Artist Information

Manchester lads Peter McNeish, and Howard Trafford met in the electronic music society of the Bolton Institute of Technology. After both travelling to London in February 1976 to watch the Sex Pistols play, they decided to form a band themselves and took their name from a quote "It's a buzz, cock" used on a TV series at the time. Howard adopted the surname Devoto, which was the name of a Cambridge Bus Driver, whilst Peter became Pete Shelley. Pete and Howard had arranged for the Sex Pistols to come and play in Manchester with the view to support them, but didn't have a drummer or bass player at the time. This gig was to prove pivotal in influencing the protagonists of the acclaimed Manchester music scene that would emerge througout the 80s and 90s.

Their first gig was on April Fools Day 1976 at the Bolton Institute with Garth Davies on bass and drummer Mick Singleton from band Black Cat Bone who stood for the night. The Buzzcocks did manage to support the Sex Pistols at their second Manchester gig in July 1976 with a line up including Steve Diggle, whom they met at the first Sex Pistols gig, on bass and John Maher, who they found through an ad in Melody Maker, on drums. Shelley borrowed a couple of hundred quid off his dad for the recording and released their debut EP Spiral Scratch in January 1977. An initial pressing of 1,000 copies were released on their own New Hormones label, it was the pioneering first self-recorded and independent release of the era and paved the way for the do-it-yourself ethos of the punk movement.

After the release of the EP, Howard Devoto would return to college and quit the group, going on to form the band Magazine. Shelley moved to vocals with Diggle taking on guitar and new recruits Garth Smith on bass, though his tenure was short lived, and he was soon replaced by Steve Garvey. The band were signed to United Artist Records through whom they released their debut single Orgasm Addict. The salubrious subject matter of the single didn't gain the band any airplay nor chart success, but notoriety by the bucketful. Second single What Do I Get? scraped into the top 40 singles chart.

The bands output was prolific, with the debut album Another Music in a Different Kitchen and follow up Love Bites both released in 1978 and third album A Different Type of Tension released the following year, which also saw the band tour America. A singles collection Singles Going Steady was released in the US at the height of the band's popularity in 1979. The grind of touring wore away at the band, and they cut back the number of performances, whilst still releasing a three part EP and another successful single I Believe in 1980. Their label, United Artists was bought by EMI later that year and financial support to record a fourth Buzzcocks album was withdrawn, with EMI instead wanting to release the singles compilation in the UK. The band refused and Shelley broke the band up in 1981 instead of fighting the label.

Shelley pursued a short-lived solo career, whilst Diggle and Maher formed the band Flag of Convenience.

After an eight year gap, the Buzzcocks line-up of Shelley, Diggle, bassist Steve Garvey and drummer John Maher reunited for a 1989 American tour.

A line up of Shelley and Diggle and new rhythm section Tony Barber (bass) and Philip Barker (drums) would continue to tour and go on to record the albums Trade Test Transmissions in 1993, All Set in 1996, Modern in 1999, Buzzcocks in 2003 and Flat-Pack Philosophy in 2006.