Never mind the age gap – the Buzzcocks' legacy still inspires
Buzzcocks were one of the founding fathers of the British Punk scene. Lead singer Pete Shelley talks to Chris Bond
THERE are many bands that have enjoyed more commercial success than
Buzzcocks, but few can claim to have had the same influence.
As one of the first wave of Punk bands they – along with The Clash, The Jam and the Sex Pistols – were among the four horsemen of this cultural apocalypse. Punk was forged in a cauldron of anger and frustration by a disaffected youth and among those that took up the call to arms were four young lads living in Bolton, including Leeds Grammar School old-boy Howard Devoto.
It's more than 30 years since Buzzcocks first took to the stage as the Sex Pistols' warm-up act during the sweltering summer of 1976, and lead guitarist and songwriter Pete Shelley says that setting up the band was a reaction to the times. "It was more than just for something to do. I'm sure I could have picked a more sedentary hobby," he explains. "In the 60s, when I grew up, I used to listen to Radio Caroline and then Radio One and there was always this passion for exciting music and good tunes that made you feel like you were alive."
Buzzcocks' high-octane sound and searing lyrics quickly attracted a cult following. "Bands like the Velvet Underground and The Stooges were the biggest influence on us, because the music they were doing had a rawer edge to it", said Shelley.
But not all their influences were quite so obvious. "A real kingpin in all this though would be David Bowie. He did the Raw Power album with Iggy Pop and worked with Lou Reed, so he was really influential in bringing in new ideas about different kinds of music."
The Beat writer William Burroughs was another unlikely influence. "Bowie used to talk about how he wrote his songs by doing cut ups, which was a technique developed by William Burroughs, and we liked the imagery this created."
Through songs such as Orgasm Addict, Harmony In My Head and the anthemic Ever Fallen In Love With Someone (You Shouldn't've Fallen In Love With?) Buzzcocks helped define the sound of British Punk music. But while they no longer have youth on their side, they still have the energy and, speaking prior to the band's gig at The Duchess, in York, on Tuesday, Shelley says they're still getting their teenage kicks. "In a way it's even more enjoyable now because it isn't like we've got anything to prove, so the pressure's off. We're also more confident and people know what to expect when they come and see us."
But it's not just the original Punk fans who come to watch them. "It's mainly young kids, we have a surprisingly young audience when you consider how long we've been going for. I think a lot of the people who watched us back in the '70s had kids of their own and have spent a lifetime indoctrinating them."
Although Buzzcocks have influenced such notable bands as REM and Nirvana, Shelley claims their motivation in the early days was much simpler.
"Most people think the idea of setting up a band is difficult, but it was easy really and when it came to putting out our own record it was great because instead of having to go down to London, cap in hand, and say 'please sir, can we make our music on your record label?', you could do what you wanted to do, which was tremendously liberating. But there was never any sense that we were influential, it was just the excitement and the shock that we were able to get away with it."
Shelley believes Punk was as much about an attitude as music. "Although there are a lot of similarities between the first wave of bands, like the Clash, the Sex Pistols and Buzzcocks, there were also
a lot of differences. But together there was a feeling that we were doing something that wasn't being done by anyone else."
Certainly Punk's legacy continues to reverberate today. "It awoke people from their apathy and it turned people into active participants. It was an idea and a movement that could quite literally change your life. Because instead of bemoaning the fact that nobody's doing this, and nobody's doing that, it was about you making something happen. It was about using your ingenuity, charm and sometimes plain cheek, in order to dare to dream."
Buzzing over the decades
Buzzcocks were formed in Bolton in 1976.
After a line-up change in their early days, the band signed to United Artists and, while the BBC refused to play their first single Orgasm Addict, sales went through the roof.
After recording demos for a fourth album, the group disbanded in 1981 when lead singer Pete Shelley took up a solo career.
As with all legendary bands a reunion was inevitable and Buzzcocks have reformed several times, appearing on one of Nirvana's last-ever tours in 1994, with Pearl Jam in 2003, and making an appearance at Maxmo Park's homecoming gig in Newcastle in 2007.
Last year the band embarked on the UK and European Another Bites Tour, where they played their first two albums in full, alongside an encore of other hits.
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