Rhino Factoids: Introducing the Buzzcocks
39 years ago today, the classic lineup of the Buzzcocks made their live debut at the Lesser Free Trade Hall in Manchester, England, officially beginning the concert career of a band that still continues to bash out punk-pop numbers to this day, even if only 50% of that original lineup is still in the mix.
The whole thing started with Howard Devoto and Pete Shelley - then known as Howard Trafford and Peter McNeish - bonding over the Velvet Underground, which led to the first Buzzcocks incarnation in February 1976 and, in short order, the band's first live performance, with Garth Davies and Mick Singleton playing bass and drums, respectively. Devoto and Shelley were excited by the music they were making, but they were even more excited when they took a road trip from Manchester to London to see the Sex Pistols. So excited were they, in fact, that they helped to get the band booked into Manchester's Lesser Free Trade Hall in June, making plan for the Buzzcocks to open for them. Unfortunately, Davies and Singleton bailed on them, leaving an insufficient amount of time to fill the two open spots in the lineup. Thankfully, the Pistols came back to Manchester on July 20, by which point Steve Diggle had taken over on bass, with John Maher sitting behind the drum kit, and they were able to take the stage at last, making an instant impression on the concert attendees.
Unfortunately, it wasn't terribly long after that first live date that Devoto decided to depart the Buzzcocks' ranks, instead following his muse into the band Magazine. As a result, Shelley took over on lead vocals, Diggle took over on guitar, and Davies briefly returned to play bass, but Steve Garvey took over his duties before 1977 had come to a close. It's hard to say how history would've remembered the Buzzcocks if Devoto had remained with the band - he was always a bit more artsy than the rest - but with Shelley in charge, the Buzzcocks delivered classic single after classic single for several years running.
