Underground punk rocker Kate Clover told us about her love for a Buzzcocks lick...
Kate Clover: The riff that blew my mind was from “Lipstick” by Buzzcocks. I recall hearing the song for the first time during a band changeover at a DIY venue in my teens. The song grows more epic with each passing note. Wasting zero time, the chorus hits twelve seconds in, triggering the iconic ascending guitar riff that still blows my mind today. How Shelley found space to write an equally moving vocal melody demonstrates his mastery. It’s epic and effortless.
Of course, the story goes that Shelley wrote the riff and gave it to Howard Devoto when he left Buzzcocks to form Magazine. Devoto used the riff in Magazine’s iconic song “Shot By Both Sides.” Sonically, it’s a different take from Shelley’s, but arguably as iconic.
Punk rock lore at its finest, and truly a riff that blew my mind! TWICE!
Kate Clover's The Apocalypse Dream album is out now.
Photo by Allan Wan
