Few bands are as synonymous with the origins of UK punk than Manchester legends Buzzcocks. From their debut Spiral Scratch EP, widely credited as the first DIY record release, inspiring countless others to put their own music out in the following years, through bona fide classics like ‘Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t’ve)’ and ‘What Do I get?’, which still pack dancefloors wherever they’re played more than 40 years later, Buzzcocks are indelibly etched into the fabric of independent music.
And they’re still at it, creating vital new music, with a new album Sonics In The Soul recently released via Cherry Red Records. It’s the first new Buzzcocks record since the sad passing of founding member Pete Shelley in 2018, who gave co-founder Steve Diggle his blessing to carry on the band, and is full of all the melodic punk thrills that have become their hallmark.
We caught up with Steve Diggle to ask him ten questions…
What inspires you to make music?
The world outside and thoughts inside of what I call the poetry of life.
What is the best description of your music that you’ve read/heard in a review?
A mind-blowing perception of some of the greatest songs ever written only Steve Diggle and Buzzcocks can take you to the unknown.
What have been the biggest changes in the way music is made, played and shared since you started out? Are these changes for better or worse?
I started singing and playing guitar , it has changed to pressing a button and the computer is Elvis….
What do you enjoy most and least about playing live?
Everything is great about playing live unless you’re dead.
Is there a venue or city that you’d especially love to play, and why?
The people make the town and venue gig so every gig is the best everywhere,
What is the strangest thing that’s ever happened to you at a gig?
I threw my guitar in the air for the roadie to catch it flew forever.. like it had wings..
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be and why?
Less accountants. The music business is run by accountants that can’t sing.
If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and what would you work on together?
Bob Dylan ….I would write a song for him to sing/play on.
Who is your favourite new band/artist that we should be checking out and what do you like about them?
A busker called Boxman he plays a comb and spoons on Oxford street London.
If you could give any aspiring musicians one piece of advice, what would it be?
Listen to the sonics in your soul and do what you think is right. Not what others think is right for you.
Sonics In The Soul is out now on Cherry Red Records – order on vinyl or CD here
Find out more on Buzzcocks official website
Interview by Paul Maps
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