Buzzcocks

For generations, Manchester, UK has been ground zero for forward-thinking indie music—and for that, you can thank Buzzcocks.

College mates/guitarists Howard Devoto and Pete Shelley formed the band in 1976 at the dawn of punk’s first wave and, that June, booked the notorious Sex Pistols gig at Lesser Free Trade Hall where future members of Joy Division and The Fall found their calling.

And their 1977 debut EP, Spiral Scratch, was not only among the first UK punk releases, but also the scene’s first truly DIY artifact.