Teenage scooter enthusiast Steve Diggle was introduced to Pete Shelley by Malcolm McLaren at the Sex Pistols’ first Manchester show, in 1976, and they formed Buzzcocks, one of the punk era’s most enduring combos. Reluctant Top Of The Pops mainstays, they enjoyed a string of timeless hits, not least the evergreen Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t’ve). Following Shelley’s tragic death in 2018, Diggle has led the band into a new era that’s soon to be defined by their first post-Pete album, Sonics In The Soul.
How did a Mancunian background shape you?
Growing up in a post-war industrial town – old terraces, a pub on the cornerThe Kinks, The Who – and I realised there’s life outside this grimy, grainy Manchester town.
