The Buzzcocks Live 1981

[@borderlands6606]

1976 - sitting with the volume set to 11 listening to Buzzcocks.
2020 - sitting with the volume set to 11 listening to Buzzcocks.

[@lennywebb6740]

Where did all that time go ? !!

[@stevecranie4254]

me too but now 2021

[@gilbertcabana467]

@@stevecranie4254 So glad I caught them live in Montreal in the late 80s

[@kipponi]

My youth where you go...? Still listening them now and then. I am old punk. 55.

[@dazibaodazibao2538]

@@kipponi I am 63, saw them In Paris in 77, still feel the same vibe each time I'm listening to them

[@ryandavis7758]

They're so tight, i didn't hear a single mistake through their entire set. Legendary band full of talent across all four members. I wish more people my age, 20, liked music with authenticity.

[@susanklein7448]

The only discernible mistake was John Maher's hat.

[@william1690]

Seen them 2 times in my era . Great music and these guys were one of. My favorite bands since the start in 1980. We had our own thing going on here in LA and OC. You should have been in it. These kid are have all grown up to be the parents of little robotic brats that have no clue about what the days of the underground and just how many lives were changed good and bad. I'm 59 now and still up on the lifestyle and listening to all of the music I loved to go to shows

[@blink-jd4if]

@@william1690they started on 76

[@geoffw1209]

There are quite a few mistakes but really…does it matter?

[@chriswhite5544]

Great that you like this at age 20 nowadays. I’m 60, 44 years ago my friends in HS and I played “Fast Cars” in front of the school in our little garage punk band. Still love these guys…

[@kameronwraithd.k.5363]

0:20 Why She's A Girl From The Chainstore
2:50 What Do I Get ?
5:45 Fast Cars
8:00 Fiction Romance
12:54 Harmony In My Head
16:04 Everybody's Happy Nowadays
19:16 Lipstick
22:00 Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)

24:46 Something's Gone Wrong Again
28:45 Airwaves Dream
32:05 Strange Thing
35:45 Noise Annoys
38:55 What Do You Know?
41:25 I Believe
47:07 Love Battery
49:19 Time's Up
53:15 Boredom

[@CS-sf1rz]

Thank you! What an amazing set

[@BarackObamaBoyHole]

Legend

[@sashamonique3005]

thank you for this!

[@paulflah4562]

Thanks from me too

[@scott12xu]

No “Orgasm Addict.” Interesting. 🤔 I guess by 1981 they were getting sick of it. How soon after this gig did they break up?

[@Metal_Horror]

My favorite from this set is Fast Cars. It kicks so much ass here. I love that Garvey drops the bass an octave during the verses in this version, a detail that improves the song so much from the studio version. 5:45

[@martinjohnston6685]

buzzcocks are masters at that first song i heard by them was what do i get,,,the solo sounds off , but so right.

[@jimjames3951]

john maher..incredible drummer

[@hellbillybilly4770]

NO fucking shit man! What a monster! They have never been as good without him

[@louiso.4325]

He was only a kid too!

[@Warrogue1]

Born 21 April, 1960, so he was just under 21 years old.

[@worsignor8519]

Always thought they had a great rythm section

[@bobbyshaftoe409]

And now an incredible photographer in the Outer Hebrides,an intergral part of one of the best bands ever! !

[@kevinadamson5768]

This group were truly pioneers in the crossover from punk to new wave, catchy tunes and another music in a different kitchen was truly a masterpiece.

[@martinfarrington1208]

One of the best bands in the history of music let alone Punk !

[@HollomanUFOLanding]

Best lyricists since the Beatles

[@singmetosleepidontwanttowa7492]

@@HollomanUFOLanding what about morrissey?

[@biggus56]

"One" of the best bands? The best band ever.

[@paulflah4562]

They were good

[@BoudicaJ]

@@biggus56 I agree totally. THE best band. Ever.

[@luisenriquearizmendi4771]

"Boredom" has the best solo in the history of music.

[@thekesslerboy9337]

Too many notes!

[@studig]

Our band had the privilege of supporting them twice in the last week. Despite the sadly missed Pete Shelley, Steve is still putting his soul into it

[@louistracy6964]

Agreed, Love thems attitudes.

[@Volanne]

What makes Buzzcocks so different and thrilling is their brilliant achievement in mingling the creativity and sophistication of legacy British Pop (Kinks), with the power and feeling of emergency of punk rock. Musicality and high standard songwriting made the difference.

[@chrisr5499]

I read that the Buzzcocks and Motorhead influenced the 1980's Hardcore Punk/Crust Sound drumming called D-Beat.

