Buzzcocks, kicking arse for 40 years, show no signs of stopping at The Observatory

The young and old punk rockers of Orange County came out to The Observatory this past weekend to celebrate end enjoy forty years of Buzzcocks music. The Buzzcocks rolled out an amazing performance playing some of their iconic punk anthems such as “What do I Get”, “Ever Fallen in Love”, and “Orgasm Addict” — along with some of their newer songs. Pete Shelley’s signature voice along with Steve Diggle’s unstoppable guitar energy had the young punks moving. The pit never seemed to stop moving as waves of punk rock ferocity boiled in and out of the circle. While the young mashed and floated, many of the older punks stood and watched from the edge. Needless to say, the salt and peppered dudes didn’t totally stray from the madness ensuing in the pit. A few of them joined in, reveling in nostalgia, and showed the young how it’s done.

Before Buzzcocks took us through a memorial evening of music, the night kicked off with Philly rock ‘n’ rollers, The Residuels. I think the band shocked the crowd a bit. Their first song started off at medium tempo; the crowd watched, there was some chatter in the background, and then guitarist/vocalist, Justin Pittney laid it all out there and let the emotion flow strong with a scream into the chorus. Suddenly, the crowd was engaged and it did not take long for the pit to start making its circle of rage. I may be getting old, but some of the people in the pit were doing some very strange moves. There were a couple of guys that were just bobbing there entire upper torso back-and-fourth with either their hands in their pockets, or holding their hands behind their back? What the fuck is that all about, it looked a bit ridiculous. Regardless, The Residuels kept things tight and moving with their heavy dose of rock ‘n’ roll.

Check out photos of Buzzcocks with The Residels at the Observatory below!

Words & Photography: Wes Marsala