and Diggle with other musicians; initially with Maher and Garvey for a world tour, then briefly replacing Maher with Smiths
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
drummer Mike Joyce. In 1992, Tony Barber
Tony Barber (bassist)
Anthony 'Tony' Barber is a former bassist of the British pop-punk band Buzzcocks. He joined the band in 1992....
joined on bass and Phil Barker on drums. This line-up toured on one of Nirvana's
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
last-ever tours in 1994. In April 2006, Barker left and was replaced by Danny Farrant
Danny Farrant
Danny Farrant is the current drummer in the British punk band Buzzcocks. He joined the group following Phil Barker's departure in 2006.- Early years :...
. In March 2006, the band released their eighth studio album, Flat-Pack Philosophy
Flat-Pack Philosophy
Flat-Pack Philosophy is an album by Buzzcocks, released in 2006. It was arranged and produced by Tony Barber.-Track listing:# "Flat-Pack Philosophy" – 3:06# "Wish I Never Loved You" – 2:38...
, on Cooking Vinyl Records, the supporting tour found them playing on a leg of the mid-2006 Vans Warped Tour.
They made an appearance for Maxïmo Park
Maxïmo Park
Maxïmo Park are a British alternative rock band, formed in 2000. They are signed to Warp Records. The band consists of Paul Smith , Duncan Lloyd , Archis Tiku , Lukas Wooller and Tom English...
's homecoming gig in Newcastle upon Tyne on 15 December 2007.
In April 2008, Barber left and was replaced by Chris Remmington.
In January 2009 the band embarked on a UK and European tour, the "Another Bites Tour", in which they played their first two albums in full, as well as an encore of their other hits.
In July 2009, the Buzzcocks played in Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
for the first time, at the EXIT festival in Novi Sad
Novi Sad
Novi Sad is the capital of the northern Serbian province of Vojvodina, and the administrative centre of the South Bačka District. The city is located in the southern part of Pannonian Plain on the Danube river....
. Their song, "Why Can't I Touch It" was played in the second episode of the sixth season of TV series Entourage
Entourage (TV series)
Entourage is an American comedy-drama television series that premiered on HBO on July 18, 2004 and concluded on September 11, 2011, after eight seasons...
.
On 9 November 2009, Buzzcocks played a very rare performance on a small Balcony overlooking Dame Street in Dublin, for the music viral show BalconyTV
BalconyTV
BalconyTV is a leading daily online viral music show that features bands, musicians and other variety acts on balconies around the world. It was founded in Dublin, in June 2006....
.
In December 2009 they played as the main support act for The Courteeners
The Courteeners
The Courteeners are a rock band formed in Middleton, Greater Manchester, England in 2006 by Liam Fray , Michael Campbell , Daniel Conan Moores , Mark Cuppello -Formation:...
.
In August 2011 they headlined the first night of The Rhythm Festival in Bedfordshire.
TV show title
Buzzcocks' name was combined with the title of the Sex Pistols' album Never Mind the BollocksNever Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols
Never Mind The Bollocks Here's The Sex Pistols is the only studio album by the highly influential and controversial English punk rock band The Sex Pistols...
to create the title of the long-running UK comedy panel game show Never Mind the Buzzcocks
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
Never Mind the Buzzcocks is a comedy panel game television show with a pop music theme, currently without a permanent presenter. It stars Phill Jupitus and Noel Fielding as team captains. The show is produced by Talkback Thames for the BBC, and is usually aired on BBC Two...
. Diggle claimed in his autobiography that he and Shelley had only granted the BBC use of their name under the impression that it would be a one-off, probably unsuccessful pilot, and that they are now mildly disgruntled that the name is more readily associated in Britain with the TV series than with their band. Shelley himself appeared on the programme in 2000, where host Mark Lamarr introduced Shelley by saying without the Buzzcocks "there'd be no Smiths
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
or Radiohead, and this show would be called Never Mind Joan Armatrading
Joan Armatrading
Joan Anita Barbara Armatrading, MBE is a British singer, songwriter and guitarist. Armatrading is a three-time Grammy Award-nominee and has been nominated twice for BRIT Awards as Best Female Artist...
!"