[@oreally8605]

You obviously have forgotten about The Jam

[@chrisr5499]

@@oreally8605 No loved The Jam

[@anonUK]

Didn't see much Kinks in here- maybe the feeling of being trapped in a suburb while life was going on elsewhere.

[@georgefromgreece4119]

@@chrisr5499 yes but is an older beat, since the days of jazz and rock and roll or even folk music.

[@LarzGustafsson]

I have no words. They are simply marvellous.

[@fosterch11]

Still are.

[@Antanix]

I often read your comments on punk-related videos, you have excellent tastes. Yes, this is really the very last golden age of punk. "Why She's The Girl From The Chainstore" and "What Do I Get" are perfect, tough and powerful.

[@LarzGustafsson]

Thank you.
Well, I consider bands like Infa Riot and red Alert great as well.

[@hellbillybilly4770]

Never forget the Buzzcocks are a '77 band Nuff said

[@meathook6318]

Rip Pete

[@marleybu302]

One of the best bands EVER! Pete Shelley's lyrics were really clever. The tunes were catchy as hell and the energy at their gigs was incredible. Simply brilliant! RIP Pete ❤️

[@24per24]

Who doesn’t like this??! OMG
Brilliant gig !!
Still watching and listening them in 2019 / 2020
R.i.P. Pete

[@hanskloss1331]

sounds great in 2024 as well

[@nebus5]

how four people can make such cacophony sound so wondrous and change so many lives os beyond me still

[@keith-leecastle6700]

Come on....One of the best bands....ever!........Every little "indie" kid should watch this..

[@Novotny72]

bass player is just killing it constantly. Everyone else is great too

[@lwess1]

Like a captain sailing in a storm!!🎸🎸🎸

[@joanneiles5562]

Wot a loss... God bless Pete rocking in heaven... 👏👏👏

[@ernestorengel4210]

punks doesnt belive in heaven jejejeje less in god… so only we can say is Pete was a great guy

[@MaximusWolfe]

@@ernestorengel4210
You don't know shit about punk you internet rebel. A man believes in God, an animal believes in nothing.

[@pokusitelkillmainstream9782]

@@MaximusWolfe If you believe in god you are not rebel at all!!!

[@tjmcdonald4747]

Pete certainly believed in God. That's kinda punk in the punk scene

[@stephengraham1430]

Was a huge buzzcocks fan from the outset even though I was only 12 when spiral scratch came out. Finally got to see them in October 1979 at the Sheffield top rank. Got to the door, shaking with excitement, with my ticket and th bloody doorman refused entry because I was too young. So I quite rightly burst into tears! Luckily, the bloke took pity on me and let me in - as long as my dad, who was with me, went in too .. (sorry, dad!). Truly blew my little mind. (Support not bad either ... an up and coming Postpunk band by the name of Joy Division...wonder what happened to them?)
Buzzcocks the greatest pop-punk band ever by a country mile but have never really received the credit and respect they deserve... they defined the ‘indie’ guitar band sound that became the mainstream in the 1990s and is still hugely important RIP PETE X

[@SimonMajumdar]

I was at that same gig. At the ripe old age of 15.

[@kevinhogan7814]

The height of their work together. One of the 5 greatest drummers in rock. The audience stares on in general indifference.

[@swesttttt]

What indifference? Go to 5:55 and point to an indifferent person. They’re having a right blast, as they should.
I’m guessing this commenter only looked at the audience when the band wasn’t playing, or later in the show when they were fucking exhausted. 🤷‍♀️

[@cliffdweller]

@@swesttttt A few blokes were hopping and bopping at the start of Something's Gone Wrong Again (24:46) and a few other places, but overall I have to agree with the original commenter. More indifference than excitement. The first thing I thought to myself was "this must be in Germany" - and sure enough, it was. I did enjoy the classic punk move at 25:10, however. Unfortunately, he's probably in a wheelchair now.

[@tether1887]

Recorded at the Markthalle, Hamburg 23 January 1981. Setlist:
Why She's A Girl From The Chainstore
What Do I Get ?
Fast Cars
Fiction Romance
Harmony In My Head
Everybody's Happy Nowadays
Lipstick
Ever Fallen In Love?
Something's Gone Wrong Again
Airwaves Dream
Strange Thing
Noise Annoys
What Do You Know?
I Believe
Love Battery
Time's Up
Boredom

[@michaeldesjardins1]

They would have been much more famous if they had a different name for American consumption. Good bless Pete Shelley.

