Nineteen seventy-seven. The year punk rock was introduced to the masses. Forming the holy trinity of British punk, The Sex Pistols, The Clash and the Buzzcocks wrote the bible on the genre, defining an era that would make a serious dent in musical history.

Legions of British punks dressed in leather jackets and combat boots screaming “No Future for the U.K.” on London streets. Johnny Rotten’s repulsive green teeth. The Sex Pistols ridiculing their ruler, floating down the Thames singing their unrelenting fight song, “God Save the Queen.”

These were the unforgettable images of the Class of ’77. And the Buzzcocks were among its major players.

They maintained the classic punk ethos, combining anti-establishment attitudes with simplicity to create three-chord pop songs that proved to be anthems for a generation.

“Orgasm Addict” marked their debut single, a controversial song that was too racy for BBC but put them on the map anyway.

Buzzcocks frontman Pete Shelley is a veteran punk rocker who won’t admit his age but jokingly says he’s “older than Elvis.”

Speaking quickly between chomps of chewing gum, Shelley sports a thick, nearly indecipherable British accent not unlike fellow early punker Joe Strummer from The Clash.

It’s been 23 years since Shelley formed the Buzzcocks in his hometown of Manchester, England. With all those years under his belt, he faces a lot of pressure to live up to his punk legacy. Yet, he’s still defining things on his own terms.

He reflects on the style of music he helped create. “I’m not carrying the torch for punk,” Shelley says. “I understand where it came from and what it means to me. That’s really what it was; we didn’t have any set of rules to follow.”

Aside from an eight-year hiatus from 1981 to 1989, the Buzzcocks are one of the few bands from the early punk movement to stick in the game.

“I suppose when you first start off, the slightest little shake of the earth and you think it’s a big earthquake,.” he says. “But once you’ve made it through a few earthquakes, you just ignore them, and they don’t seem so life threatening.”

That’s all part of the new Buzzcocks philosophy, which they’ve adopted naturally through change and evolution.

Their latest album, “Modern,” finds them indulging in electronic beats, samples and synthesizers, an element that would seem taboo in the early days.

“All we were doing was using what was around in the studio; you know, tryin’ to get the best sounding album that we could,” Shelley says, flaunting his Manchester brogue more than ever. “It was trying to get away from a standard classic rock album. So, we went into the studio and tried to get as live a sound as possible.”

Vintage British punk battles adolescence as the Buzzcocks headline Sunday at the M-Shop backed up by neo-punkers Down By Law and Lunachicks.

“It’s quite reminiscent of those early tours we had, touring with The Clash,” Shelley says of playing with younger bands. It’s not different than the old days that were filled with screwing around and hanging out.

While he doesn’t have trouble finding common ground with younger fans, Shelley acknowledges the presence of some old school fans as well.

“We get a lot of fans comin’ up and sayin’, ‘I’ve been listening to the Buzzcocks since I was eight,'” he says.

Unlikely as it may sound, Green Day and Blink 182 owe a lot to the Buzzcocks.

“There’s lots of new bands that are cashing in, and I think they’re cashing in more than the so-called first-wave,” Shelley says with a laugh. “People have this strange idea about punk, that it was something that people didn’t want to make money off at all; you could just live off the smell of fresh air and flowers. It’s the same with any band. If you wanna get back together and wanna try it, I wish ’em the best of luck.”

Although Shelley often talks about punk in the past tense, he doesn’t think the genre is obsolete.

“I think the idea isn’t past its time. Every now and again, it gets locked in the middle of a time warp. But then the new people come along, and they challenge the idea of doing what they want to do, which enables it to become a new life. That was the whole idea about punk. It’s really an eternal revolution.”

As definitions of punk become narrower, Shelley questions where he fits into the punk hierarchy.

“I’ve given up a long time ago on deciding whether or not we’re punk or not,” Shelley says. “If you wanna call it punk, you can do, but we’re not conforming to any standard or any rule about how that should be. It’s really a simple rule of thumb that if you enjoy it, do it. If you don’t, don’t do it.

“We weren’t earning any money or glory,” he says. “It was ’cause we enjoyed music. Rather than trying to make a quick buck, we just decided to keep on doing it because we can, and nobody’s stopped us. It’s really having control over what you’re doing and an enjoyment in doing it. You’ve only got yourself to blame if you’re not enjoying it.”

Twenty-three years and still counting.