Original UK punk act the Buzzcocks kick-off their 40th Birthday celebrations this March with a tour of Australia and New Zealand. The stars of Dig it Up! 2013 return for the Golden Plains Festival plus headline shows across most capitols. Guests include HITS and Ausmuteants.
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. In 1989, the reconvened Shelley/Diggle/Garvey/Maher line-up toured 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”.
FEEL PRESENTS
BUZZCOCKS 40
Tickets on-sale Friday October 30th.
Thursday 10th March, 2016
Brisbane, The Triffid + HITS
Tickets $55.00 + bf from www.thetriffid.com.au
Friday 11th March, 2016
Sydney, The Factory + HITS
Tickets $55.00 + bf from www.factorytheatre.com.au
Saturday 12th March, 2016
Meredith, Golden Plains Festival. On-sale now!
Sunday 13th March, 2016
Melbourne, Corner Hotel + Ausmuteants
Tickets $55.00 + bf from www.cornerhotel.com
March 16th: Wellington, Bodega
March 17th: Dunedin, Refual
March 18th: Christchurch, Allen St.
March 19th: Auckland, Powerstation
Tickets for all New Zealand shows via www.plus1.co.nz
Tuesday 22nd March, 2016
Adelaide, The Gov
Tickets $53.00 + bf from www.thegov.com.au
Wednesday 23rd March, 2016
Perth, Rosemount Hotel
Tickets $55.00 + bf from www.rosemounthotel.com.au
