Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band formed by singer-songwriter and guitarist Pete Shelley and singer-songwriter Howard Devoto in Bolton in 1976. They achieved commercial success with singles that fuse pop with rapid-fire punk energy, inspiring the power pop and pop punk movements; these singles were later collected on Singles Going Steady, an acclaimed compilation album music journalist and critic Ned Raggett described as a "punk masterpiece".
Devoto left the band in 1977 and formed Magazine, after which Pete Shelley became the principal singer-songwriter. The classic line-up of Shelley, Steve Diggle (guitar), Steve Garvey (bass) and John Maher (drums) recorded Buzzcocks' first three albums, after which the band broke up in 1981 following a dispute with their record label. The band reunited in 1989 and released six more albums before Shelley's death in 2018. During that time, the band notably released four albums between 1993 and 2006 with the line-up of Shelley, Diggle, Tony Barber (bass) and Phil Barker (drums). The band has remained active, being anchored by long-time guitarist Diggle, who has since also assumed lead vocal duties. As of 2019, the band consists of Diggle, Danny Farrant (drums), and Chris Remington (bass), with Mani Perazzoli (guitar, backing vocals) as an additional touring member. This line-up appears on the band's subsequent and most recent studio albums Sonics in the Soul (2022) and Attitude Adjustment (2026).
Bio from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0, via So Many Bands · ↗
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Buzzcocks, Modern English
Buzzcocks · Modern English · Celebrating 50 years of Buzzcocks · Grade 2
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