Magic Bag Presents: Buzzcocks

Limited Seating. First Come, First Served. Buzzcocks Senses Out Of Control In a darkening musical landscape where viral fads and AI-generated fakery share chart-space with the self-absorbed products of the nations 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 bands legendary status will be set in stone literally with their inclusion in the Music Walk Of Fame in September, joining an illustrious roll call including David Bowie, The Who, Madness and Amy Winehouse. The bands never-better live shows, meanwhile, are electrifying reminders of rock musics power to inspire, educate and inform. All delivered with an energy and conviction of a band half their age. Its my lifeblood, says Steve Diggle 68 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. Ive still got the fire in my belly. Some musicians get bored of being on the road, but Im institutionalised. Ive done 50-odd years of staying in hotels. Its what I signed up for. Ever since I saw Bob Dylan in the back of a black taxi in (D.A. Pennebakers 1967 documentary) Dont 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. Theres not a lot of intellectual or emotional thinking in music these days, observes Steve. People are being controlled. Theyll watch a video of someone falling over a banana skin and think theyre being entertained. They dont realise the beauty of words, and the power of music. Id like to think young kids who come to see us feel the same excitement I got from Little Richard and Chuck Berry. It goes back to the punk thing. It was about attitude and a way of thinking. We had the questions, but we didnt have the answers. But the questions are the important thing. This desire to challenge both themselves and their audiences was reflected in 2022s 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 Shelleys McCartney. 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 cant carry on without Pete. But Id always written my own songs. Looking back, we were like two mountain climbers. We needed each other. But since then Ive taken [the band] on and it made it more heroic. Buzzcocks have always been about innovation, experimentation and taking risks. In 1977, the bands 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.