John Maher (Buzzcocks drummer)
| John Maher | |
|---|---|
| Born | 21 April 1960 |
| Origin | Manchester, England |
| Genres | Punk rock, new wave, post-punk |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, photographer, engineer |
| Instruments | Drums |
| Years active |
|
| Associated acts | Buzzcocks, The Invisible Girls, Wah!, Flag of Convenience, The Things, Penetration |
John Maher (born 21 April 1960) is a British musician who was part of the punk and new wave scenes in Manchester, England, most notably as the drummer with Buzzcocks.
Maher's father was from Ireland. In 1976, still a 16-year-old schoolboy from St. Bede's College, Whalley Range, Manchester, he joined punk band Buzzcocks, then led by Howard Devoto, who was the lead vocalist. After the first Buzzcocks dissolving in 1981, he collaborated with Pauline Murray of The Invisible Girls, and formed along with Steve Diggle (also of Buzzcocks) a band called Flag of Convenience, in 1982, but he quit shortly afterwards. In 1981, he was drumming with Pete Wylie in Wah!
Buzzcocks reunited in late 1989 for a month long tour of the US and seven shows in the UK. While the other members of the band decided to continue, Maher left to continue with his VW business (see below). He returned once more in early 1992, when his replacement (Mike Joyce, formerly of The Smiths), quit Buzzcocks on the eve of a European and Japanese tour.
In May 2012, Maher stepped out of musical retirement to rejoin Buzzcocks for two one-off shows: his first public appearance behind a drum kit in 20 years. The concerts took place at Manchester Apollo and London's Brixton Academy. Howard Devoto, the band's original vocalist also joined the band on stage for five songs - all four tracks from their debut EP, Spiral Scratch, plus a cover version of The Troggs' "Can't Control Myself". Maher spoke about his brief return to the stage in an interview with online fanzine Mudkiss. Another interview with Maher appears in the first issue of The Drummers Journal.
In 2014, Maher reunited with another Manchester band he had previously been involved with during his Buzzcocks years: The Things. The band recorded several songs, both old and new, during the summer of 2014. An EP (entitled EP1) containing four tracks was released in mid 2015.
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