[@JANER64]

ty ty the original uploader gave no info, as I said in an earlier reply this is the best Buzzcocks live gig I;ve come across so far on youtube :)

[@pabloescobar7647]

@@JANER64 took the words out my mouth ? Listening now on my headphones. Proper good banging gig no distortion! I saw them 93 in a marquee.. yeah excellent gig this.

[@CS-sf1rz]

THank you!!! Fiction romance is the best wow so stoked for that one live!!!!

[@csweet207]

Was Orgasm Addict released after 1981?

[@crgruverjr]

The epitome of bored indifference: 45:20 the boys in the front row reading a book as Pete screams "There is no love in this world anymore". Classic.

[@michaelpowell9608]

They are freaking flipping pages of some damn book while the best band of the era is 6 feet from them!

[@hollyknight6143]

Top Band. Ever Fallen in Love probably the best song ever written about unrequited love. RIP Pete Shelley

[@Fractalite]

This was the last ever show they played before the original split as far as I know . They just sounded so good , so tight . Such a rare live recording that you can actually hear every note Garvey's bass playing including all the slides and fills .

[@CS-sf1rz]

Amazing!!! So good !!!!

[@richardhoyle1138]

I saw them at Silverwell Street in Bolton about a month earlier. Amazing performance and only time I had ever seen a band trash their equipment at the end of a gig!

[@obieito2]

I learned such a lot playing over Garvey's lines...

[@rickyjaworek1268]

Bass players always my fave. Burnel, Adamson, Cross and Garvey.

[@davidcaruzzo5894]

Saw the Band in Queensland Australia, last century, just remember it was one of best gigs ever been to , university gig . everyone and the band was so energetic, I was about 21 years old , now 56 and still don't get listening to the band !!!!

[@MaximusWolfe]

Sometimes I forget how great this band was. Among the best song writers punk ever produced and a totally unique sound.

[@something_in_the_radiator1665]

now you'll always remeber.

[@user-qp5ko4rd1o]

They hate fast cars but their music is so fast. this is great.this is punk

[@gentillygirl545]

I adore songbirds like Pete Shelly. And lyrics that define the human condition.

[@bobgure]

Timeless and sublime.

[@jahnbon]

Late 1976: I go nto my local record store (.025 miles from home)
I buy ELO's "Living Thing," and an EP by this unfathomable band called" The Buzzcocks. The "Spiral Scratch."EP changed my life.
I was confused, but it was apparent that this record would guide me across many a boundary to come.
Late 1979, The Buzzcocks are among the last of the UK explosion bands to make it to NYC. Even The Clash didn't make it for a few months hence. I am re-arranging my life to see my beloved Buzzcocks. My friend insists that I don't sleep on the opening act. He wants to be certain that I will get there, share what he has seen.
September 1979. Opening act?
Gang Of Four.

[@pauldyer7077]

Pure pop punk perfection!❤

[@randyv.4206]

I remember buying A Different Kind Of Tension with my paper route money back in 1979. I was 12.

[@mickmcgowan7756]

They blow the clash out the water brilliant

[@bobbyshaftoe409]

6th Dec 2018... a very sad day with the passing of Punk Legend/ Wordsmith Pete Shelley. R.I.P. Pete Luckily I had the great honour of seeing them live a few times when they were in their hay-day. FANTASTIC !!

[@philippes2962]

the days are sad to~~~

[@hendrixdeadboy]

"It's the aim of existence to offer resistance to the flow of time" Mission accomplished, Pete.

[@oneeyedjack24]

Pete Shelley was a genius. One of the best I saw in my life. 16 again forever.

[@stevewilson9479]

i love this..what a band!!! God i wish i was there but i was only a schoolboy & thats worse

[@smoog]

Damn they were tight! Fantastic playing.

[@SonofDave]

So long Pete Shelley. Thanks for the brilliance.

[@spookybaba]

What a delight watching them enjoy playing Boredom. They really loved that song the most, and you can tell. It's made me smile for a while.

[@anttherubbishdrummer.8513]

RIP Pete Shelley. A great musician, song writer, performer and such a stand out voice.

[@misterdavid5400]

Please preserve this gig in the archives. The perfect exposition of the Buzzcocks at their peak. The German crowd were spoilt with an amazing gig that night.

[@geotechmore8855]

The Buzzcocks are pop punk at it's best... :D They were at the start of punk's 1970's punk and played alongside the Sex Pistols, The Clash and many other bands. They were different then most punk bands in that they weren't political. They write about broken hearts, broken relationships. Many can relate.

[@fabiopunk1661]

yes - they started from a simple idea and expanded it, with wit. you add the rest. and the music is brilliant.

