b. Peter McNeish, 17 April 1955, Leigh, Lancashire, England. When the Buzzcocks disbanded in 1981, Shelley soon embarked on a variety of solo projects. In fact, his solo history extended before, and during, the Buzzcocks career. As one of the Invisible Girls, he helped out on John Cooper Clarke albums while the Buzzcocks were still active. Around the same time he also launched his own independent label, Groovy. On this he released 1980's Sky Yen and Free Agents (the latter subtitled £3.33, which was also its original price). These comprised primarily tape loops and feedback and general free-for-all improvisation, with Sky Yen originally recorded in 1974. Much akin to work by Kraftwerk, these recordings prefaced the electronic feel of Shelley's later solo work. Meanwhile, on New Hormones (the Buzzcocks' original label) came the EP Tiller Boys, another of Shelley's pet projects.
However, it was 1981's Homosapien, a weighty slice of electro pop concerning bisexuality, that marked the high point in Shelley's solo career. It was produced by Martin Rushent as a launch for his Genetic label, and caused much discussion of Shelley's sexuality, and a re-examination of his Buzzcocks lyrics. XL1 in 1983 was more tame, although it did boast the novelty of including a Sinclair computer programme that reproduced the lyrics. One review compounded matters by mentioning no less than five Buzzcocks titles in comparison - a trifle unfairly. Again, it was produced by Rushent, this time with a predominantly disco feel.
After 1986's Heaven & The Sea Shelley sought the comfort of a band again, and attempted to retain anonymity in ZIP (featuring Gerrard Cookson and Mark Sanderson). He re-formed the Buzzcocks in 1989, enjoying an artistic and critical renaissance with the studio recordings Trade Test Transmissions (1993), All Set (1996) and Modern (1999). In October 2000, Shelley reunited with the Buzzcocks' co-founder Howard Devoto under the Buzzkunst moniker. The duo recorded a well-received album which owed little to their respective musical pasts.
