{"id":8222,"date":"2026-01-21T11:58:54","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T11:58:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/buzzcocks-attitude-adjustment-reviewed-the-soul-of-the-band-continues-to-burn-152925\/"},"modified":"2026-01-21T11:58:54","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T11:58:54","slug":"buzzcocks-attitude-adjustment-reviewed-the-soul-of-the-band-continues-to-burn-152925","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/buzzcocks-attitude-adjustment-reviewed-the-soul-of-the-band-continues-to-burn-152925\/","title":{"rendered":"Buzzcocks\u2019 Attitude Adjustment reviewed: the soul of the band continues to burn"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

How do you get the Buzzcocks sound? Steve Diggle says that\u2019s like a chef revealing his secrets, but admits that one crucial ingredient is his old H&H amp. This was acquired almost 50 years ago with the advance the band got for signing to United Artists \u2013 you can see it on the cover of Going Steady.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
Click here and subscribe to Uncut<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

How do you get the Buzzcocks sound? Steve Diggle says that\u2019s like a chef revealing his secrets, but admits that one crucial ingredient is his old H&H amp. This was acquired almost 50 years ago with the advance the band got for signing to United Artists \u2013 you can see it on the cover of Going Steady.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt gives that transistorised valve sound and you can hear it very distinctively on that first album,\u201d he explains. \u201cIn Manchester, people wondered why we used these little amps, but it meant you could get distortion at a very low volume and that became our identity. Double track a riff through the H&H amp and you get that unique Buzzcocks sound.\u201d<\/p>\n

The double-tracked H&H riff pops up a few times on Attitude Adjustment, a reminder that the soul of the band continues to burn. Following 2022\u2019s impressive Sonics In The Soul, this is the band\u2019s second album since the death of Pete Shelley in 2018 \u2013 a loss that many assumed meant the end of the band as a recording force. But Diggle showed no intention of giving up and while Attitude Adjustment carries enough buzzsaw Buzzcocks guitar to soothe fans, it also shows Diggle widening the pool of influences and genres that can be drawn upon by this version of the band: \u00a0Diggle, bassist Chris Remington and Danny Farrent on drums.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a nod to Motown on \u201cBreak That Ball And Chain\u201d, an acoustic protest song in the shape of \u201cAll Gone To War\u201d, a smidgen of dub on \u201cHeavy Streets\u201d and, in \u201cJust A Dream I Followed\u201d, a tribute to Bob Dylan that concludes with yet another of those joyous guitar solos that have peppered and delighted Buzzcocks\u2019 tracks from Spiral Scratch <\/em>to today.<\/p>\n

Attitude Adjustment was recorded in January 2025 during a gap in the band\u2019s touring schedule, with the band working at Studio 7, the same location they used for Sonics In The Soul. The success of that record was a confidence booster for Diggle, confirming that he\u2019d made the right decision to carry on without Shelley. Now he wanted to maintain momentum. He began to write, one of the first being \u201cThe Greatest Of Them All\u201d, a slower song about homelessness that opened another creative door by encouraging Diggle to explore observational songs about contemporary life.<\/p>\n

Opener \u201cQueen Of The Scene\u201d has a jangling intro before settling into a glam-like beat that sees Diggle casting a sardonic eye over reality show contestants \u201ctrying to get to heaven in a suicide machine\u201d. A few songs later, Diggle is addressing the paranoia of city streets with an echo-laden rhythm and a tangled, nerve-fraying guitar solo. \u201cJesus At The Wheel\u201d was inspired by the God-bothering megaphone-wielding evangelists found annoying commuters and tourists at Oxford Circus, with Diggle in strong voice and delivering another impeccable, scratchy guitar solo.<\/p>\n

Those songs are spaced around more traditional Buzzcocks\u2019 numbers like \u201cMy Poetic Machine Gun\u201d, \u201cFeeling Uptight\u201d and \u201cSeeing Daylight\u201d, which explore familiar power-pop territory. \u201cGames\u201d introduces a drone-like vocal and melodic feel that is reminiscent of \u201cBorn To Run\u201d-era Springsteen, while \u201cTears Of A Golden Girl\u201d opens with rising chords before Diggle delivers a considered, almost spoken, vocal.<\/p>\n

\u201cHeavy Streets\u201d begins the ascent into the more experimental second half of the album. That song is followed by a heavy metal jam, \u201cOne Of The Universe Part One\u201d, with \u201c\u2026Part Two\u201d coming the other side of \u201cAll Gone To War\u201d, which finds Diggle picking up an acoustic guitar on a Buzzcocks record for the first time since Love Bites and singing a lyric that was inspired by images from the wars in Gaza and Ukraine. In the context of a Buzzcocks album, it\u2019s almost as unexpected as \u201cJust A Dream I Followed\u201d, which begins with wailing guitar and crackajack drums before Diggle\u2019s knowing drawl delivers a series of Dylan-related images.<\/p>\n

The album ends with two of the more unusual tracks: \u201cBreak That Ball And Chain\u201d wears its Motown influence on its sleeve, with the rhythm section finding a fantastic groove and Diggle meeting them with an excellent vocal. \u201cThe Greatest Of Them All\u201d is a dense account of homelessness that sees Buzzcocks plant an unexpected flag in ballad territory with an outro that invites an audience singalong. While there are moments when you pine for Pete Shelley\u2019s distinctive whine, subtle wordplay and clever vocal melodies \u2013 for variety\u2019s sake but also straightforward nostalgia \u2013 Steve Diggle is clearly committed to maintaining the Buzzcocks\u2019 story and pushing forward into the band\u2019s 50th<\/sup> year\u2026 with a little help from a familiar amp that\u2019s nearly as old as he is.<\/p>\n

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here\u2019s how it works<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n