Members
| Feb 1976 |
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|---|---|
| 1976 |
Garth Smith Garth Smith and sometimes credited as Garth, was known for being one of the bassists of the Bolton formed punk rock band, Buzzcocks.-Biography:... (Garth Smith) – bass |
| 20 Jul 1976 – Feb 1977 |
Steve Diggle Steve Diggle is a guitarist and vocalist in the British punk band Buzzcocks.-Early years:He was born in Manchester, and grew up in Bradford and Rusholme, where he was a mod... – bass |
| 11 Mar 1977 – 7 Oct 1977 |
|
| Nov 1977 |
Barry Adamson Barry Adamson is a British rock musician who has worked with rock bands such as Magazine, Visage, The Birthday Party, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and the electronic musicians Pan sonic and Depeche Mode. Adamson created the seven-minute opus "Useless " remix for the latter band in 1997... – bass (on loan from Magazine Magazine (band) Magazine are an English post-punk group active from 1977 to 1981, then reformed in 2009. Their debut single, "Shot by Both Sides", is now acknowledged as a classic and their debut album, Real Life, is still widely admired as one of the greatest albums of all time... ) |
| Nov 1977 – 6 Mar 1981 |
Steve Garvey (music business) Stephen Garvey is a musician who is known for being the bass guitarist of the punk band Buzzcocks, forming part of the classic line-up of the group, from 1977 to 1981, and, again, from 1989 to 1992.-First Buzzcocks years:... – bass |
| 1989 |
|
| 1990–1991 |
|
| 1992 |
|
| 1992 |
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| 1992–2006 |
Tony Barber (bassist) Anthony 'Tony' Barber is a former bassist of the British pop-punk band Buzzcocks. He joined the band in 1992.... – bass |
| 2006–2008 |
Danny Farrant Danny Farrant is the current drummer in the British punk band Buzzcocks. He joined the group following Phil Barker's departure in 2006.- Early years :... – drums |
| 2008–present |
|
Discography
- Another Music in a Different KitchenAnother Music in a Different KitchenAnother Music in a Different Kitchen was Buzzcocks' first album, released in 1978 and including the hit single "I Don't Mind", which reached #55 in the United Kingdom singles chart in May 1978. The corresponding CD was released in March 1994 on the same record label...
(1978) - Love BitesLove Bites (album)Love Bites was Buzzcocks' second album, which managed to peak at #13 on the United Kingdom albums chart at the time of its release. In March 1994, an EMI CD version of the original album was released with four additional tracks.-Track listing:...
(1978) - A Different Kind of TensionA Different Kind of Tension-Personnel:*Pete Shelley – guitar, vocals, keyboards*Steve Diggle – guitar, vocals*Steve Garvey – bass*John Maher – drums-Vinyl information:*A blue vinyl version was re-released around 1986....
(1979) - Trade Test TransmissionsTrade Test TransmissionsTrade Test Transmissions is Buzzcocks fourth album, released in 1993.The album was the band's first studio album in fourteen years. The first track is a hidden track in the sense it is unlisted in the artwork...
(1993) - All SetAll SetAll Set is the fifth studio album by punk rock band Buzzcocks. It was released in 1996. It was the last release from IRS Records.-Track listing:All songs written and composed by Pete Shelley, except where noted.#"Totally from the Heart" – 2:45...
(1996) - ModernModern (album)Modern is the sixth studio album by punk rock band Buzzcocks. It was released in 1999. It was arranged and produced by Tony Barber.-Track listing:All songs written and composed by Pete Shelley, except where noted.# "Soul on a Rock" – 3:59...
(1999) - BuzzcocksBuzzcocks (album)Buzzcocks is the seventh studio album from the punk band Buzzcocks, released on 18 March 2003.-Track listing:# "Jerk" – 2:21# "Keep On" – 3:19# "Wake Up Call" – 3:19# "Friends" – 2:57...
(2003) - Flat-Pack PhilosophyFlat-Pack PhilosophyFlat-Pack Philosophy is an album by Buzzcocks, released in 2006. It was arranged and produced by Tony Barber.-Track listing:# "Flat-Pack Philosophy" – 3:06# "Wish I Never Loved You" – 2:38...
(2006)