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Pete Shelley (born Peter Campbell McNeish; 17 April 1955 – 6 December 2018) was an English singer, songwriter and guitarist. He formed early
punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
band
Buzzcocks Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band that singer-songwriter-guitarist Pete Shelley and singer-songwriter Howard Devoto formed in Manchester in 1976. During their career, the band combined elements of punk rock, power pop, and pop punk. The ...
with
Howard Devoto Howard Devoto (born Howard Andrew Trafford, 15 March 1952) is an English singer and songwriter, who began his career as the frontman for punk rock band Buzzcocks, but then left to form Magazine, an early post-punk band. After Magazine, he went ...
in 1976, and became the lead singer and guitarist in 1977 when Devoto left. The group released their biggest hit "
Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've) "Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)" is a 1978 song written by Pete Shelley and performed by his group Buzzcocks. It was a number 12 hit on the UK Singles Chart and was included on the album '' Love Bites''. Background and writ ...
" in 1978. The band broke up in 1981 and reformed at the end of the decade. Shelley also had a solo career; his song " Homosapien" charted in Australasia and Canada in 1981 and 1982.


Biography

Shelley was born to Margaret and John McNeish in
Leigh Leigh may refer to: Places In England Pronounced : * Leigh, Greater Manchester, Borough of Wigan ** Leigh (UK Parliament constituency) * Leigh-on-Sea, Essex Pronounced : * Leigh, Dorset * Leigh, Gloucestershire * Leigh, Kent * Leigh, Staffor ...
,
Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...
. His mother was an ex-mill worker in the town and his father was a fitter at Astley Green Colliery. He had a younger brother, Gary. Shelley's stage name is inspired by
Percy Bysshe Shelley Percy Bysshe Shelley ( ; 4 August 1792 – 8 July 1822) was an English writer who is considered one of the major English Romantic poets. A radical in his poetry as well as in his political and social views, Shelley did not achieve fame durin ...
, his favourite poet.


Buzzcocks

Shelley formed
Buzzcocks Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band that singer-songwriter-guitarist Pete Shelley and singer-songwriter Howard Devoto formed in Manchester in 1976. During their career, the band combined elements of punk rock, power pop, and pop punk. The ...
with
Howard Devoto Howard Devoto (born Howard Andrew Trafford, 15 March 1952) is an English singer and songwriter, who began his career as the frontman for punk rock band Buzzcocks, but then left to form Magazine, an early post-punk band. After Magazine, he went ...
after they met at the Bolton Institute of Technology (now the
University of Bolton The University of Greater Manchester (legally: The University of Bolton Higher Education Corporation) is a public university in Bolton, Greater Manchester in England. The university is commonly referred to as a 'post-92' institution, which is a ...
) in 1975 and subsequently travelled to
High Wycombe High Wycombe, often referred to as Wycombe ( ), is a market town in Buckinghamshire, England. Lying in the valley of the River Wye, Buckinghamshire, River Wye surrounded by the Chiltern Hills, it is west-northwest of Charing Cross in London, ...
, near London, to see the
Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols are an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they became culturally influential in popular music. The band initiated the punk movement in the United Ki ...
. The band included bass guitarist
Steve Diggle Stephen E Diggle (born 7 May 1955) is an English musician best known as a guitarist and later lead vocalist in the punk rock, punk band Buzzcocks. In 1976, Diggle was recruited as a bassist for Buzzcocks, playing bass on the ''Spiral Scratch'' ...
and drummer John Maher; they made their first appearance in 1976 in
Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
, opening for the Sex Pistols. In 1977 Buzzcocks released their first EP, '' Spiral Scratch'', on their
independent label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represente ...
, New Hormones. When Devoto left the band in February 1977, Shelley took over as the lead vocalist and chief songwriter. Working with the producer Martin Rushent, the band created the punk/new wave singles " Orgasm Addict", " What Do I Get?" and "
Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've) "Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)" is a 1978 song written by Pete Shelley and performed by his group Buzzcocks. It was a number 12 hit on the UK Singles Chart and was included on the album '' Love Bites''. Background and writ ...
", along with three LPs: ''
Another Music in a Different Kitchen ''Another Music in a Different Kitchen'' is the first full-length album by the English punk rock band Buzzcocks. It was released in March 1978 by the United Artists record label. This was the third line-up of Buzzcocks, with the guitarist Pete ...
'' (1978), '' Love Bites'' (1978) and '' A Different Kind of Tension'' (1979). Difficulties with their record company and a dispute with
Virgin Publishing Virgin Books is a British book publisher 90% owned by the publishing group Random House, and 10% owned by Virgin Group, the company originally set up by Richard Branson as a record company. History Virgin established its book publishing arm ...
over the UK release of their greatest hits record, ''
Singles Going Steady ''Singles Going Steady'' is a compilation album by English punk rock band Buzzcocks, released on I.R.S. Records in the United States on 25 September 1979. Background ''Singles Going Steady'' was the first Buzzcocks album to be released in Nort ...
'', brought the band to a halt in 1981. Shelley developed a different personal image from many of his rebellious 1970s punk contemporaries, telling ''
Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. In January 2001, it was merged into "long-standing rival" (and IPC Media sister publicatio ...
'' in 1978, "I won't be nasty. We're just four nice lads, the kind of people you could take home to your parents."