[@geotechmore8855]

:D

[@karlclarke]

***** yeah seems they were more like the Jam, sort of punk/mod revival

[@geotechmore8855]

karl clarke Yes... True... :D

[@slimedog]

***** Underrated band- more or less invented pop/punk but have much more substance than a lot of the bands that sprung from that style.

[@garethjohn6067]

Manchester. Best punk bands. No arguing.

[@outtathyme5679]

Pete has a perfect sense of rock and roll. No one better

[@gentillygirl545]

Joe Strummer, but they were colleagues eh?

[@gentillygirl545]

One of the best song writers in existence, with the added bonus of the incredible voice and stage presence to boot.

[@stevenbosky8451]

God Bless the Buzzcocks

[@gordonjohnston9865]

Truly awesome stuff from the Buzzcocks. The fact that this video has only 70 odd thousand views compared to several million views for multiple shit bands shows how brain-dead our planet is.

[@gentillygirl545]

No shit. The Buzzcocks are up in my top five. Pete Shelley is a poetic genius, and Diggle rocks ass.

[@paulsavage5057]

People must or may listen with their ears closed and their ears are not open to new ideas in music. It's easier not to think than to think about what music one is listening to. Maybe music is not as important to youth as it once was in terms of identity.

[@kryptichands968]

Amen and cheers

[@jakerock_]

God help the coming generations

[@JohnRBIV]

It’s too upbeat for me honestly

[@fenderrockab6858]

RIP Pete shelley, you were one of my heroes. I'm only 20. Saw the Buzzcocks twice.

[@martingibbens2931]

steve diggle has one of the most recognizable and amazingly incredible affects in punk

[@boogiemite]

+Martin Gibbens don't you mean pete shelley?

[@martingibbens2931]

no, i mean steve diggle's stage presence

[@spookybaba]

Diggle is a Mod who just ended up in a punk band. And man, I'm glad that he did 😊

[@jasonloader8149]

Oh - JM didn’t do the thing where he changes the swing of Fiction Romance by crashing the cymbal on the 3rd beat instead of the 4th halfway through the tune. It’s so brilliant on AMINADK. Fucking genius - best drummer ever

[@taurangasurf]

Glad to find this gem. I met them backstage after they played at The Chancellor Hall, Chelmsford, Essex, UK….late 70s. Great friendly lads.

[@philippes2962]

one of the best Punk~bands ever !

[@deanpruden3424]

PURE CLASS........ SAY NO MORE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@MKMKMK1986]

Saw them 76 wow I was allways at the front nearly passing out 😊 thay crack it 💯 yet again ❤

[@hummerman62]

One of the best, tight as fuck, full of angst and promise...

[@misterdavid5400]

Very glad to eventually see them live before Pete passed. My first punk album on vinyl - Another music in a different kitchen. How much is that album worth now???? Priceless I think

[@gentillygirl545]

Thank the Universe this was my formative influence when I was in my teens and early 20s in the late 70s and early 80s. It built character.

[@govinda102000]

Best show in history. Wish I was there. I was lucky enough to see them in a small venue in Danbury CT early 90s.

[@DrStepperphd]

Damn… These guys rock so hard!!!

[@pilarzj]

LOVE LOVE LOVE.....RIP PETE.....THANKS FOR IT ALL

[@teriakamoto]

incredible. note for note perfection live.999 was incredible live as well at the same era.surprised to find this .brilliant.

[@jamiemac87]

One of the best and most influential punk bands of all time. I was brought up listening to these guys and it never, ever gets old. I've seen them live a few times recently and Shelley and Diggle are still absolutely superb on stage.

[@davidsigalow7349]

I saw them live around this time, and yes, they ripped through a 65-minute high-powered set like this, leaving everyone exhausted. Good time.

[@BobbyGeneric145]

My favorite Buzzcocks song is Just Lust

[@josephhancook8287]

I've always had a special place in my heart for them. I was a junior in high school when The ep with what do you know came out over here. I loved all there earlier stuff but something about 'what do you know ' really hit he with me. It made me want to write. Not just songs but everything. No one sounds like the Buzzcocks. Rest easy Pete and thank you.

[@colingregson244]

great time.for British music late Seventies .never surpassed.! to this day.

[@VincentRE79]

+colin gregson Completely agree 76-80 was the last great period for Brit music.

[@liennahcarts5371]

Colin Gregson are you still touring with Vim Fuego and the other guys in Bad News?

[@andypontinen]

Incredible energy, really tight playing, really raw sound without heavy distortion, sounds like they were only playing really loud. Still the balance between instruments and vocals works well. Best live acts I've never seen

[@aaronjschaefer]

Saw them in the 90's... still to this day one of the bands I can't believe I got to experience live...

