Search - Buzzcocks - Auf Widersehen on DVD

Great historic performance, average presentation

Bill Wikstrom | Long Island, NY | 01/05/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This was to be The Buzzcocks last show before they broke up in March 1981 and then re-formed some eight years later.
The performance is blistering setting things alight at the start
with a great version of Diggle's "Why She's A Girl From The Chainstore" (marred a bit by Shelly's carelessly erratic vocals).
John Maher plays like a machine (in the best possible sense) - he's really solid and it shows here.
The show was originally broadcast on the German show Rockpalast, which is why the camera work here is your basic television show set-up.
An audience member apparently stabbed a camera man so forgive the minimal canera work during "Fiction Romance".
The audience - who were vaguely aggresive and seemed to have their own agenda - responded to the band like Neanderthals.
It's cool to hear them play four of the songs from
Parts 1, 2 & 3, which they only played around this time.
Those songs are: "Strange Thing", "Airwaves Dream", "What Do You
Know" and "Why She's...Chainstore". Very cool.
It's also nice to see an entire show from the classic line-up.
Indeed the only complaint is the wildly erratic singing (off and sometimes on-key) of Pete Shelly.
If you're a fan of the band you'll love this, so pick it up."