Howard Devoto (born Howard Andrew Trafford, 15 March 1952)[Rizzi, Cesare, Enciclopedia della musica rock. "HOWARD DEVOTO (HOWARD TRAFFORD) (15 marzo 1952): voce"] 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 solo and later formed indie band Luxuria.
His singing has been characterized as a "speak-sing voice that veered between amused croon and panicked yelp".
Biography
Born in
Scunthorpe,
Devoto grew up in
Nuneaton, Warwickshire,
and Moortown,
Leeds,
where he attended Leeds Grammar School and met and befriended future
Buzzcocks manager
Richard Boon.
[Jon Savage, England's Dreaming: Anarchy, Sex Pistols, Punk Rock, and Beyond, St. Martin's Griffin, 2001, p. 153. , "I'd known Howard from Leeds Grammar School (...)", Richard Boon] In 1972, he went to Bolton Institute of Technology (now the University of Bolton) to study
psychology, and, later,
humanities. During these college years, he met his future bandmates
Pete Shelley and
Ben Mandelson.
He picked the stage name "Devoto" before meeting Shelley from the name of a friend of his landlord called "Andy Devoto".
Buzzcocks
Inspired by the
Sex Pistols, Devoto co-formed Buzzcocks with singer/guitarist
Pete Shelley in 1976. He left the band in February 1977 after only one record (the
Spiral Scratch Extended play)
and a small number of performances to form the band Magazine.
Magazine
Devoto formed the
post-punk band Magazine in 1977.
["A classic debut single, 'Shot by Both Sides' established Magazine's post-punk credentials, its stark, uncompromising approach and lyrical despair paving the way for countless gaggles of miserable young men in trenchcoats." Strong, M.C. (2003). The Great Indie Discography. Edinburgh: Canongate. p. 95. .] They released several critically acclaimed albums, which met with moderate commercial success, as well as minor hits such as "Shot by Both Sides" and "A Song from Under the Floorboards". Magazine reformed in February 2009, initially performing on a tour of five dates, and subsequently continued playing live and began to record new material. A studio album,
No Thyself, was released in October 2011.
Solo years
After Magazine split in 1981 Devoto spent two years putting together a solo album with former Magazine keyboard player
Dave Formula.
Jerky Versions of the Dream reached No. 57 in the UK Albums Chart in August 1983,
and was reissued in 2007 by Virgin/EMI, featuring several tracks of bonus material.
Collaborations
A collaboration on three songs with
Bernard Szajner on the
Brute Reason LP was released on
Island Records in 1983. This was followed by a rendering of Big Star's "Holocaust" for the loose collective This Mortal Coil. The album
It'll End in Tears contained contributions from many of the 4AD label's best artists, Devoto's presence being somewhat atypical.
In 1997, Devoto wrote the lyrics to the Mansun track "Everyone Must Win", which appeared on the Closed for Business EP. A year later he collaborated again with the band, writing lyrics for and singing on "Railings", a B-side for "Being a Girl (Part One)".
Luxuria
One of his next projects was a 1988 collaboration with
Liverpool multi-instrumentalist Noko. As Luxuria they released two albums and a music video for the single "Redneck".
Life after popular music
For most of the 1990s Devoto was little involved in music, earning his living by working for a photo agency.
In 2001, he teamed up with Buzzcocks colleague Pete Shelley for the first time in twenty-five years, and released the much-anticipated Buzzkunst under the name ShelleyDevoto. Reviews were mixed.
In 2002, Devoto had a small part in the movie 24 Hour Party People, a film about Manchester's Factory Records. In his brief cameo appearance, Devoto appears as a caretaker cleaning a men's toilet while actor Martin Hancock portrays Devoto having a tryst with the wife of promoter/journalist Tony Wilson. The real-life Devoto breaks the fourth wall by addressing the camera and stating, deadpan, "I definitely don't remember this happening".
Magazine reformed in February 2009, with former Luxuria partner Noko replacing the deceased John McGeoch on guitar.
On 9 July 2009, Devoto was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Bolton for his contribution to music.
Reunion with Buzzcocks
In November 2011, it was announced he would be returning to the stage with
Buzzcocks for two special shows as part of the Buzzcocks "Back to Front" tour on 25 and 26 May 2012. These took place at the O2 Apollo in Manchester and the O2 Academy in Brixton
Tributes, references and cover songs
A number of bands continue to be influenced by his work. Momus recorded the tribute song "The Most Important Man Alive" for the Bungalow Records compilation
Suite 98 in 1998.
Mansun have covered "Shot by Both Sides" live, and recorded it on their fourth and final album
Kleptomania. Also
Radiohead and
Jarvis Cocker have both covered "Shot by Both Sides". Both Ministry and Peter Murphy have covered Magazine's "The Light Pours Out of Me", whilst
Simple Minds, My Friend The Chocolate Cake,
Morrissey and Strange Boutique have covered Magazine's "A Song from Under the Floorboards".
Discography
For Magazine and Luxuria, see
Discography of Magazine and
Discography of Luxuria. This is from his solo career:
Solo discography
Albums
-
1983: Jerky Versions of the Dream – No. 57 UK
Singles
-
1983: "Rainy Season" – No. 97 UK
-
1983: "Cold Imagination"
Chronological discography
-
Spiral Scratch (January 1977) (with Buzzcocks)
-
Real Life (June 1978) No. 29 UK (with Magazine)
-
Secondhand Daylight (March 1979) No. 38 UK (with Magazine)
-
The Correct Use of Soap (May 1980) No. 28 UK (with Magazine)
-
Magic, Murder and the Weather (June 1981) No. 39 UK (with Magazine)
-
Jerky Versions of the Dream (July 1983) No. 57 UK (Solo)
-
Unanswerable Lust (1988) (with Luxuria)
-
Beast Box (1990) (with Luxuria)
-
Time's Up (1991) (with Buzzcocks)
-
Buzzkunst (2001) (with ShelleyDevoto)
-
No Thyself (November 2011: Wired18) No. 167 UK (with Magazine)
External links
