Moving away from the pulsebeat - Buzzcocks at Brixton Academy

Last night I went down to Brixton Academy to see the Buzzcocks. I suspect that these days most people know the bind purely by their name and the TV show. Then there are a whole other lot of people who know the band by the various cover versions of "Ever Fallen in Love". And then there are people like me who think "Another music in a different kitchen" is one of the finest albums ever made. For some reason I always thought of the Buzzcocks as a bit of a strange band. They never quite fitted into any genre. They were not quite a punk band, although they were an integral part of the scene. They seemed in some ways "poppier" than the rest of the bands on the scene, yet their first single was lovingly entitled Orgasm Addict and for some strange reason I found the cover of the single deeply disturbing at the time (probably my Catholic upbringing).



The Buzzcocks performing "Moving away from the Pulsebeat".

The last time I'd seen the Buzzcocks was probably in 1979. They effectively did two sets, the first was the current line up doing later material, then the second half of the show was the "classic" line up. Thy kicked off with "Fast Cars". This was one of my favourite songs, so I knew I'd enjoy the gig. Half way through someone decided to shower Steve Diggle with beer. Bad mistake. Clearly they have forgotten that punk bands are a bit more feisty than some of the newer arrivals on the scene. "If you want to do that, fuckin come up here and i'll knock you out, dickhead, fucking coward hiding behind a crowd" or words to that effect. No more beer was thrown.

There are many great tracks performed by the Buzzcocks. The whole crowd joined in for "aah aah's" as the set warmed up. There are many tracks by the Buzzcocks which I love, but right now "Sixteen again" seems to be the most poignant. Whilst it is merely a song, there is some very relevent philosophy present in Pete Shelley's wise words

Feeling like I'm almost sixteen again Layin' 'round doing nothing like all my friends Play it cool don't get angry count up to ten Just like I was sixteen again
No one gets the lowdown right from the start Everybody gets the showdown right from the heart But that's all that's on the menu and life's a la carte I don't know
Things in life are not played for keeps And it makes you happy, it'll make you weep And if you want some more practical advice If you can't think once then don't think twice 'Cos things won't seem so nice You'll wish you were sixteen again, oh no
Feeling rather strange when you're sixteen again Things don't seem the same, the past is so plain This future is our future, this time's not a game This time you're sixteen again
Always on your own when there's nobody else Asking myself would I be someone else? But after all life's only death's recompense I don't know
Things in life are not played for keeps If it makes you happy it'll make you weep And if you want some more practical advice If you can't think once then don't think twice 'Cos things won't seem so nice You'll wish you were sixteen again, oh no
Look at me here I am for your eyes Mirrored proof of what you recognize I know I never will feel quite like you And I know you won't treat me right till I do But at least we'll know it's true That I'm sixteen again, oh no
Feeling like I'm almost sixteen again Layin' 'round doing nothing like all my friends Play it cool don't get angry count up to ten Just like I was sixteen again
Always on your own when there's nobody else Asking myself would I be someone else? But after all life's only death's recompense I don't know
Look at me here I am for your eyes Mirrored proof of love's suicide I know I never will feel quite like you And I know you won't treat me right till I do But at least we'll know it's true That I'm sixteen again, oh no
Sixteen again Sixteen again

For the encore we got a real treat. Original vocalist, Howard Devoto arrived on stage. Devoto went bald early. Much of the audience now has caught him up. It was rather interesting how someone who seemed prematurely old and strange and a bit arty  has morphed into the ageing rock star with grace and humour and now looks young for his age. His advice "turn up your hearing aids" was then blasted by a great rendition of "breakdown", "Times up" and "Boredom" from Spiral Scratch. I'd never seen Devoto with the band, so it was a real treat. I doubt it will be another 33 years before I see the band.