Key players in the birth of punk rock, Buzzcocks took the visceral energy of the genre and replaced the snarling antagonism with joyously adolescent, breakneck power pop. One of the first bands outside of London inspired by the burgeoning punk scene, Buzzcocks' Pete Shelley arranged the Sex Pistols' legendary Lesser Free Trade Hall gig in Manchester, 1976 before the band went on the road with The Clash, signed to United Artists Records and had their first mainstream single 'Orgasm Addict' banned by the BBC.
Centred around the songwriting partnership of front man Shelley and guitarist Steve Diggle, the band became a favourite of Radio 1 DJ John Peel and inspired generations of post-punk starlets with the albums 'Another Music in a Different Kitchen' (1978), 'Love Bites' (1978) and the classic single 'Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)'. The band split in 1981 but reformed in '89, supporting Nirvana on their last ever UK tour.
Throughout the '90s and 2000s they disbanded and reformed several times, releasing their eighth studio album 'Flat-Pack Philosophy' in 2006. They embarked on a UK tour in 2009 and played two shows in 2012 featuring the original line-up of the band. 'The Way', their ninth album, was released in 2014. Shortly after they set out on their 40th anniversary tour. Front man Pete Shelley passed away in 2018 after suffering a suspected heart attack.
