Original UK punk-act the Buzzcocks kick-off their 40th Birthday celebrations this March with a tour of Australia.

Pete Shelley and Howard Devoto formed Buzzcocks in Bolton in February 1976. The band, completed by the addition of Steve Diggle and John Maher, opened for the Sex Pistols in Manchester on July 20th, a follow up to the now (in)famous Lesser Free Trade Hall gig which Devoto and Shelley had organised the month before.

Gigs in Manchester and London followed, and by the end of 1976, Buzzcocks became one of the first groups to form their own independent record label - New Hormones - on which they released the now-legendary and seminal ‘Spiral Scratch’ EP.

The following year saw the departure of Devoto and the recruitment of bassist Steve Garvey. In August 1977, the band signed a recording contract with United Artists Records and released the landmark ‘Orgasm Addict’ single. This was swiftly followed by ‘What Do I Get?’, the band’s first entry into the UK top 40 singles chart and the first of a string of chart singles. Over the next three years, Buzzcocks toured extensively and released a trilogy of outstanding albums: ‘Another Music in a Different Kitchen’, ‘Love Bites’ and ‘A Different Kind of Tension’, as well as the hugely influential and popular ‘Singles Going Steady’ compilation. In 1981, the band went their separate ways to undertake new projects.

1989 saw the reconvened Shelley/Diggle/Garvey/Maher line-up tour the world again by popular demand. Since then, the Shelley/Diggle partnership has been the core of sustained and successful activity without pause, punctuating the years of high profile gigging to date with six successful and well-received studio albums, culminating in 2015's ‘The Way’.

Few have had the longevity and sustained creative energy to produce the seemingly endless stream of truly original and fantastic pop songs that Pete Shelley and Steve Diggle have consistently delivered over the last four decades. Original and best.

Don't miss one of the iconic bands of the original punk movement and one of the biggest influences on contemporary punk, live this March. Tickets for all shows on-sale Friday October 30th. 

Tour Dates

Newstead The Triffid
Thursday 10 March 2016
Supported by HITS

Sydney The Factory
Friday 11 March 2016
Supported by HITS

Meredith Golden Plains Festival
Saturday 12 March 2016

Melbourne The Corner
Sunday 13 March 2016
Supported by Ausmuteants

Adelaide The Gov
Tuesday 22 March 2016

Perth The Rosemount
Wednesday 23 March 2016