the Damned live – 7th Level Music

Live: The Damned and The Dictators – Concord Music Hall – Chicago, IL – June 02, 2024

I hadn’t seen The Damned in a while, but when I heard that their 1980s lineup, the lineup from when I’d discovered them (via The Young Ones airing on MTV in, most likely, 1985), was doing a tour, I knew I had to catch one of their shows. Who knows when I, or anyone else, would get to see Paul Gray (bass), Rat Scabies (drums), Captain Sensible (guitar), and Dave Vanian (vocals) together on stage again? It was the first tour they’d played together since 1989 – the year I graduated high school. Long-time keyboardist Monty Oxymoron had also joined them for the tour.

The Dictators, legendary punks in their own right, opened the show with a great dose of garage punk and had a fun banter with the crowd with tracks like “Pussy and Money” and a cover of Blue Öyster Cult‘s “Dominance and Submission” – which was all the more of a treat when you consider that their drummer is BÖC founding member Albert Bouchard.

Getting a good spot to see the stage at Concord Music Hall means you need to get there early, so we scrambled for a spot upstairs where we could see The Damned launch into their fun set and my girlfriend could lounge on a bench seat when she wanted.

The Damned broke out with a good mix of older and newer tracks, opening with “Ignite” and “Wait for the Blackout” (always a cool tune) and “The History of the World (Part 1)” and “Melody Lee.”

“Generals” and “Stranger on the Town” were nice to hear, and their cover of Barry Ryan‘s “Eloise” was a big hit. Vanian’s voice, as always, was in great form, and pretty much perfect on “The Invisible Man.” They had stomped the gas pedal to the floor by the time they hit “Noise Noise Noise” and never let up after it.

It took a while for a pit to get started, but it was in full swing by the time I joined it during, of course, “Neat Neat Neat.” I’m happy to say that the pit was started by people at least thirty years younger than I and that I wasn’t the only guy in his 50s in the pit and the young’uns loved having us older folks in there.

After ending the main set with “Smash It Up,” the band came back on and the young folks started an appreciation chant for Rat Scabies, who was humbled by it and stood up from his kit for a bow. It was great to see and hear that, as he’d been long missed by fans (although he has released material on his own, mind you).

Ending with “New Rose” and a psychedelic cover of MC5‘s “Looking at You” was a great way to send all the punks, goths, and weirdos out on a high note. They’ e wrapped up their U.S. tour, so I hope you got to see them. Go see them in the UK and Europe this fall and winter. You won’t regret it.

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: The Damned – The Captain’s Birthday Party Live at the Roundhouse (2016)

Recorded live November 27, 1977, The Damned‘s The Captain’s Birthday Party Live at the Roundhouse is, like other Damned records, mired with some weird history.

First, this album is often known and titled as Not the Captain’s Birthday Party. The band did play a show at the Roundhouse on April 23, 1977 – a day later after (then bassist, now guitarist) Captain Sensible‘s birthday. However, this show wasn’t recorded until seven months later at the same venue. Their label at the time, Stiff Records, thought this album was the April 1977 show and thus released it as The Captain’s Birthday Party. Later, in 1986, the album was re-released by Demon Records as Not the Captain’s Birthday Party. Are we all clear?

Another interesting bit of Damned history with this album is that it’s a recording of a rare lineup of the band with the Captain on bass and perpetual lead singer Dave Vanian, but with two guitarists – Brian James and the newly acquired Robert “Lu” (short for “lunatic”) Edmunds – and a new drummer – Jon Moss (who would later go onto worldwide fame drumming for Culture Club), as the legendary original drummer, Rat Scabies, had quit the band two weeks earlier.

The album is just eight tracks, but they’re eight tracks of raw power thrown at an enthusiastic crowd. Opening with “You Take My Money,” the guitar roars and feedback are immediately apparent, and Moss is holding his own with just two weeks of practice with three guys who were already punk legends just a couple years into their careers. “Creep (You Can’t Fool Me)” gets a great response from the crowd. “Fan Club” is rough, with Edmunds and Moss still figuring out some of the band’s mechanics, but that energy just brings more growl to it.

“This one’s for Rat Scabies,” Vanian announces before they start “Problem Child.” The whole band is energized for this one, and you can tell Moss wanted to slay it. “So Messed Up” is a full-blown sprint that must have sent the crowd into a panic. “New Rose,” their first hit (and, by most accounts, the first punk single) transforms from a grungy rocker into a wild mix of feedback, crashing drums, and bass rumbles that only settle for a moment before they rip into a blistering cover of The Stooges “Feel Alright.” They end with “Born to Kill,” barely leaving you any time to process what the hell just happened.

It’s a wild ride, not unlike one of those carnival rides that takes you up high, spins you around, and then drops you at a frightening rate.

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: The Damned – Final Damnation (1989)

Recorded live at London’s Town & Country Club on June 13, 1988, Final Damnation is a time capsule of The Damned‘s reunion concert. All of the original members of the band are here: Dan Vanian on vocals, Rat Scabies on drums, Captain Sensible on bass and guitar, and Brian James on guitar. They also bring in Bryan Merrick on bass and Roman Jugg on keyboards for songs on which those guys played on Damned albums featuring them. The band had just been dropped by their label before cutting this record, and the unhinged chaos of that moment in the band’s timeline can be felt and heard.

