Buzzcocks

More than just a punk band, the British Buzzcocks, who emerged from Bolton near Manchester in 1976, created a unique style somewhere between arty rock and new wave, and delivered several early classics including "Orgasm Addict", "What Do I Get?" and "Ever Fallen in Love", scattered between the Spiral Scratch EP (1977) and the trilogy of albums Another Music in a Different Kitchen (1978), Love Bites (1978) and A Different Kind of Tension (1979). Emboldened by this status, the punk scene's first independent band, which briefly featured singer Howard Devoto (later Magazine), broke up in 1981 before being reborn eight years later. Maintained by Pete Shelley (1955-2018, guitar, vocals) and Steve Diggle (bass then guitar), it welcomed Mike Joyce (drums, ex-The Smiths) for a time, replacing John Maher, before recording again: Trade Test Transmission (1993), All Set (1995), Modern (1998), then Buzzcocks (2003) and Flat-Pack Philosophy (2006). In 2008, the live album 30 celebrates the band's thirtieth anniversary, before the release of the tenth studio album The Way (2014). Following the death of founding member and still leader Pete Shelley on December 6, 2018, Steve Diggle continues with bassist Chris Remington and drummer Danny Farrant for the albums Sonics in the Soul (2022) and Attitude Adjustment (2026).