[@stevenstein6591]

I saw them in NYC in 1988
They were fuckin amazing!

[@markburke3108]

Drummer only 21/22. Best I've ever played with

[@TheFpCassini]

pray tell

[@robertcaffrey6097]

I was 9 years old in 1977 when I first heard the song Boredom and I instantly fell in love with Buzzcocks and have never got tired of listening to their music, these guys invented power pop. One of my absolute favourite bands in the entire universe and chorus. During the UK82 punk scene I got the piss constantly taken out of me for being a Buzzcocks fan because it was more matcho to be a hard core punk . Lifes an illusion and love is a dream Crass got that from Buzzcocks. In a bizarre twist Buzzcocks and Motorhead are considered the two influences behind the Dbeat hardcore style.

[@MattmanLovesMusic]

This is just great!! Stopped worrying about coronavirus for a bit. Listening on my patio on a warm late winter night in Philly with a speaker.

[@zub305]

Diggle is right on the case wit this set ..... brilliant, obviously the unsung other two and rip Pete.

[@laplumaeclectica3853]

MARAVILLOSOS

[@elynnor6751]

greatest ever. rest in punk pete ❤️

[@mikaelsjoberg1894]

Oh How Beautiful.Pure Magic.

[@oreally8605]

These blokes are so on line with the Jam at that time. Although the Jam were the biggest band in England and part of the states.

[@mukkaspec3333]

I agree. Still and always will be obsessed with The Jam, but The Buzzcocks never got mentioned in the same breath. Steve Diggle the true Mod . They were passionate just like the fab 3.

[@mattthompson9395]

This is one of my favorite videos on the internet

[@mattthompson9395]

The BEST video on the internet

[@andyrussell1219]

I have the VHS taped , watched it many times

[@4578a]

This is what's cool about the Internet.

[@CS-sf1rz]

Yes!!!!!!!

[@mikaelsjoberg1894]

Pure bliss and beauty.

[@martinjohnston6685]

so tight , the drummer is superb.

[@sparker9828]

thanks for the download,took me back to my childhood,im 50 now and still love it

[@kevinadamson5768]

Epic performance

[@genki2genki]

White hot version of What Do You Know. Loved those final few singles these pop Einsteins made.

[@kryptichands968]

Love that bass

[@jimjames3951]

"ever fall un in luv wif sum one ya shunt av" lol

[@heriveltojorgedesouza7964]

Thanks for ALL .I Saw tem twice here in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.They were brilliants as always...

[@jonwiley9040]

Wonderful concert by the Buzzcocks!!!!Lots of energy!!!!!

[@davidcejas6022]

K buen recitalllll...esto es punk rock...vamos los buzzcocks

[@sashamonique3005]

steve garvey is incredibly beautiful and underrated

[@stevencowie7151]

The only pop music I listened to. RIP. Never bettered.

[@duncan-rmi]

moved to london in late 1989. first gig I went to was the residents, at sadlers wells, & pete shelley was sat right in front of me. a few weeks later there's howard devoto on the 38 bus into town- saw him a lot. then met diggle in the maplins store in camden. still working on collecting the rest.... buzzcocks pokemon!
loved "sky yen" too.

[@russbeard3665]

Love their song writing. This music makes me feel reeeeealllllyyyy ALIVE!!!

[@pointnozzleaway]

Buzzcocks...always on my IPOD. ALWAYS !!

[@ClueSign]

For the past thirty-eight years I've had Singles Going Steady on my ipod and have run three miles a day to it. The tempos synch perfectly with my breathing. Or maybe I've learned to breathe in Buzzcocks Tempo - more likely.

[@rickyjaworek1268]

If i had to ask someone to write a love song, Pete Shelley and no one else. The last line of Love You More.

[@carrite]

This is stellar... Great sound and a great set list by the band at the height of their powers...

[@evomonsterandy]

Rip pete, i was lucky enough to see them twice, still the best band i have seen live.

[@pabloescobar7647]

Sounds brilliant for live. Way back. Seen these in Stratford in 93 .top gig. Pete s. R.i.p.

[@MrJampot64]

Wow! forgotten how good these guys were. Total energy gig. Fantastic live sound.The bass sounds great. Growling bottom end with some mid/high punch. Harmony in my head is outstanding , great vocals on that track. The crowd is a bit lame though.

[@josephcadaoas7590]

Green day,Oasis they got all of this frm them!!!

[@MarkkuKoljonenwTinja]

💓 by Anna,Tinja&Markku :D

[@neilkidger886]

Was there in the 80s Blackburn king George's hall,epic,will never forget,the best time.