English punk pioneers Buzzcocks played Riot Fest in Chicago on Saturday, and frontman Steve Diggle took the opportunity to build a US swing around the date. Buzzcocks land at the relatively intimate Union Stage in DC on Wednesday, Sept. 23 — a great opportunity to catch the legendary outfit.
Since the passing of Buzzcocks co-founder Pete Shelley in 2018, Steve has become the sole frontman of the classic punk rock band. He tours with 21st century members Danny Farrant (drums) and Chris Remington (bass). Buzzcocks added guitarist Mani Perazolli to the touring lineup not long ago.
In a darkening musical landscape where viral fads and AI-generated fakery share chartspace with the self-absorbed products of the nation’s stage schools, Buzzcocks shine out as a gleaming beacon of hope. A constant, ever-evolving presence over the last 45 years of pop culture. The band’s never-better live shows, meanwhile, are electrifying reminders of rock music’s power to inspire, educate and inform. All delivered with an energy and conviction of a band half their age.
“It’s my lifeblood,” Steve said — 70 years young — of a non-stop touring schedule which over the summer will see them play to thousands of fans across Europe and the UK. “I’ve still got the fire in my belly. Some musicians get bored of being on the road, but I’m institutionalised. I’ve done 50-odd years of staying in hotels. It’s what I signed up for. Ever since I saw Bob Dylan in the back of a black taxi in (D.A. Pennebaker’s 1967 documentary) Don’t Look Back, I always wanted to live this kind of life — being interviewed in the back of a black taxi on the way to the studio.”
This desire to challenge both themselves and their audiences was reflected in 2022’s Sonics In The Soul. An eclectic mix of gilt-edged power-pop (“Venus Eyes”), Big Star-esque bangers (“Nothingness World”) and Groundhogs-style riffing (“Experimental Farm”), it was both a critical and commercial success — a reminder that Steve Diggle has always been a master songwriter: a Lennon to Pete Shelley’s McCartney.
The album also caught the ear of rock royalty. Little Steven Van Zandt put in a request to remix Who-like epic “Manchester Rain,” while Elton John got in touch with Steve to rave about first single “Senses Out of Control,” playing the track on his Apple Radio show. “Sonics In The Soul was a bridge from the old Buzzcocks to the new,” says Steve. “At the time, a lot of people said, ‘You can’t carry on without Pete.’ But I’d always written my own songs. Looking back, we were like two mountain climbers. We needed each other. But since then I’ve taken [the band] on and it made it more heroic.”
Watch the official music video for “Senses Out of Control” by Buzzcocks on YouTube:
![Buzzcocks - Senses Out Of Control [Official Video]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/TAHvUpnvS1o/hqdefault.jpg)
Buzzcocks have always been about innovation, experimentation and taking risks. In 1977, the band’s self-financed debut Spiral Scratch EP gave birth to the independent sector. A primary influence on everyone from Orange Juice to Green Day, the string of timelessly melodic hit singles which followed (including Diggle-penned classics “Promises” and “Harmony In My Head”) brought radical ideas to a Top Of The Pops audience — reflecting influences ranging from Bob Dylan to Harold Pinter; Samuel Beckett to Stockhausen.
While punk is widely considered as rock’s Year Zero, the truth is that Buzzcocks were simultaneously tapping into a far older tradition, stretching back via Chuck Berry and Little Richard to the Delta Blues. “We were white blues,” Steve said. “My theory now is that instead of the cotton fields, we had the cotton mills, where kids would be sent up chimneys and made to work 18 hours a day. That was our blues — the white trash of Manchester.”
Having toured the world and released three classic albums — Another Music In a Different Kitchen, Love Bites, and A Different Kind Of Tension — in quick succession, the band imploded in 1981. A successful reunion of the classic line-up (Pete Shelley — guitar vocals; Steve Diggle — guitar vocals; Steve Garvey — bass; John Maher — drums) in 1989 led to a non-stop touring schedule prior to Shelley’s death. However, the band’s next chapter promises to be their most exciting yet.
Buzzcocks
W/ Pinkhouse and Dot Dash
Union Stage
Tuesday, Sept. 23
Doors @ 7pm
$48.17 GA/ $62.85 Premier
All ages