Solo career

Shelley's solo debut album '' Sky Yen'' was recorded in 1974, but remained unheard until it was released on 12" vinyl on Shelley's own label, Groovy Records, in March 1980. It was recorded as a continuous piece of music using a purpose-built
oscillator Oscillation is the repetitive or periodic variation, typically in time, of some measure about a central value (often a point of equilibrium) or between two or more different states. Familiar examples of oscillation include a swinging pendulum ...
, and used layered electronics and playback speed manipulation to achieve its experimental feel. Rooted in
electronic music Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...
, it has been compared with
krautrock Krautrock (also called , German for ) is a broad genre of experimental rock that developed in Germany in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It originated among artists who blended elements of psychedelic rock, avant-garde composition, and electron ...
. Also released on Groovy Records was the soundtrack LP ''Hangahar'' by
Sally Timms Sally Ann Timms (born 29 November 1959) is an English singer and songwriter. Born in Leeds, England, she now lives in the Chicago area, where she works as a paralegal.Lipez, Zachary.Mekons Finally Get Their Revenge: An Interview with Sally Timm ...
and Lindsay Lee, which included Shelley as a musician, and an album by artists Eric Random,
Barry Adamson Barry Adamson (born 11 June 1958)Biography
. Barryadamson.com.
is an English pop and rock music ...
and Francis Cookson under the name ''Free Agents''. Groovy Records did not release any other records. Shortly after the success of "Ever Fallen In Love....", Shelley produced an EP by Manchester band Mellatron, including Dave Tucker and
Karl Burns Karl Burns (born 19 March 1958) is a British musician best known as the drummer for The Fall, featuring in many incarnations of the band between 1977 and 1998. Although several musicians have rejoined the Fall having previously left or been ...
, both at various times members of The Fall, but it was never released, after the record label's owner was arrested and the master tapes disappeared. In 1981, Shelley released his first solo single, " Homosapien", produced by Rushent. On this recording he returned to his original interests in electronic music and shifted emphasis from guitar to synthesiser; Rushent's elaborate drum machine and synthesiser programming laid the groundwork for his next production, the chart-topping album ''
Dare Dare may refer to: Places * Dare, Vera Cruz, a ''suco'' in Vera Cruz administrative post, Dili Municipality, Timor-Leste * Darè, Italy, a comune * Dare County, North Carolina, United States * Dare, Virginia, United States, an unincorporate ...
'' by
the Human League The Human League are an English synth-pop band formed in Sheffield in 1977. Initially an experimental electronic music, electronic outfit, the group signed to Virgin Records in 1979 and later attained widespread commercial success with their t ...
. "Homosapien" was
banned A ban is a formal or informal prohibition of something. Bans are formed for the prohibition of activities within a certain political territory. Some bans in commerce are referred to as embargoes. ''Ban'' is also used as a verb similar in meaning ...
by the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
for "explicit reference to gay sex". "Homosapien" peaked at number fourteen in the US dance chart. Shelley talked openly about his
bisexuality Bisexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or Human sexual activity, sexual behavior toward both males and females. It may also be defined as the attraction to more than one gender, to people of both the same and different gender, ...
at this time, which had been implicit in many of the songs he had written, but now came to wider attention due to "Homosapien" and the BBC ban. The single was followed by an LP of the same title. Shelley released his second LP '' XL1'' in 1983 on Genetic Records. As well as the minor hit "Telephone Operator", the album included a computer program for the
ZX Spectrum The ZX Spectrum () is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer developed and marketed by Sinclair Research. One of the most influential computers ever made and one of the all-time bestselling British computers, over five million units were sold. ...
with lyrics and graphics that displayed in time to the music. ''XL1'' was produced by Rushent and Shelley. In mid-1984, Shelley released the single "Never Again", followed by the album ''Heaven and the Sea'' in 1986. In 1987, he followed the album with a new song, "Do Anything", for the film '' Some Kind of Wonderful''. He composed the theme music for the intro of the
Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race held primarily in France. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a ...
on
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
, which was used from the late 1980s to the mid-1990s. Shelley recorded a new version of "Homosapien", called "Homosapien II", in 1989. The single featured four mixes of the new recording. He played with various other musicians during his career, including
the Invisible Girls The Invisible Girls were a British rock band, formed in Salford, Greater Manchester in 1978, to provide a musical backdrop to the recorded output of Salford punk poet John Cooper Clarke. The band's nucleus was Joy Division and New Order produc ...
who backed punk poet
John Cooper Clarke John Cooper Clarke (born 25 January 1949) is an English performance poet and comedian who styled himself as a "punk poet" in the late 1970s. In the 1970s and early 1980s, he released several albums and performed on stage with punk and post-punk ...
. Shelley also formed a short-lived band called the Tiller Boys. He briefly reunited with Howard Devoto to make the LP '' Buzzkunst'', released in 2002. Shelley appeared on the 2005 debut EP by the Los Angeles band the Adored, who toured with Buzzcocks the following year.


