photo courtesy of Dan Goodwin

Three songs in and I was already in a state of euphoria.This maybe the closest I’ll ever get to the original 76/77 punk explosion but it felt as thriving and renewing as when people first described seeing them.

Starting with the snotty “Boredom” their appeal was still immediate as punk’s original epiphany played itself out onstage that night at the Royale. Watching them was beyond inspiring as it was like seeing the roots of a thousand bands come to life. Above all the set stressed what strong songwriters Shelley/Diggle have always been as each song was bursting with hooks.(How did this band never have a #1?) “i Don’t Mind” might be one of the most blissful punk songs ever written and hearing it executed live was a passport to a happier world. With swift breaks in between songs each one felt like a shock to the senses as they weaved newer material in between such 70’s classics like “Whatever Happened To”, “Autonomy” and “Why She’s a Girl at The Chainstore”.

It’s easy to take for granted how effortlessly the Buzzcocks worked love into a very unromantic genre but that was always part of the key to the band. These weren’t your typical punks and they’ve never followed that straight line. Deeper cuts like “Moving Away From the Pulsebeat” with it’s more experimental structure reminded of that ability to stretch out over the genre’s limited borders. Looking around at the crowd it was safe to say the average age was around 40 but it still had the energy to have loyal fans pogoing as if they were seconds from explosion. Perhaps one of the most “punk” things that night was purely coincidental as the Royale had a more relaxed security that allowed many to crowd surf without being quickly pulled down.

Their last four songs felt like a mad ascension as they ran through some of their most well known material from Singles Going Steady that still burned strong forty years on. There was no doubt that the Buzzcocks remain masters of the perfectly condensed pop song. Reality was a dream.

Setlist

Boredom
Fast Cars
Totally From the Heart
I Don’t Mind
People Are Strange Machines
What Ever Happened To?
Autonomy
Why She’s a Girl From the Chainstore
Moving Away From the Pulsebeat
Nothing Left
Sick City Sometimes
It’s Not You
Love You More
Promises
Noise Annoys
You Say You Don’t Love Me
Time’s Up

Encore:
What Do I Get?
Orgasm Addict
Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t’ve)
Harmony In My Head