Steve Diggle

Steve Diggle

Steve Diggle is a musician from Manchester, United Kingdom, born in 1955. He is best known for his work with Buzzcocks, and is also associated with Flag of Convenience and Buzzcocks F.O.C..

Early life and first connection with punk

Diggle grows up in Manchester and also spends part of his youth in Bradford and Rusholme, where he is a mod. After attending Oldham College, he takes a job but is dismissed for organising a strike. In June 1976, he attends the Sex Pistols’ gig at Manchester’s Lesser Free Trade Hall, where Malcolm McLaren introduces him to guitarist Pete Shelley and vocalist Howard Devoto, who are looking for a bassist for their band.

Buzzcocks

John Maher joins as drummer, and six weeks later the Buzzcocks play their first concert. Diggle plays bass at several concerts and on the Spiral Scratch EP. After Howard Devoto leaves the group shortly after the EP’s release, the band is reorganised, with Pete Shelley moving to lead vocals as well as guitar and Diggle switching from bass to guitar.

Diggle writes several songs for the Buzzcocks, including “Autonomy”, “Fast Cars”, which he co-writes with Howard Devoto and Pete Shelley, “Love Is Lies”, “Sitting Round At Home”, “You Know You Can’t Help It”, “Mad Mad Judy”, and “Harmony in My Head”. The last of these becomes a Top 40 hit in 1979 and is often treated as his best-known song. “Love Is Lies” is also noted for featuring acoustic guitar, which is unusual in the Buzzcocks’ early work.

Solo work and other bands

After the Buzzcocks split in 1981, Diggle pursues a brief solo period. He releases the 50 Years Of Comparative Wealth EP that same year, with guest appearances from fellow Buzzcocks members Steve Garvey and John Maher. In 1982, he forms Flag of Convenience, initially with former Buzzcock John Maher. Gary Rostock, formerly of Easterhouse, plays on Diggle’s 2000 release Some Reality.