The Damned are an English rock band formed in London, England in 1976 by lead vocalist Dave Vanian, guitarist Brian James, bassist (and later guitarist) Captain Sensible, and drummer Rat Scabies. They were the first punk rock band from the United Kingdom to release a single, “New Rose” (1976), release an album, Damned Damned Damned (1977), and tour the United States.
They have nine singles that charted on the UK Singles Chart Top 40. The band briefly broke up after Music for Pleasure (1977), the follow-up to their debut album, was critically dismissed. They quickly reformed without Brian James, and released Machine Gun Etiquette (1979). In the 1980s they released four studio albums, The Black Album (1980), Strawberries (1982), Phantasmagoria (1985), and Anything (1986), which saw the band moving towards a gothic rock style. The latter two albums did not feature Captain Sensible, who had left the band in 1984. In 1988, James and Sensible rejoined to play a series of reunion gigs. One of which was released the next year as the live album Final Damnation.
The Damned again reformed for a tour in 1991.
In 1995, they released a new album, Not of This Earth, which was Scabies’s last with the band.
This was followed by Grave Disorder (2001), So, Who’s Paranoid? (2008), and their most recent album, and the first to crack the United Kingdom’s Official Charts’ top 10 list, landing at #7, Evil Spirits (2018). Despite going through numerous lineup changes, the formation of Vanian, Sensible, keyboardist Monty Oxymoron, drummer Pinch and bassist Stu West had been together from 2004 until 2017, when West left the band and former bassist Paul Gray rejoined. As one of the first gothic rock bands, The Damned were a major influence on the goth subculture with lead singer Vanian’s vampire-themed costume, baritone singing voice and dark lyrics being major influences. They also influenced future hardcore punk bands with their fast-paced, energetic playing style and attitude.
Tracklist:
A 1 Stab Your Back
A 2 Neat Neat Neat
A 3 New Rose
A 4 So Messed Up
A 5 I Fall
A 6 Sick Of Being Sick
B 1 Stretcher Case Baby
B 2 Fan Club
B 3 Feel The Pain
B 4 Melody Lee
B 5 I’m A Burglar
B 6 Nasty
C 1 Plan 9, Channel 7
C 2 Love Song
C 3 Liar
C 4 Noise Noise Noise
C 5 Smash It Up
C 6 History Of The World (Part 1)
D 1 I Just Can’t Be Happy Today
D 2 Hit Or Miss
D 3 Drinking About My Baby
D 4 Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde
D 5 There Will Come A Day
D 6 The Shadow Of Love
List of the Damned members (Current members)
Dave Vanian (David Lett) – lead vocals (1976–present)
Captain Sensible (Raymond Burns) – guitar, backing vocals (1979–84, 1988–92, 1996–present), keyboards (1979–81), bass (1976–78)
Paul Gray – bass, backing vocals (1980–83, 1989–92, 1996, 2017–present)
Monty Oxymoron – keyboards, backing vocals (1996–present)
Discography:
Damned Damned Damned (1977)
Music for Pleasure (1977)
Machine Gun Etiquette (1979)
The Black Album (1980)
Strawberries (1982)
Phantasmagoria (1985)
Anything (1986)
Not of This Earth (1995)
Grave Disorder (2001)
So, Who’s Paranoid? (2008)
Evil Spirits (2018)
Associated acts:
Naz Nomad and the Nightmares
Pink Fairies
Warsaw Pakt
Pink Floyd
Syd Barrett
Nick Mason
Hawkwind
Lemmy Kilmister
Motörhead
Ramones
Johnny Moped
Dave Vanian and the Phantom Chords
The Saints
Tank
Algy Ward
Paul Gray
Eddie and the Hot Rods
UFO
The Sensible Gray Cells
English Dogs
