They are rarely cited as the most important of the first wave of British punk bands, nor one of the most influential, but in many respects, [wimpLink artistId="4243444"]the Damned[/wimpLink] can honestly claim to be first. They released the first U.K. punk single (1976's "New Rose" b/w "Help"), the first U.K. punk album (1977's [wimpLink albumId="70752180"]Damned Damned Damned[/wimpLink]) and were the first British punks to tour the United States. They were also one of the first major bands on the scene to break up, and were later ahead of the pack when they reunited. Few of their peers have had a longer or more interesting career path. Playing music that was dark but playful at the same time, [wimpLink artistId="4243444"]the Damned[/wimpLink] started out as a loud, hell-bent-for-leather punk quartet. They soon began adding psychedelic and garage rock influences into their music (1979's Machine Gun Etiquette), detoured into epic-scale pop with a dash of prog (1980's The Black Album), and embraced a tuneful but muscular take on goth (1985's [wimpLink albumId="120019353"]Phantasmagoria[/wimpLink]), all within their first ten years. While the strong, mannered but witty vocals from [wimpLink artistId="4380575"]Dave Vanian[/wimpLink] remained a constant, the band's personnel and style were in flux as the group broke up and reunited with remarkable frequency. They finally found a relatively stable lineup in the 2000s, led by [wimpLink artistId="4380575"]Vanian[/wimpLink] and co-founder [wimpLink artistId="32773"]Captain Sensible[/wimpLink], delivering a slick but enthusiastic fusion of pop, rock, and goth on latter-day albums such as 2008's [wimpLink albumId="48412210"]So, Who's Paranoid?[/wimpLink], 2018's [wimpLink albumId="275066905"]Evil Spirits[/wimpLink], and 2023's [wimpLink albumId="271315547"]Darkadelic[/wimpLink]. Through it all, the band's ability to take their music seriously without taking themselves seriously endeared them to a tremendously loyal fan base.
The first spark of [wimpLink artistId="4243444"]the Damned[/wimpLink] occurred in 1974, when guitarist Ray Burns and drummer [wimpLink artistId="11684364"]Chris Millar[/wimpLink] met while both were working backstage at London's Croydon Fairfield Hall. Burns and [wimpLink artistId="11684364"]Millar[/wimpLink], who would be better known in later years as [wimpLink artistId="32773"]Captain Sensible[/wimpLink] and [wimpLink artistId="3593320"]Rat Scabies[/wimpLink], kept in touch as they struggled in the stagnant mid-'70s London music scene. Things took a turn when [wimpLink artistId="3593320"]Scabies[/wimpLink] talked his way into a rehearsal with London S.S., the ground zero of U.K. punk whose shifting lineup included future members of [wimpLink artistId="65"]the Clash[/wimpLink], [wimpLink artistId="11039"]Generation X[/wimpLink], and [wimpLink artistId="30786727"]the Boys[/wimpLink]. There [wimpLink artistId="3593320"]Scabies[/wimpLink] met guitarist [wimpLink artistId="4039815"]Brian James[/wimpLink], and around the same time, [wimpLink artistId="3593320"]Scabies[/wimpLink] was introduced to theatrical singer [wimpLink artistId="4380575"]Dave Vanian[/wimpLink], still working through his obsession with the [wimpLink artistId="37339"]New York Dolls[/wimpLink] and [wimpLink artistId="102"]Alice Cooper[/wimpLink]. [wimpLink artistId="4380575"]Vanian[/wimpLink]'s own history allegedly included singing "I Love the Dead" and "Dead Babies" while working as a gravedigger, but whatever the background, he proved to be a perfect frontman, with a fine voice and striking stage presence. [wimpLink artistId="3593320"]Scabies[/wimpLink] put [wimpLink artistId="32773"]Sensible[/wimpLink] in touch with [wimpLink artistId="4380575"]Vanian[/wimpLink] and [wimpLink artistId="4039815"]James[/wimpLink], and [wimpLink artistId="4243444"]the Damned[/wimpLink] were born, with [wimpLink artistId="32773"]Sensible[/wimpLink] switching over to bass while [wimpLink artistId="4039815"]James[/wimpLink] handled guitar and songwriting.
In July 1976, [wimpLink artistId="4243444"]the Damned[/wimpLink] played their first show in public, opening for the [wimpLink artistId="9219"]Sex Pistols[/wimpLink] at London's 100 Club. After a few more gigs, the band's speedy, raucous style caught the attention of a new independent record label, Stiff Records, which was looking for iconoclastic bands with a sense of humor. [wimpLink artistId="4243444"]The Damned[/wimpLink] certainly fit the bill, and Stiff wasted no time putting them in the studio with producer [wimpLink artistId="3609165"]Nick Lowe[/wimpLink], cutting the breakneck original "New Rose" and a high-speed cover of [wimpLink artistId="3634161"]the Beatles[/wimpLink]' "Help." The 45 appeared in October 1976, beating the [wimpLink artistId="9219"]Sex Pistols[/wimpLink]' "Anarchy in the U.K." into shops by five weeks.
