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 againLayin' 'round doing nothing like all my friendsPlay it cool don't get angry count up to tenJust like I was sixteen again
No one gets the lowdown right from the startEverybody gets the showdown right from the heartBut that's all that's on the menu and life's a la carteI don't know
Things in life are not played for keepsAnd it makes you happy, it'll make you weepAnd if you want some more practical adviceIf you can't think once then don't think twice'Cos things won't seem so niceYou'll wish you were sixteen again, oh no
Feeling rather strange when you're sixteen againThings don't seem the same, the past is so plainThis future is our future, this time's not a gameThis time you're sixteen again
Always on your own when there's nobody elseAsking myself would I be someone else?But after all life's only death's recompenseI don't know
Things in life are not played for keepsIf it makes you happy it'll make you weepAnd if you want some more practical adviceIf you can't think once then don't think twice'Cos things won't seem so niceYou'll wish you were sixteen again, oh no
Look at me here I am for your eyesMirrored proof of what you recognizeI know I never will feel quite like youAnd I know you won't treat me right till I doBut at least we'll know it's trueThat I'm sixteen again, oh no
Feeling like I'm almost sixteen againLayin' 'round doing nothing like all my friendsPlay it cool don't get angry count up to tenJust like I was sixteen again
Always on your own when there's nobody elseAsking myself would I be someone else?But after all life's only death's recompenseI don't know
Look at me here I am for your eyesMirrored proof of love's suicideI know I never will feel quite like youAnd I know you won't treat me right till I doBut at least we'll know it's trueThat I'm sixteen again, oh no
Sixteen againSixteen 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.