Buzzcocks reform

Buzzcocks reunited in 1989 and released a new full-length album, ''
Trade Test Transmissions ''Trade Test Transmissions'' is the fourth studio album by English pop punk band Buzzcocks. It was released on 14 June 1993 by record label Castle Communications on their sub-label Essential Records and was the band's first release in fourteen ...
'', in 1993. They continued to tour and record and released the album '' The Way'' in 2014. In 2005 Shelley re-recorded "Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)" with an all-star group, including
Roger Daltrey Sir Roger Harry Daltrey (born 1 March 1944) is an English singer, musician and actor. He is the co-founder and lead vocalist of the Rock music, rock band the Who, known for his powerful voice and charismatic stage presence. His stage persona ear ...
,
David Gilmour David Jon Gilmour ( ; born 6 March 1946) is an English guitarist, singer and songwriter who is a member of the rock band Pink Floyd. He joined in 1967, shortly before the departure of the founder member Syd Barrett. By the early 1980s, Pink F ...
,
Peter Hook Peter Hook (born 13 February 1956) is an English musician. He was the bassist and co-founder of the post-punk band Joy Division and its successor New Order. He often used the bass as a lead instrument, playing melodies on the high strings wi ...
,
Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...
,
Robert Plant Robert Anthony Plant (born 20 August 1948) is an English singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band Led Zeppelin from its founding in 1968 until their breakup in 1980. Since then, he has had a successful solo ca ...
and several contemporary bands, as a tribute to
John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), better known as John Peel, was an English radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, broadcasting regularly from ...
; proceeds went to
Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...
. Shelley performed the song live at the 2005
UK Music Hall of Fame The UK Music Hall of Fame was an awards ceremony to honour musicians, of any nationality, for their lifetime contributions to music in the United Kingdom. The hall of fame started in 2004 with the induction of five founder members and five mo ...
.


