Steve Diggle
Encyclopedia
Steve Diggle is a guitarist and vocalist in the British punk
band Buzzcocks
.
, and grew up in Bradford
and Rusholme
, where he was a mod. After attending Oldham College, he got a job, but was dismissed for organising a strike.
gig at Manchester's Lesser Free Trade Hall, in June 1976. Their manager Malcolm McLaren
introduced him to guitarist Pete Shelley
and vocalist Howard Devoto
, who were looking for a bassist for their band, the Buzzcocks
. John Maher joined as drummer and six weeks later the Buzzcocks played their first concert. Steve played bass at several concerts and on the Spiral Scratch
EP
. Howard Devoto left the Buzzcocks shortly after the EP was released, which prompted the band to reshuffle – Pete Shelley becoming lead vocalist as well as guitarist and Diggle switching from bass to guitar.
Steve Diggle wrote several songs for the Buzzcocks, including "Autonomy", "Fast Cars" (co-written with Howard Devoto and Pete Shelley
), "Love Is Lies" (perhaps the first Buzzcocks song featuring an acoustic guitar
), "Sitting Round At Home", "You Know You Can't Help It", "Mad Mad Judy", and, perhaps his most famous song, "Harmony in My Head
", a Top 40
hit in 1979.
, initially with ex-Buzzcock John Maher. Ex-Easterhouse
drummer Gary Rostock played on Diggle's 2000 release Some Reality.
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band Buzzcocks
Buzzcocks
Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band formed in Bolton in 1976, led by singer–songwriter–guitarist Pete Shelley.They are regarded as an important influence on the Manchester music scene, the independent record label movement, punk rock, power pop, pop punk and indie rock. They achieved commercial...
.
Early years
He was born in ManchesterManchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, and grew up in Bradford
Bradford, Manchester
Bradford is a district and electoral ward in the city of Manchester, England, two miles north east of the city centre. Bradford was for many years an economically deprived area but has undergone regeneration with the building of the City of Manchester Stadium which hosted the 2002 Commonwealth...
and Rusholme
Rusholme
-Etymology:Rusholme, unlike other areas of Manchester which have '-holme' in the place name is not a true '-holme'. Its name came from ryscum, which is the dative plural of Old English rysc "rush": "[at the] rushes"...
, where he was a mod. After attending Oldham College, he got a job, but was dismissed for organising a strike.
Buzzcocks
He attended the Sex PistolsSex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
gig at Manchester's Lesser Free Trade Hall, in June 1976. Their manager Malcolm McLaren
Malcolm McLaren
Malcolm Robert Andrew McLaren was an English performer, impresario, self-publicist and manager of the Sex Pistols and the New York Dolls...
introduced him to guitarist Pete Shelley
Pete Shelley
Pete Shelley is an English singer, songwriter and guitarist, best known as the leader of Buzzcocks.-Biography:...
and vocalist Howard Devoto
Howard Devoto
Howard Devoto is an English rock and roll singer-songwriter, who began his career as the frontman for the punk band Buzzcocks, but then left to form Magazine, one of the first post-punk bands...
, who were looking for a bassist for their band, the Buzzcocks
Buzzcocks
Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band formed in Bolton in 1976, led by singer–songwriter–guitarist Pete Shelley.They are regarded as an important influence on the Manchester music scene, the independent record label movement, punk rock, power pop, pop punk and indie rock. They achieved commercial...
. John Maher joined as drummer and six weeks later the Buzzcocks played their first concert. Steve played bass at several concerts and on the Spiral Scratch
Spiral Scratch (EP)
Spiral Scratch is a four-track EP by the British punk rock band Buzzcocks, recorded in 1976 and released in January 1977. It was the first punk record to be self-released , and only the third record ever by a British punk band When reissued in 1979, it...
EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
. Howard Devoto left the Buzzcocks shortly after the EP was released, which prompted the band to reshuffle – Pete Shelley becoming lead vocalist as well as guitarist and Diggle switching from bass to guitar.
Steve Diggle wrote several songs for the Buzzcocks, including "Autonomy", "Fast Cars" (co-written with Howard Devoto and Pete Shelley
Pete Shelley
Pete Shelley is an English singer, songwriter and guitarist, best known as the leader of Buzzcocks.-Biography:...
), "Love Is Lies" (perhaps the first Buzzcocks song featuring an acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
), "Sitting Round At Home", "You Know You Can't Help It", "Mad Mad Judy", and, perhaps his most famous song, "Harmony in My Head
Harmony in My Head
"Harmony in My Head" is a song by Buzzcocks. It was released as a single in 1979, reaching number 32 in the British charts. It is one of few Buzzcocks songs written and sung by guitarist Steve Diggle, and gives its title to his autobiography....
", a Top 40
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
hit in 1979.
Early solo career and Flag of Convenience
After the Buzzcocks split in 1981, Diggle dedicated to a brief solo era, releasing 50 Years Of Comparative Wealth EP (with the guest participations of fellow-Buzzcocks Steve Garvey and John Maher) the same year, and, in 1982, formed a new band, Flag of ConvenienceFlag of Convenience (band)
Flag of Convenience were a rock group formed in 1982 by former Buzzcocks members Steve Diggle and John Maher, along with bassist Dave Farrow and keyboard player D.P. The band continued with a changing line-up until 1989, with later incarnations releasing records under the names F.O.C. and Buzzcocks...
, initially with ex-Buzzcock John Maher. Ex-Easterhouse
Easterhouse (band)
Easterhouse was a British rock group from the mid- to late-1980s known for jangly guitars and leftist political leaning.- Original line-up :* Andy Perry - vocals, harmonica* Ivor Perry - guitar* Peter Vanden - bass guitar* Gary Rostock - drums...
drummer Gary Rostock played on Diggle's 2000 release Some Reality.
Singles
- 50 Years of Comparative Wealth E.P.50 Years Of Comparative Wealth E.P.50 Years of Comparative Wealth E.P. was a 1981 7" EP released by Steve Diggle of Buzzcocks. This was his first disc released in his solo career and without Buzzcocks, who by those days were disbanding...
(7" EP) (Liberty, 1981) - Heated and Rising EP (3:30 Records, September 1991)
Compilations
- The Best of Steve Diggle and Flag of Convenience - The Secret Public Years 1981-1989The Best Of Steve Diggle and Flag of Convenience - The Secret Public Years 1981-1989The Best of Steve Diggle and Flag of Convenience – The Secret Public Years 1981–1989 is a CD compilation of Buzzcocks' Steve Diggle first solo days and his subsequent band, Flag Of Convenience which compiles his post-Buzzcocks songs from 1981 to 1989, during the years Buzzcocks remained disbanded...
(Anagram, 2000)
Track listing
- Serious Contender
- Lie in Bed
- Hard Highway
- Wallpaper World
- See Through You
- Starbucks Around the World
- Across the Sun
- Round and Round
- Terminal
- If I Never Get to Heaven
- Jetfighter
- Shake the System
- Early Grave
Track listing
- Just Because
- Playing with Fire
- Where You're From
- Time of Your life
- Blowing Hot
- Three Sheets to the Wind
- What Else Can You Do
- Something in Your Mind
- Heavy Hammer
- All Around Your Face
- Turning Point