As the British media were busy making punk rock into the next big thing or a national scandal, depending on your outlook, [wimpLink artistId="4243444"]the Damned[/wimpLink]'s profile rose, and they were booked to take part in the [wimpLink artistId="9219"]Sex Pistols[/wimpLink]' "Anarchy" Tour along with [wimpLink artistId="65"]the Clash[/wimpLink] and [wimpLink artistId="4194635"]Johnny Thunders & the Heartbreakers[/wimpLink]. After [wimpLink artistId="9219"]the Pistols[/wimpLink]' infamous television appearance in which they repeatedly swore at presenter Bill Grundy, most of the dates were canceled, and [wimpLink artistId="4243444"]the Damned[/wimpLink] ended up dropping out after disagreements with [wimpLink artistId="9219"]Pistols[/wimpLink]' manager [wimpLink artistId="11398"]Malcolm McLaren[/wimpLink]. In February 1977, Stiff released a full-length album from the group, [wimpLink albumId="70752180"]Damned Damned Damned[/wimpLink], and they landed the opening slot on what would prove to be the final British tour for [wimpLink artistId="62165"]T. Rex[/wimpLink]. They next headed to the United States for a few shows, including a memorable Los Angeles date that proved wildly influential on the nascent Hollywood punk scene.
Stiff Records and [wimpLink artistId="4243444"]the Damned[/wimpLink] (who had become a quintet with the addition of second guitarist [wimpLink artistId="8503252"]Lu Edmonds[/wimpLink]) wanted a second album right away, but the group were eager to have [wimpLink artistId="9706"]Pink Floyd[/wimpLink] founder [wimpLink artistId="10917"]Syd Barrett[/wimpLink] produce the LP. It had been years since [wimpLink artistId="10917"]Barrett[/wimpLink] had been seen in public, and instead [wimpLink artistId="9706"]Pink Floyd[/wimpLink]'s drummer [wimpLink artistId="41060534"]Nick Mason[/wimpLink] ended up in the producer's chair. No one seemed happy with the finished product, [wimpLink albumId="70838861"]Music for Pleasure[/wimpLink], which appeared in November 1977; [wimpLink artistId="3593320"]Scabies[/wimpLink] left the band, replaced by [wimpLink artistId="12939713"]Jon Moss[/wimpLink] (who would later join [wimpLink artistId="10940"]Culture Club[/wimpLink]), and Stiff dropped [wimpLink artistId="4243444"]the Damned[/wimpLink] from their roster. Frustrated all around, the group broke up in February 1978.
[wimpLink artistId="32773"]Sensible[/wimpLink] debuted the retro-psych act King and [wimpLink artistId="4380575"]Vanian[/wimpLink] temporarily joined glam oddballs the [wimpLink artistId="3605330"]Doctors of Madness[/wimpLink], but neither were satisfied with their new projects. While [wimpLink artistId="4039815"]James[/wimpLink] had no interest in re-forming the band, the other three members realized they still enjoyed working together. Settling the legal rights to the name after playing some shows incognito in late 1978, [wimpLink artistId="4243444"]the Damned[/wimpLink] bounced back, with [wimpLink artistId="32773"]Sensible[/wimpLink] moving over to lead guitar and Algy Ward of [wimpLink artistId="11436"]the Saints[/wimpLink] taking over on bass. (Ward would go on to be replaced by [wimpLink artistId="29915"]Eddie & the Hot Rods[/wimpLink] refugee Paul Gray and [wimpLink artistId="11548030"]Bryn Merrick[/wimpLink] would subsequently take over for Gray.) [wimpLink artistId="4380575"]Vanian[/wimpLink]'s smart crooning and spooky theatricality paved the way for goth rock, and [wimpLink artistId="32773"]Sensible[/wimpLink] turned out to be a better guitarist than [wimpLink artistId="4039815"]James[/wimpLink], a master of tight riffs and instantly memorable melodies (and, when needed, a solid keyboardist). [wimpLink artistId="3593320"]Scabies[/wimpLink]' ghost-of-[wimpLink artistId="3676021"]Keith Moon[/wimpLink] drumming was some of the most entertaining yet technically sharp work on that front in years, and [wimpLink artistId="4243444"]the Damned[/wimpLink] were widely judged to be better than ever.