Starting with “See Her Tonite,” the band barely has time to say hello before launching into furious punk riffs. “We’re not doin’ it for the money!” Captain Sensible yells to the crowd afterwards. The crowd replies with, “Oh, yes you are!” and soon Sensible is chugging out the always thrilling bass line of “Neat Neat Neat” and the crowd is going bonkers. “Born to Kill” hits like a metal rockabilly.

I’m not sure if Sensible or Scabies is playing hardest on “I Fall,” as they’re both going nuts throughout it (Scabies has the slight edge, I think.). “Fan Club” has a great swagger to it, and a great solo from James, too. “Fish” is a fast fan-favorite. Their cover of The Beatles’ “Help” is almost unrecognizable as it hits like repeated punches to the face. “New Rose,” of course, gets the crowd into a frenzy, and their cover of The Stooges‘ “I Feel Alright” is stunning.

The “second half” of the album / show starts with their classic tune “I Just Can’t Be Happy Today” – a song that’s still resonant decades later. “Wait for the Blackout” has Sensible wailing on his guitar for the back of the room. Jugg’s opening piano chords on “Melody Lee” are like a fake jab before the hard cross of the guitars and drums.
“Noise, Noise, Noise” is as raucous as you hope it will be, as is “Love Song” – in which it sounds like Scabies destroys his kit.

The opening chords and beats of “Smash It Up” give you some time to catch your breath before you want to join the band in smashing everything in sight, and they end the show with two snarky covers – “Looking at You” by MC5 and The Rolling Stones‘ “The Last Time.”

Thankfully, this wouldn’t be the last time The Damned played a show or even released an album, but Final Damnation is a great recording of a great show. There’s also a DVD of the entire performance out there (which can also be found on YouTube) to help capture the madness.

Keep your mind open.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wBu6SrLobk

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Live – The Damned and Bleached – Chicago, IL – April 23, 2017

Spoils of moshing: A Damned 40th anniversary U.S. tour poster, a signed Bleached t-shirt, and a broken watch band.

I’ve wanted to see the Damned for a long while and was bummed that I missed them when they played Chicago’s Riot Fest a couple years ago. Lo and behold, they came to the U.S. again for a 40th anniversary tour, and this time I was able to catch them with Bleached opening for them. That’s a win-win.

I saw Bleached in October of last year in Cleveland. They put on a good show, so I figured they’d be solid again. I did not know that they would be even better in just six months’ time. It was quickly evident (within two songs when they were absolutely gunning on “Trying to Lose Myself Again” from Welcome the Worms) that Bleached has seriously upped their game in just half a year. They powered through many cuts off their excellent new EP Can You Deal? and even one I hadn’t heard before (“Electric Chair”). I was gobsmacked by the end of their set. I caught up with sisters Jennifer and Jessie Clavin at their merch table between the first and second encores of the Damned. I told them their set was a home run and how much they’d improved since Cleveland.

“Being on this tour has been really good for us,” Jennifer Clavin told me. “Playing in front of a lot of people who don’t know us has really made us work on our stage presence.”

“It’s only been six months!” Jessie Clavin said.

“I know,” I said. “That’s what make it more impressive.”

Speaking of impressive, the Damned were just that.

“We’re back from the mists of time,” said lead guitarist Captain Sensible, “to save the world from shitty music like Mumford and Sons!”

The band tore into literal floor-shaking classics like “Generals,” “Disco Man,” and “I Just Can’t Be Happy Today” before a mosh pit finally broke out during “Love Song.” The first of two beers went flying through the air during this. For the record, I’ve been in some wild, fun crowds at the House of Blues. I’ve never seen cups of beer, hats, shoes, and jackets thrown into the air during a show there until I saw the Damned play there.

I stayed in the pit for “Love Song” and “Street of Dreams.” The Damned continued a great set (and Captain Sensible kept decrying Mumford and Sons – as well as Kurt Vile, whom he called a “pillock,” Duran Duran, KISS, and Billy Idol) that included such fine tracks as “Eloise,” “Wait for the Blackout,” and “The History of the World (Part 1).”

Of course, the crowd (and I) went berserk during “Neat Neat Neat” and “New Rose.” Moshing to those punk classics was a dream come true for me. Truth to tell, I wasn’t sure I’d ever hear “Neat Neat Neat” live, so being in the middle of a friendly mosh pit ten feet from David Vanian as he sung it was great.

As I mentioned earlier, they played two encores. The first included “Jet Boy Jet Girl,” sung by the Captain, “Noise Noise Noise,” and “Smash It Up.” The last track especially showed off keyboardist Monty Oxymoron’s skill. The second encore included “Nasty” (the first Damned song I ever heard thanks to them performing it on The Young Ones) and “Antipope.” A guy near me had been yelling for “Antipope” for the last third of the show, so I was happy for him (and all of us) that they played it. He went bananas.

It was a fun show. They haven’t lost anything. Sensible is still a great guitarist and Vanian (“the Vincent Price of rock,” as Capt. Sensible called him) still commands a stage like few can. The Damned are touring extensively throughout the U.S. before they head to Europe. Catch them if you’re near you.

By the way, here’s the list of things I found on the floor during and after the mosh pit: A button labeled “GW,” a spiked bracelet (belonging to a guy in a Misfits jacket behind me), a nickel, an opened (but thankfully unused) condom, a peacock keychain and attached house key (belonging to a young woman I found after the final encore), a hat (owner unknown), and a sweater (owner unknown). A guy next to me in the pit found a cell phone. I don’t know if he ever found the owner.

Keep your mind open.