Magazine

Members

• Barry Adamson
• Howard Devoto
• John McGeoch

Studio Albums

1. 1978 Real Life
2. 1979 Secondhand Daylight
3. 1980 The Correct Use of Soap
4. 1981 Magic, Murder and the Weather
5. 2011 No Thyself

Source: MusicBrainz

Deep Dive

Overview

Magazine were a British post-punk band formed in 1977 in Manchester, England, in the aftermath of the first wave of punk rock. Led by singer and former Buzzcocks member Howard Devoto alongside guitarist John McGeoch, the band represented a deliberate move away from punk’s three-chord immediacy toward more intellectually complex and sonically adventurous territory. Their four studio albums released between 1978 and 1981 combined angular post-punk rhythms with art-rock ambitions, establishing them as architects of a more cerebral strain of new wave that would influence art rock and post-punk movements well into the 1980s.

Formation Story

Howard Devoto left Buzzcocks in early 1977, seeking to move beyond the punk rock framework that had defined his work with that band. Rather than continue in punk’s established idiom, Devoto set out to create a more progressive and experimental project. He recruited guitarist John McGeoch, whose background in glam and experimental music brought an unconventional approach to the instrument. The original lineup was completed by Barry Adamson on bass, Bob Dickinson on keyboards, and Martin Jackson on drums. Formed in Manchester in 1977, Magazine emerged from the same city that had produced Buzzcocks and Joy Division, a scene characterized by inventive reinterpretation of punk’s raw energy through art-rock and electronic lenses.

Breakthrough Moment

Magazine’s debut album, Real Life (1978), announced the band’s intentions immediately. The record showcased Devoto’s sharp, observational lyrics paired with McGeoch’s jagged, often atonal guitar work and the band’s precise, propulsive rhythmic foundation. The album established them as a serious artistic presence within the emerging post-punk movement, catching the attention of critics and listeners interested in punk’s intellectual and sonic possibilities. Though not a mainstream chart success, Real Life positioned Magazine within an underground network of post-punk innovators and gave them credibility that sustained their career through their most productive period.

Peak Era

Magazine’s creative zenith occurred across their second and third albums, Secondhand Daylight (1979) and The Correct Use of Soap (1980). These records saw the band refining their balance between angular, minimalist post-punk structures and more ornate, art-rock arrangements. Devoto’s distinctive vocal delivery—precise, sometimes nasal, always detached—proved perfectly suited to lyrics that explored alienation, desire, and everyday absurdity with literary intelligence. The band’s internal chemistry tightened, with McGeoch’s guitar playing becoming increasingly inventive and Adamson’s bass work providing both rhythmic anchor and melodic counterpoint. By 1980, Magazine had become recognized as one of post-punk’s more uncompromising and artistically consistent acts, even as their relative commercial success remained modest.

Musical Style

Magazine’s sound synthesized punk rock’s energy and urgency with art-rock’s structural complexity and prog-rock’s willingness to deploy unconventional instrumental arrangements. Post-punk was the governing framework—taut rhythm sections, angular guitar work, spare production that emphasized definition over warmth—but within that framework the band operated with considerable sophistication. McGeoch’s guitar playing was particularly distinctive; rather than the power-chord attacks of conventional rock guitarists, he favored dissonant, expressionistic lines that seemed to cut against rather than support the underlying rhythms. Dickinson’s keyboards added textural depth and occasional melodic lines that gave the compositions an art-pop sophistication. Devoto’s vocals were delivered with a detached coolness that emphasized the intellectual content of his lyrics and created an emotional distance that paradoxically heightened the tension in the music. The band occupied a middle ground between the dance-rock propulsiveness of early post-punk and the more experimental, almost classical sensibilities of art rock.

Major Albums

Real Life (1978)

Magazine’s debut introduced their signature combination of post-punk rigor and art-rock ambition, with McGeoch’s distinctive guitar work and Devoto’s sharp-edged vocals establishing the band’s intellectual approach to rock music.

Secondhand Daylight (1979)

The second album deepened the band’s songwriting and arrangements, refining the interplay between rhythm and melody while maintaining their commitment to angular, cerebral pop-rock.

The Correct Use of Soap (1980)

Often regarded as Magazine’s most fully realized statement, this album achieved the tightest balance between accessibility and experimentalism, with production that clarified rather than softened the band’s distinctive instrumental textures.

Magic, Murder and the Weather (1981)

Magazine’s fourth and final album of their initial run showed the band expanding their sonic palette while remaining committed to post-punk’s structural principles and art-rock’s creative ambitions.

Signature Songs

• “Shot by Both Sides” — A statement of artistic principle that became the closest Magazine came to a signature single, defining the band’s fusion of punk immediacy and post-punk detachment.
• “Permafrost” — Showcased McGeoch’s angular guitar playing and the band’s ability to construct compelling rock songs from unconventional harmonic and rhythmic premises.
• “Great Mindlessness” — Demonstrated Devoto’s lyrical wit and the band’s skill at embedding intellectual commentary within tightly structured pop forms.
• “The Lights That Stop the Show” — Featured the band’s balance of rhythmic propulsion and instrumental color, with keyboards and guitar working in deliberate tension.

Influence on Rock

Magazine’s influence operated primarily within art-rock and post-punk circles rather than mainstream rock music, but their impact on those genres was significant. Their demonstration that post-punk could accommodate both intellectual complexity and genuine musical adventure influenced subsequent generations of art-rock and alternative musicians. The band’s refusal to dilute their artistic vision for commercial appeal established a model for post-punk intellectualism that would inform bands exploring similar terrain in the 1980s and beyond. McGeoch’s guitar approach, in particular, showed how unconventional playing techniques and harmonic thinking could enhance rather than undermine rock music’s emotional impact. Devoto’s approach to songwriting—combining sharp observation with formal experimentation—contributed to the broader post-punk tradition of artist-as-intellectual working within rock forms.

Legacy

Magazine dissolved in 1981, having completed their initial creative mission without achieving significant commercial success outside specialist audiences. However, the band’s four studio albums have retained their critical reputation, recognized as essential documents of post-punk’s more artistically ambitious wing. In 2011, more than three decades after their initial dissolution, Magazine released No Thyself, a studio album that revisited their original formula and demonstrated the durability of their artistic vision. The reunited band’s willingness to record new material attested to the continued relevance and appeal of their work among devoted listeners. Magazine’s records remain influential among musicians and critics interested in post-punk and art-rock history, their uncompromising approach to songwriting and instrumental arrangement serving as a counterpoint to punk’s more populist iterations.

Fun Facts

• Howard Devoto’s decision to leave Buzzcocks to form Magazine was driven by a desire to move beyond punk’s perceived limitations and explore more progressive compositional territory.
• John McGeoch would go on to join Siouxsie and the Banshees, where his distinctive guitar style would shape that band’s sound during a crucial period of their career.
• Magazine operated under EMI Records, a major label, during a period when most post-punk bands worked with independent or smaller imprints, giving them unusual resources for a band of their artistic bent.
• The band’s reunion and 2011 album release marked one of post-punk’s more successful comeback stories, showing that their music had found an enduring audience decades after their initial run.