Brand new album from punk pioneers Buzzcocks is here and I’ve been lucky enough to have had it on rotation at RPM Towers for a while and whilst I’ve dealt with the name and Petes passing I know there will be departments of the punk rock police who will be all over this but I’m ok with the elephant in the room and respect Diggle and co for continuing as Buzzcocks, sure from a marketing perspective its a no brainer and they’ll get a lot more tracktion with th eband name over Diggle solo (no disrespect intended but its a fact) Anyway, Lets move on its a new year and a new album is in hand and to be fair pound for pound its a slow burning slab of puk rock that deserves a lot of credit from Diggle stepping out of his comfort zone of penning a few tunes on a Buzzcocks album to being the captain of the ship and to his credit he handles it like a master of his craft. The vocals are like a fine wine and matured from the Diggle of yesteryear, and I’m sure there would have been conversations in the recording studio as to how Shelley would have handled a verse or melody and treated it respectfully without trying too hard to mimic or force it.

The record begins with the opening single ‘Queen Of The Scene’, and hats off, it’s a bloody good song, and it grows over time to be a very impressive dark melody with a good hook on the chorus. The band know what they’re doing, and whilst there are album tracks present, they are few and far between, and some of the subtle moments and interplay are exquisite at times ‘Tear Of A Golden Girl’ and ‘Heavy Street’ both spring to mind.

Sure, it’s not a ‘Love Bites’ or ‘Singles Going Steady’, but it’s a standalone collection and is a really strong collection of tunes. I particularly like the arrangement of the acoustic-driven ‘All Gone To War’. Diggle handles the vocals throughout the record really well and does a great job being the “vocalist” in the band.

It’s 2026, and Buzzcocks are still relevant, and this record is a mature statement of intent and with songs as good as the big strumming riffs of ‘Jesus At The Wheel,’ why shouldn’t we still be applauding them for their efforts Diggle sounds like latter-day Bowie here, which is impressive. Fearlessly diving into the unknown but with a bunch of top tunes. To be fair, as the album charges towards the finish line, the songs get louder and the final fling is excellent, with some familiar one-string licks on ‘Just A Dream’ and then the vibrant ‘Feeling Uptight’ and talking of uptight the penultimate song ‘Break That Ball And Chain’ has a distinct Motown backbeat feel to it which is a surprise and a very pleasant one at that. Then the dark curtain call of ‘The Greatest OF Them All’ leaves you wanting more.

Fourteen songs is value for money and easy to see why they needed an outlet for the music. Still writing sharp tunes, delivering them with attitude, it’ll do for me and long may it continue. Buzzcocks Forever Forever Buzzcocks! Buy It!

Buy Here

Author: Dom Daley