Buzzcocks doing their thing, again

Trade Test Transmitions
The Buzzcocks
Reviewed by Neville Spencer

The Buzzcocks, one of the first punk bands, started playing as a group of teenagers in 1976. In 1976, the music industry had largely expunged the outburst of creativity and social comment which had reared its head during the late '60s and early '70s. Music by the mid-'70s was an almost-monolith of mindless disco.

The Buzzcocks were one of the very first of a wave of bands that challenged this state of affairs, shunning professionalism and the obligatory show biz glitter. Their music within this wave was quite distinctive -- thrashy guitar chords but with unusually melodic vocals. Their lyrics were largely of the kitsch love song genre, owing more than most such bands to the '70s mainstream in this respect.

The band was re-formed in 1990, still with original members Steve Diggle and Pete Shelley fronting. Since then they have done several large tours, including two of Australia. Trade Test Transmitions is their first album of new material written since they re-formed.

Very little has changed since 1976. Their latest album is thrashy guitar chords with unusually melodic vocals, lyrics largely of the kitsch love song genre. Given the trajectories of others who were a part of their era, this need not be a criticism. On the other hand, many other bands which have risen from the ferment created by bands such as the Buzzcocks have reached much more sophisticated levels of social-political comment and musical creativity.

The new album will still appeal to fans of original Buzzcocks material, being very much in the same vein. It doesn't, however, quite reach the heights of inspiration of some of their earlier material and, though enjoyable, doesn't contain anything that would quite measure up to any of their better-known songs of the previous era.

This article was posted on the Green Left Weekly Home Page.
For further details regarding subscriptions and
correspondence please contact glw@greenleft.org.au

Tools

• Bookmark This Page
• Print This Page