Personal life and death

Shelley was married to Miniko in 1991 and divorced in 2002. Their son Alex was born in 1993. He then moved to
Tallinn Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and ...
, Estonia, in 2012 after marrying Greta, an Estonian, preferring the less-hectic pace there to London where he had lived for nearly 30 years. He died there of a suspected heart attack on the morning of 6 December 2018. His brother, Gary McNeish, announced his death on
Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...
. Tributes to Shelley came from a diverse range of music industry professionals, including
Pearl Jam Pearl Jam is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. One of the key bands in the grunge, grunge movement of the early 1990s, Pearl Jam has outsold and outlasted many of its contemporaries from the early 1990s, ...
,
Duff McKagan Michael Andrew "Duff" McKagan (born February 5, 1964) is an American musician. He was the bassist of hard rock band Guns N' Roses for twelve years, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. McKagan rejoined the b ...
, Pixies,
Peter Hook Peter Hook (born 13 February 1956) is an English musician. He was the bassist and co-founder of the post-punk band Joy Division and its successor New Order. He often used the bass as a lead instrument, playing melodies on the high strings wi ...
,
Duran Duran Duran Duran () are an English pop rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor (bass guitarist), John Taylor. After several early changes, the band's line-up settled ...
,
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, Mike Joyce,
Noel Gallagher Noel Thomas David Gallagher (born 29 May 1967) is an English musician, singer and songwriter. Gallagher is the primary songwriter, lead guitarist and a co-lead vocalist of the rock band Oasis (band), Oasis. After leaving Oasis, he formed Noel ...
,
Gary Kemp Gary James Kemp (born 16 October 1959) is an English songwriter, musician and actor, best known as the lead guitarist, backing vocalist, and principal songwriter for the new wave band Spandau Ballet. Kemp wrote the lyrics and music for all 2 ...
and
Glen Matlock Glen Matlock (born 27 August 1956) is an English musician, best known for being the bass guitarist in the original line-up of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols. He is credited as a songwriter on 10 of the 12 songs on the Sex Pistols' only offic ...
.
Billy Bragg Stephen William Bragg (born 20 December 1957) is an English singer, songwriter, musician, author and political activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, with lyrics that mostly span political or romantic th ...
played "Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)", on 7 December 2018 at the Meredith Music Festival. Following his death, the Pete Shelley Memorial campaign was established in order to raise funds to create a lasting memorial in his hometown for his achievements and contributions to the music industry.


Discography


Albums

* '' Sky Yen'' (1980) Groovy Records * ''Hangahar'' (1980) by Sally Smmit (aka Sally Timms of
The Mekons The Mekons are a British Post-punk band formed in 1976 as an art collective. They are one of the longest-running and most prolific of the first-wave British punk rock bands. The band's style has evolved over time to incorporate aspects of co ...
) musicians group included Pete Shelley) Groovy Records * '' Homosapien'' (1981) Genetic-
Island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...
/ Arista; AUS No. 42, CAN No. 22 * '' XL1'' (1983) Island/Arista * ''Heaven and the Sea'' (1986) * ''Buzzkunst'' (2002) as shelleydevoto (with Howard Devoto)


Singles

* " Homosapien" (1981), Genetic-Island/Arista - AUS No. 4, CAN No. 6, US Dance No. 14 * "I Don't Know What It Is" (1981), Genetic-Island/Arista - US Dance No. 22 * "Witness the Change" (1981) - US Dance No. 63 * "Qu'est-Ce Que C'est Que Ça" (1982) * "Homosapien" (1982), Genetic-Island/Arista * "Telephone Operator" (1983), Island/Arista - US Dance No. 22, UK No. 66 * "Millions of People (No One Like You)" (1983) - UK No. 94 * "Never Again" (1984), Immaculate * "Waiting for Love" (1986), Mercury * "On Your Own" (1986), Mercury - US Dance No. 10 * "Blue Eyes" (1986), Mercury * "I Surrender" (1986), Mercury * "Your Love" (1988) * "Homosapien II" (Pete Shelley vs. Power, Wonder and Love) (1989), Immaculate


References


Sources

* * *


External links

*
Interview with Pete Shelley

Pete Shelley Memorial campaign website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shelley, Pete 1955 births 2018 deaths 20th-century English guitarists 20th-century English male singers 21st-century English guitarists 21st-century English male singers Alumni of the University of Greater Manchester Bisexual male musicians Bisexual singers Bisexual songwriters British expatriates in Estonia Buzzcocks members English LGBTQ singers English LGBTQ songwriters English male guitarists English male new wave singers English male songwriters English new wave singers English punk rock guitarists English punk rock singers Island Records artists People from Leigh, Greater Manchester Domino Recording Company artists