Editing Buzzcocks (section)

=== Early years ===
[[Howard Trafford]], a student at [[University of Bolton|Bolton Institute of Technology]] who had been involved in electronic music, placed a notice in the college looking for musicians to play [[The Velvet Underground]]'s song "[[Sister Ray]]".<ref name="urbis" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://pitchfork.com/features/interviews/7583-buzzcocks/ |title=Pitchfork: Buzzcocks interview |date=29 January 2009 |publisher=Pitchfork Media |access-date=15 April 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090313020230/http://pitchfork.com/features/interviews/7583-buzzcocks/ |archive-date=13 March 2009  }}</ref> Fellow student [[Peter McNeish]], who had played in a rock band called Jets of Air, responded to the notice.<ref name="urbis">{{cite web |author=Aidan O'Rourke |url=http://www.aidan.co.uk/article_urbis_buzzcocks.htm |title=Event Review: An Evening with Buzzcocks |date=12 August 2005 |publisher=Urbis Manchester |access-date=22 August 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051031010125/http://www.aidan.co.uk/article_urbis_buzzcocks.htm |archive-date=31 October 2005 }}</ref><ref name=":13"/>

By late 1975, Trafford and McNeish had recruited a drummer and formed an early version of what would become Buzzcocks. The band formed in February 1976; McNeish assumed the stage name Pete Shelley and Trafford named himself Howard Devoto.<ref>Some sources claim the surname came from a "bus driver in Cambridge" mentioned by a philosophy tutor at Bolton (e.g. Dave Wilson, 2004, ''Rock Formations: Categorical Answers to how Band Names Were Formed'', San Jose:, Cidermill Books, pp. 38–9). Other accounts link it to US novelist [[Bernard DeVoto]]. (See, for example, Adrian Room, 2010, ''Dictionary of Pseudonyms: 13,000 Assumed Names and Their Origins, 5th ed.'', Jefferson, North Carolina/London, McFarland & Company, pp. 38, 144.)</ref>

Devoto and Shelley chose the name "Buzzcocks" after reading the headline "It's the Buzz, Cock!" in a review of the television series ''[[Rock Follies]]'' in ''[[Time Out (company)|Time Out]]'' magazine.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Nicholds |first1=Andrew |title="It's The Buzz, Cock!" |journal=Time Out |date=1976 |issue=310, 20-26 February 1976 |page=11}}</ref> The "buzz" is the excitement of playing on stage and "cock" is northern English slang meaning "friend". They thought the name captured the excitement of the nascent punk scene and had humorous sexual connotations following Pete Shelley's time working in a Bolton adult shop.<ref name="Gimarc">{{cite book |last=Gimarc |first=George |year=2005 |title=Punk Diary: The Ultimate Trainspotter's Guide to Underground Rock 1970–1982 |publisher=Backbeat Books |isbn=0-87930-848-6 |page=27}}</ref>

Buzzcocks performed live for the first time on 1 April 1976 at their college. [[Garth Davies]] played bass guitar and Mick Singleton, who also played in local band Black Cat Bone, played drums.<ref name="buzzcocksdiscography">{{cite web |title=Discography |url=http://www.buzzcocks.com/buzzcocksdiscography.txt |website=Buzzcocks.com |format=TXT |date=24 February 2004 |access-date=22 August 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090905082535/http://www.buzzcocks.com/buzzcocksdiscography.txt |archive-date=5 September 2009 }}</ref>

After reading an ''[[NME]]'' review of [[Sex Pistols]]' first performance, in February 1976, Shelley and Devoto travelled to [[High Wycombe]] together to see Sex Pistols.<ref name=":13">{{cite book |last1=Crampton |first1=Luke |title=The Q Book of Punk Legends |last2=Rees |first2=Dafydd |publisher=Guinness Publishing Ltd |year=1996 |location=Enfield, UK |pages=32–37}}</ref> Shelley and Devoto were impressed by the show and arranged for Sex Pistols to perform at the [[Free Trade Hall|Lesser Free Trade Hall]] in Manchester in June 1976. Buzzcocks intended to play at this concert but the other musicians dropped out, and Shelley and Devoto were unable to recruit replacements in time for the gig. Once they had recruited bass guitarist [[Steve Diggle]] and drummer [[John Maher (Buzzcocks drummer)|John Maher]], Buzzcocks made their debut opening for Sex Pistols' second Manchester concert on 20 July 1976 at the same venue.<ref name=":13"/> A brief clip of Devoto-era Buzzcocks performing [[the Troggs]]' "[[I Can't Control Myself]]" appears in the documentary ''Punk: Attitude'', which was directed by [[Don Letts]]. Buzzcocks made their London debut at [[The Screen on the Green]] in support of [[the Clash]] and Sex Pistols, while the next month they played the two-day [[100 Club Punk Festival]], which was organised by [[Malcolm McLaren]], and would later replace [[The Damned (band)|the Damned]] on the Anarchy in the UK Tour.<ref name=":13"/><ref>{{Cite news |last=Welch |first=Jon |date=2016-12-03 |title=Sex Pistols: Anarchy in the UK and the tour they tried to ban |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-norfolk-38165091 |access-date=2023-09-17}}</ref>

In between these live performances, Buzzcocks began developing their own material and recorded an 11-track demo at Stockport Studios which was eventually released in 1991.<ref name=":13" /> By the end of the year, Buzzcocks had recorded and released a four-track [[Extended play|EP]] called ''[[Spiral Scratch]]'', which they released on their own label New Hormones, making them one of the first punk groups to establish an [[independent record label]].<ref name=":0" /> The EP was produced by [[Martin Hannett]] at Indigo Sound Studios; the music was roughly recorded, insistently repetitive and energetic.<ref>{{Citation |last=Ogg |first=Alex |title=Buzzcocks - Spiral Scratch Album Review |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/spiral-scratch-mw0000605723 |access-date=2023-09-18 |language=en}}</ref> The EP was re-released in September 1979 and reached number 31 in the charts.<ref name=":13" />

In March 1977, Devoto announced his departure from the band, expressing his dissatisfaction at the direction punk was taking in his statement: "I don't like movements. What was once unhealthily fresh is now a clean old hat".<ref>{{Cite web |date=2008-12-12 |title=Howard Devoto on why it's the right time for a Magazine reunion |url=http://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/dec/12/magazine-howard-devoto |access-date=2022-06-23 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}</ref> He returned to college for a year then formed a band called [[Magazine (band)|Magazine]]. Pete Shelley took on the vocal duties for Buzzcocks and moved away from social commentary to adolescent themes.<ref name=":0" /> Steve Diggle switched from bass to guitar, and Garth Davies—also known as Garth Smith—rejoined Buzzcocks to play bass. The band joined The Clash as support on their White Riot tour.<ref name=":13" />