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Steve Diggle, the lead singer of the Buzzcocks, has candidly discussed the alarming violence occurring near his pub, which has included frightening stabbing incidents.
These unsettling events at his local establishment in the city have become the muse for a track on his newest album.
He describes his songs as being “akin to a newspaper or a Dickens novel, brimming with characters I’ve encountered.” The reggae-influenced track “Heavy Streets” draws its inspiration from the crime surrounding his north London haunt.
“Every Friday,” he notes, “a different guy walks in asking to use a phone because his mobile was snatched outside. It’s often a father who just stepped out to pick up a takeaway. There have been stabbings as well, truly intense times.”
The punk icon remarked, “Street crime has always been intertwined with urban life, but it’s worsening. What’s more troubling is the resignation people seem to have towards it, treating it like an inevitable part of life, much like war and homelessness. I wanted to capture that somber reality. The songs now venture beyond love stories; I aimed to infuse depth into the lyrics, to defy expectations through both words and the musical style.”
Steve plays an acoustic guitar on All Gone To War, about Gaza, Ukraine and Nigeria, while The Greatest Of Them All is a ballad inspired by a homeless girl in Camden – “She lived in a doorway and sadly died,” he says quietly. “It’s an anthem for her.”
*Attitude Adjustment by the Buzzcocks is out now.