Ending our fine April we have one last Coachella attendee. While our punk month has come and gone, we’ve got one more punk artist who should have definitely made the grade. Having played with the best and recorded some of the most underrated, yet extremely energetic punk since its invention, our artist proves to be an excellent addition to our legend series. This week we recognize the timeless and entertaining Buzzcocks as our Legendary Artist of the Week.
Formed in 1976, the Buzzcocks of Bolton, England began with Peter Shelley answering Howard Devoto’s want-ad to start a band while at the Bolton Institute of Technology. Sharing a fondness for the Sex Pistols, the Buzzcocks set out to start their own punk band, all the while trying to lure the Pistols themselves in to their realm and perform with them. Their hard work and wishes were granted, after a few short months of having been a band themselves (with Steve Diggle and others later recruited), the Buzzcocks managed to snag said Pistols for a show in Manchester, opening for them in July of 1976, which just so happened to be their first show. The band progressed, and Devoto departed, but the Buzzcocks survived with Shelley and Diggle as the two constant members, lasting until today.
While certainly admiring and taking a page from the Sex Pistols, the Buzzcocks were not the politically-driven punk rock band that the Pistols were. Instead they wrote intelligent (not saying the Pistols weren’t) and funny songs about growing up and experiencing affections for the opposite sex. At least in this blogger’s eyes, those tend to make for better music than simply raving about heads of state and various degrees of ruling and taxation (though there is certainly a time and place for political punk, but the timelessness of the woes of adolescence tends to leave a more lasting impression). The Buzzcocks are also able to out-do the Sex Pistols in their range of influences and sounds in their fast-paced tunes. The Buzzcocks are often cited as an influence to subsequent bands for their uncanny ability to blend pop, power-pop, and indie sounds into their three-minute jams, making them a versatile and accessible.
The Buzzcocks went through a break-up in 1981 after some disputes and altercations with their record label and decided it was best to part ways. Shelley went on to a solo career and Diggle tried his hand at other bands, but the temptation of playing as the Buzzcocks never faded as in 1989 the band reunited and made the reunion permanent. Though time off has been taken and albums come out every five years or so, the Buzzcocks maintain a fairly steady touring schedule so that fans can get their fill of the punk band that inspired many others to follow. Their most recent album was Flat-Pack Philosphy, released back in 2006, meaning another should be on the way, but until it has been announced, we can only hope and reminisce on the music they’ve left for us thus far. In any case, get your fix below and enjoy!
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