Artist:Buzzcocks
Song:Promises
Album:Singles Going Steady
Today Buzzcocks are considered to be one of the most influential punk bands. Back in the 70s, they couldn't seem to get a record company to properly support them. The Buzzcocks are from Manchester, England so they were a big part of establishing what became known as the Madchester sound. Howard Trafford and Peter McNeish were students at Bolton Institute of Technology looking to form a band. They decided to call themselves Buzzcocks after a newspaper headline. McNeish took the stage name Pete Shelley. Trafford took the stage name Howard Devoto. Once they added bassist Steve Diggle and drummer John Maher, they started performing regularly. Obviously the Sex Pistols were hot at the time. By the end of 1976, Buzzcocks released an EP on their own label. But then Devoto left unhappy with where punk music was going. Shelley took over the vocals. Diggle switched to guitar and Steve Garvey was the new bassist. They signed with United Artists. Their first few singles were sexually controversial so no one, including the BBC, would play them. They released a couple of albums and started to have chart success. Ever Fallen in Love reached #12 on the British Singles chart. The album Love Bites sold well. Promises reached #20 on the British Singles chart but it wasn't released on an album. The problem was UA was in the process of being sold to EMI. So things were on hold. I.R.S. released Singles Going Steady in the US. But the uncertainty of UA led to the Buzzcocks split in 1981. Singles Going Steady is available as a budget CD. Shelley had solo success with the 1981 single Homosapien. Buzzcocks reformed in 1989. Beware of re-recordings of their 70s singles. Shelley died in 2018. Diggle continues to record and tour as Buzzcocks. Here's the video for Promises by Buzzcocks.
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