“It doesn’t seem that long ago since we started in some ways,” says guitarist/vocalist Steve Diggle. “It seemed like a long journey at one time and then suddenly… it seems like the longest life in the shortest time. It’s like, ‘Where’d it all go?’ It still feels like we’re starting in some ways. It did seem a lot longer after 20 years.”
Guitarist Pete Shelley and vocalist Howard Devoto formed Buzzcocks, and recruited Diggle and drummer John Maher to round out the lineup. However, Devoto appeared on just a few singles before leaving to start his own band Magazine. Shelley then moved to lead vocals, occasionally handing the mic to Diggle. The band presently includes Shelley and Diggle as well as bassist Chris Remington and drummer Danny Farrant.
“Me and Pete have been all the way from the beginning and it has been an amazing journey for me and him,” Diggle says. “There’s been a couple of different lineups on the rhythm section over the years, but the band’s still as good as ever. There’s a lot of people that’ve stuck with us over the years – the fans, who own the records and have come to see us over the years, which has been amazing. So there’s been every reason to keep going. We’ve had a great support group. People have liked the songs – that’s why we’re here.”
After a successful three-album run, in 1981 Buzzcocks went their separate ways. They reconvened in the early-’90s and have produced a further six LPs, including 2014’s The Way. Buzzcocks’ first three albums – Another Music in a Different Kitchen, Love Bites and A Different Kind of Tension – rank among the most significant releases of the UK punk movement. Wisely, material from these records still forms a considerable part of their live shows.
“I think the kind of music we make, people knew we weren’t bullshitting them,” Diggle says. “We weren’t just trying to write hits. We were writing songs about the human condition. Real things that people relate to. So I think people have stuck with us for that. You can hear a record sometimes by somebody, you might even buy the album, but you might not buy the next one because you might not be into the band that much. But I think we’re the kind of band that people get into the whole attitude, the whole thing, and that’s why we’re here 40 years later.”
Buzzcocks shows are a cross-generational affair, with fans of a similar age to the band members standing side by side with newer converts in their teens. If their founding ambition were simply to write hits, it’s unlikely so many people would be drawn to the band 40 years later. Conversely, the subject matter of their early output – themes of isolation, sexuality and sexual curiosity – retains relevance.
“When you listen to a lot of the older songs, they still sound like they were just made last week, which is kind of amazing; they stood the test of time. When you were making them you didn’t envisage things like that. It was just like, ‘Let’s make the record and put it out. It’s just a postcard to people.’ But they still sound as good now as when we made ‘em. I think part of the reason is because we recorded a lot of them live. We’d record live and then do some overdubs, so there’s a vibe there. Plus a lot of it’s very strong songwriting. That’s seen us through the years.”
Indeed, in contrast to the provocation of the Sex Pistols or the revolutionary bent of The Clash, Buzzcocks’ chief distinction is Shelley’s voice and pop-savvy songwriting.
“When you started writing songs you didn’t know how strong they were at the time, but you realised later. We wasn’t that precious with them, really. The band seemed very good: we was all tight as players even though we never set ourselves to be that. When you brought a song into the band and started playing it, it worked right away. There was an instant thing – it was like magic. We didn’t have to struggle and work with all these things. You might’ve had to do at home to get the basic idea of the song, but when the band played and recorded them, it all fell into place. It was like it was beyond your control.
“That has been one of our strengths, there was always a good song there, which makes it a lot easier in some ways. But it’s the hardest thing to get there. We’ve heard people rehearsing next door to our rehearsal room years ago and they hadn’t got past the introduction to a song, and by that time we’d written a couple of songs and we was in the pub at the corner of the road. We’d written a couple of chart-topping hits and we was in the pub at five o’clock.”
BY AUGUSTUS WELBY
