Tribute to Pete Shelley (1955-2018)
The world has lost one of punk rock's most influential figures - Pete Shelley from the Buzzcocks, who passed last Thursday 6th December, aged 63. We reflect on his legacy, and Eastwood CEO Mike Robinson shares his thoughts about one of his heroes.
To say Pete Shelley was an inspiration would be an understatement. For many of us, our teenage years - well, our whole lives really - wouldn't have been the same without the music he made in the Buzzcocks.
"A true gentleman and on a very short list of punk pioneers." - Eastwood Guitars CEO Mike Robinson on Pete Shelley
Eastwood Guitars CEO Mike Robinson, a longtime Buzzcocks fan, had this to say, upon hearing the news of Pete Shelley's passing:
Making Rock'n'Roll History
Even before forming the Buzzcocks, Pete Shelley (then still using his real name, Peter McNeish) and his Bolton Technical College friend Howard Trafford (soon-to-be renamed Devoto) were responsible for unleashing one of the most crucial moments in British music, ever: the Sex Pistols gig at the Manchester Lesser Free Trade Hall in June 1976, attended by future members of seminal bands such as Joy Division, The Fall and The Smiths. It was Ground Zero for a new wave of music that changed not just rock'n'roll, but attitudes, style and people's lives forever - and Pete Shelley had an important role in it:
In February 1976, inspired by an article on British music paper NME, Shelley and Devoto drove a borrowed car to London, to track down the Sex Pistols and their manager, Malcolm McLaren, to invite them to play in Manchester.
Even though they booked themselves to support the Pistols at the historic gig, the Buzzcocks felt they were not ready yet and pulled out of the bill - but went on to support the band six weeks later, when the Sex Pistols returned for a second Manchester gig.
A few months later, inspired by the Sex Pistols energy and sound, the Buzzcocks released the Spiral Scratch EP, the first independent punk record, essentially the birth of "indie music".
The Buzzcocks debut album Another Music in a Different Kitchen, as well as follow ups Love Bites and A Different Kind of Tension helped to establish the Buzzcocks as one of the most important bands of the Punk era. Pete Shelley's songs - melodic, full of energy and lyricism - set the template for much of the rock music that was to come - and the Buzzcocks were a huge influence in early 90's Grunge music. Kurt Cobain was a big fan of the band, and a reformed Buzzcocks supported Nirvana on their last ever tour.
The Buzzcocks' last album, The Way, was released in 2014, followed by a 40th anniversary tour in 2016, which was to be the band's - and Shelley's - last. But Pete Shelley's contribution to rock'n'roll lives on, and we will be forever grateful for the music he's given us. Rest in peace, Pete! (17 April 1955 - 6 December 2018)
Pete Shelley & Eastwood Guitars
Eastwood CEO Mike Robinson has always been a massive fan of the Buzzcocks, and when visiting Britain in 2007, Mike took the opportunity to meet his hero Pete Shelley, and finalise plans for one of Eastwood's first ever signature models - the Pete Shelley Signature Starway (Limited-Edition, now discontinued.):
The guitar was, of course, inspired by the iconic broken Starway used by Shelley in the early days of the Buzzcocks, including during the recording of their debut Spiral Scratch EP.
The always friendly Shelley was also kind enough to personally hand-sign each of the 88 Starway guitars we made - making each one of them a real treat for all the Buzzcocks fans who were lucky enough to get one!
At the time, we also had the chance to interview him, and he told Mike some great stories - including how he came about the Starway guitar... and how it got broken!
Everyone who ever met him will tell you he was a warm, funny and charming person. There's a saying that you shouldn't meet your heroes because they'll disappoint you, but in the case of Pete Shelley this saying was definitely wrong - and we can say it was a real privilege for us to have collaborated with this true punk rock legend.