Читать книгу Buzzcocks - The Complete History - Tony McGartland - Страница 68

Buzzcocks (finally) play their first full gig at the Lesser Free Trade Hall, supporting the Sex Pistols. Local glam rock band Slaughter & the Dogs also play. Songs from the set include ‘Breakdown’, ‘Oh Shit!’, ‘I Love You, You Big Dummy’, ‘Time’s Up’ and ‘I Can’t Control Myself’.

Shelley buys a cheap Woolworth’s Audition guitar especially for the preplanned destruction of the gig to follow. At the end of the set, both Devoto and Shelley pull violently at the strings, ripping them from the new instrument, while Maher runs through the crowd and out into the night. A New Zealander friend of Devoto’s called Mark Roberts makes an 8mm soundless film of the performance. Among those in the audience is Boon’s friend from Leeds University, Sue Cooper, who becomes a close friend of the band and eventually moves up to Manchester to assist Boon at the New Hormones office.

After the gig, Buzzcocks meet Linder Sterling, a graphic artist who produces some early artwork for the band, using only her first name. They go for a drink to the Conti Club. Devoto and Linder soon start going out together. Through Linder, the band meet Malcolm Garrett, her friend from Manchester Polytechnic. This marks the beginning of a long association as Garrett produces the Buzzcocks logo and works on the band’s visual presentation throughout their career. Meanwhile, despite selling four hundred tickets at £1, Buzzcocks make a profit of only £10.