TUNE-UPS NEWS + NOTES
ALTHOUGH THE U.K. punk explosion of 1976 was initially a very Londoncentric phenomenon, Buzzcocks — from Manchester in the north of England — were actually one of the very first bands to release a single, “Spiral Scratch,” on their own New Hormones label. But they were pacesetters in a number of ways. Singer Pete Shelley (who passed away in 2018) actually booked the Sex Pistols to play an early show in Manchester. The audience for that event, according to legend, included several Mancunians who went on to form significant bands, including Morrissey from the Smiths, the Cult’s Billy Duffy and members of New Order. Buzzcocks bucked the trend, eschewing bleak nihilism for melody-laden, instant pop classics that saw them score numerous chart successes.
Their debut album, 1978’s Another Music, has long been revered as one of the seminal albums of the punk canon. Below, guitarist Steve Diggle looks back on how the band created this timeless — yet arguably lost — classic.
