The fact that this memento of a live gig from the Empire in Shepherds Bush, London, in 2003 manages to fit 28 tracks onto a simple compact disc is testament to the no-nonsense economy which has always been a Buzzcocks hallmark. More than a quarter of a century into their career at the time of this show, there’s not even the hint of a suggestion of them easing a foot off the pedal any time soon.
Arguably, though, they’re even faster than in their late 70s heyday, as if the new legion of fans they attracted in the 90s, in the wake of second-wave endorsements from the likes of Henry Rollins and the figureheads of grunge, has given a bunch of men stampeding towards middle-age an adrenalin boost, at a time when they might feasibly have thought their time was up.
Having said that, the lightning pace has an occasional tendency to skate too quickly over some of Pete Shelley’s more melodic nuances, most notably on I Don’t Mind and Totally From The Heart. Trusty lieutenant Steve Diggle’s songs, more rooted in the basics of punk, are almost always a perfect frantic fit, and he dedicates Autonomy to the then-recently departed Joe Strummer.