Their comeback album, 1979's Machine Gun Etiquette, boasted instant classic tunes like "Love Song" and "Smash It Up," showing greater sophistication while still sounding like nose-thumbing punks. 1980's The Black Album was even more ambitious, a double set that boasted richer production, more adventurous songwriting, and the 17-minute goth/prog epic "Curtain Call." Their next long-player, 1982's [wimpLink albumId="64014467"]Strawberries[/wimpLink], found them creating another fine release, but to less public acclaim than [wimpLink artistId="32773"]Captain Sensible[/wimpLink], who surprisingly found himself a solo star when his cover of "Happy Talk" from the musical South Pacific hit the top of the British singles charts. While his dual career lasted for a year or two, [wimpLink artistId="4243444"]the Damned[/wimpLink] found themselves starting to fracture again with little more than a hardcore fan base supporting the group's work. [wimpLink artistId="32773"]Sensible[/wimpLink] finally left in mid-1984, and second guitarist [wimpLink artistId="3700953"]Roman Jugg[/wimpLink], having joined some time previously, stepped up as the lead and the band forged ahead.
To everyone's surprise, [wimpLink artistId="4243444"]the Damned[/wimpLink] enjoyed their greatest chart success following [wimpLink artistId="32773"]Sensible[/wimpLink]'s departure. They signed with a major label, [wimpLink artistId="9956262"]MCA[/wimpLink], which issued [wimpLink albumId="120019353"]Phantasmagoria[/wimpLink] in 1985, and scored a massive U.K. hit with a cover of "Eloise," a melodramatic '60s smash for [wimpLink artistId="27495"]Barry Ryan[/wimpLink]. It was vindication on a commercial level a decade after they started, but 1986's [wimpLink albumId="2429511"]Anything[/wimpLink] received their worst reviews since [wimpLink albumId="70838861"]Music for Pleasure[/wimpLink] and had unimpressive sales. After a full career-retrospective release, 1987's [wimpLink albumId="34477553"]The Light at the End of the Tunnel[/wimpLink], the band undertook a variety of farewell tours, including dates with both [wimpLink artistId="32773"]Sensible[/wimpLink] and [wimpLink artistId="4039815"]James[/wimpLink] joining the then-current quartet. The end of 1989 brought a final We Really Must Be Going tour in the U.K., featuring the original quartet in one last bow.
Of course, in typical form, [wimpLink artistId="4243444"]the Damned[/wimpLink] changed their minds, and the suitably named I Didn't Say It tour was mounted in 1991, with Paul Gray rejoining the band. It was the first in a series of tours throughout the '90s that essentially confirmed the group as a nostalgia act, concentrating on the early part of their career for audiences often too young to have heard them the first time around. After some 1992 shows, [wimpLink artistId="4243444"]the Damned[/wimpLink] disappeared for a while, but when December 1993 brought more dates, an almost all-new band was the result. Only [wimpLink artistId="3593320"]Scabies[/wimpLink] and [wimpLink artistId="4380575"]Vanian[/wimpLink] remained, much like the late '80s lineup; their cohorts were guitarists [wimpLink artistId="3607241"]Kris Dollimore[/wimpLink] and Alan Lee Shaw, and bassist Moose. This quintet toured in Japan and Europe for about two years, while also recording demos [wimpLink artistId="4380575"]Vanian[/wimpLink] claimed were for a projected album with both [wimpLink artistId="32773"]Sensible[/wimpLink] and [wimpLink artistId="4039815"]James[/wimpLink]. [wimpLink artistId="3593320"]Scabies[/wimpLink] decided to work out a formal release of those demos as Not of This Earth, first appearing in Japan in late November 1995.
[wimpLink artistId="4380575"]Vanian[/wimpLink] had reestablished contact with [wimpLink artistId="32773"]Sensible[/wimpLink] during the former's touring work with his side project the Phantom Chords, and he responded to Not of This Earth by breaking with [wimpLink artistId="3593320"]Scabies[/wimpLink], reuniting fully with [wimpLink artistId="32773"]Sensible[/wimpLink], and recruiting a new edition of [wimpLink artistId="4243444"]the Damned[/wimpLink]. Initially this consisted of Gray once again, plus drummer Garrie Dreadful and keyboardist [wimpLink artistId="3712459"]Monty[/wimpLink]. However, Gray was replaced later in 1996 following an on-stage tantrum by punk veteran Patricia Morrison, known for her work in [wimpLink artistId="3542080"]the Gun Club[/wimpLink] and [wimpLink artistId="13079"]the Sisters of Mercy[/wimpLink]. [wimpLink artistId="3593320"]Scabies[/wimpLink] reacted to all this with threats of lawsuits and vituperative public comments, but after all was said and done, [wimpLink artistId="4380575"]Vanian[/wimpLink], [wimpLink artistId="32773"]Sensible[/wimpLink], and company maintained the rights to the name.
