Buzzcocks’ Pete Shelley was planning to reprise greatest songs on tour

Punk pioneer Pete Shelley was planning to reprise his greatest songs on tour before his sudden death prior to Christmas, he said in his final interview.

The Buzzcocks frontman had hoped to get together with his band for a Christmas meal to plan the future and discuss the shows, he told Record Collector (RC) magazine.

The influential singer/songwriter died on December 6, aged 63, at his home in Estonia, prompting tributes from across the music scene, including from Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam and Pixies.

In his final interview days before his sudden death, Shelley told RC: “We’ve got our last gig of the year in Holland in a couple of weeks (The Buzzcocks were due to play Arnhem on 14 December 2018) so we’ll talk it over then.

“Get together and have a cosy Buzzcocks’ Christmas dinner.”

Shelley, who co-founded the band and penned the 1978 punk classic Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t’ve), said their music had “stood the test of time”.

He added: “And there’s something that happens when we go onstage and play those songs that’s just fantastic.

“It’s gone down the generations. We’ve had mothers and daughters at gigs and now we’re at the grandmothers, mothers and daughters stage.

“I mean, we were never successful in chart terms: our highest chart position was No 12 for Ever Fallen In Love.

“The success is how we’ve become a part of people’s lives. But these are the things you can’t plan for.”

Shelley was born in Leigh, Greater Manchester, and formed Buzzcocks in Bolton in 1975 with Howard Devoto, who went on to form another influential act, Magazine.

Four Buzzcocks albums will be reissued this year by Domino Records.

– The full interview is in the new edition of Record Collector.