THE BUZZCOCKS "WHY CAN'T I TOUCH IT ?" . . . . SET AGAINST A FAIRLY TASTY UPLOADER MADE CLIP . . . . I HAD THE CHANCE TO SEE DIGGLE, SHELLEY AND THE COCKS TWICE IN THE LATE EIGHTIES/EARLY NINETIES . . . . BOTH TIMES THEY WERE THE PERFECT BAND . . . . BUT FROM WHERE WE STOOD IN THE THRONG IT WAS A NEW TENSION IN A DIFFERENT KIND OF KITCHEN . . . .

Pete Shelley had found huge international success in the early eighties with 'Homosapien' which clearly put the shits right up Steve Diggle, in combination with the ill will existing already between the band's two principle players after an acrimonious split after the last studio album . . . . apparently friction between them on tour after the reformation was wound tight and very visible the whole way through, by the time they hit Oz, it was death stares at ten paces . . . .



THE BAND PLAYED BRILLIANTLY, BOTH TOURS, ALL THE CLASSICS, ONE AFTER ANOTHER, VOCALS, GUITARS, BASS AND DRUMS ALL IN PIN POINT PRECISION, FUCK ME, YOU DON'T QUITE REALISE THE EXTENT AND DEPTH OF THEIR CATALOGUE OF TUNES UNTILL YOU HEAR THEM LIVE, THIS PAIR OF MANCUNIANS WROTE SOME OF THE BESY AND MOST UNIQUE MUSIC OF THE ENTIRE PUNK/POST PUNK EPOCH !!!!

Throughout both gigs, about eighteen months apart, Messrs Shelley and Diggle had no interaction with each other on stage, icy would've seemed warm, if it was 'cordial' it was frozen into popsicles !! At the conclusion of the gig on the first tour of '89 or thereabouts, Diggle came straight from the stage, guitar in its stand, still 'on' and screaming feedback, and started handing out these weird little pamphlets among the audience . . . . feeling a bit insecure Stevie lad . . . . Pete's solo success getting up your snout . . . . big plans for a nothing solo release . . . . fuck me, why would you put yourself in the position of confirming to the gathered masses that you're jealous as hell and green with envy about the one hit wonder that 'Homo Sapien' was . . . . ???? Weirdorama Dalai Lama !!!

It's all beside the point for the band that was formed hot on the heels of the Sex Pistols legendary first gig in Manchester, [both Diggle and Shelley actually were there as opposed to the many thousands who say they were . . . see my post of some months ago] they collectively penned some of the most memorable and loved songs of the time and are still seriously influential to this day. If you haven't got any of their albums in your collection you need to get your shit wired tight and get on board . . . . The Buzzcocks, a delightfully different kind of tension.