Once the legal dust settled, this version of [wimpLink artistId="4243444"]the Damned[/wimpLink] toured regularly, despite instability in the drumming department -- Dreadful left at the end of 1998, first replaced by Spike, then later in 1999 by Pinch. While [wimpLink artistId="4380575"]Vanian[/wimpLink] continued to pursue work with the Phantom Chords, for the first time in years [wimpLink artistId="4243444"]the Damned[/wimpLink] started to become a real band again, the lineup growing strong enough to warrant further attention. In 2000, [wimpLink artistId="4243444"]the Damned[/wimpLink] signed a contract with Nitro Records, the label founded and run by longtime [wimpLink artistId="4243444"]Damned[/wimpLink] fanatic [wimpLink artistId="8199376"]Dexter Holland[/wimpLink], singer with [wimpLink artistId="7739955"]the Offspring[/wimpLink] (who covered "Smash It Up" for the Batman Forever soundtrack in the mid-'90s). Meanwhile, Morrison and [wimpLink artistId="4380575"]Vanian[/wimpLink] married, making them perhaps the ultimate punk/goth couple of all time.
By 2001, the [wimpLink artistId="4380575"]Vanian[/wimpLink]/[wimpLink artistId="32773"]Sensible[/wimpLink]-led [wimpLink artistId="4243444"]Damned[/wimpLink] looked to be in fine shape, releasing the album [wimpLink albumId="29582940"]Grave Disorder[/wimpLink] on Nitro and touring to general acclaim. The fractured history of the band was captured in a seemingly endless series of releases, authorized and otherwise, from all periods of their career, live, studio, compilations, and more. The year 2005 found both eras of the band being represented; while the new lineup was touring and working on a new album, the original lineup was honored by the three-disc box set Play It at Your Sister, which was released on the Sanctuary label. The limited-edition set covered the years 1976 and 1977, featuring all the tracks from the first two albums along with [wimpLink artistId="6500754"]John Peel[/wimpLink] sessions and live material. It soon came time for the lineup to issue their own album, which arrived in 2008 in the form of a slick, pop-influenced record titled [wimpLink albumId="48412210"]So, Who's Paranoid?[/wimpLink] Extensive touring ensued, and in early 2015, with [wimpLink artistId="32773"]Sensible[/wimpLink] present, a documentary titled The Damned: Don't You Wish That You Were Dead premiered at the SXSW Film Festival. Former bassist [wimpLink artistId="11548030"]Bryn Merrick[/wimpLink], who had been performing in a [wimpLink artistId="14283"]Ramones[/wimpLink] tribute band, died later that year of cancer.
In 2016, [wimpLink artistId="4243444"]the Damned[/wimpLink] played a 40th anniversary show at the Royal Albert Hall and announced their first studio album in nearly ten years. The following year, Stu West left the band and was replaced by returning bassist Paul Gray. In 2018, [wimpLink artistId="4243444"]the Damned[/wimpLink]'s 11th record, [wimpLink albumId="275066905"]Evil Spirits[/wimpLink], was finally released. It was recorded by [wimpLink artistId="4265327"]Tony Visconti[/wimpLink] ([wimpLink artistId="4768"]David Bowie[/wimpLink], [wimpLink artistId="10978"]Morrissey[/wimpLink]) in New York, and was preceded by the lead single "Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow." The group toured in support, playing Europe, the U.K., and even a handful of North American dates, including a headlining appearance at uber-hip garage punk festival the Burger Boogaloo.
In October 2019, drummer Pinch announced he was leaving [wimpLink artistId="4243444"]the Damned[/wimpLink]; the news coincided with the arrival of a new career-spanning compilation, [wimpLink albumId="120222133"]Black Is the Night: The Definitive Anthology[/wimpLink], while the final four songs Pinch recorded with the band were issued on the EP The Rockfield Files. Also in 2019, the group played a special concert at London's Palladium Theatre, designed to be a unique theatrical experience. The show was recorded for posterity, and was issued as a live album, 2022's A Night of a Thousand Vampires. 2022 also saw the original [wimpLink albumId="70752180"]Damned Damned Damned[/wimpLink] lineup reunite for a handful of British live shows, and the tour was documented with a limited-edition live set, AD 2022 (28th October London Eventim Apollo). In April 2023, [wimpLink artistId="4243444"]the Damned[/wimpLink] -- [wimpLink artistId="4380575"]Vanian[/wimpLink], [wimpLink artistId="32773"]Sensible[/wimpLink], Gray, keyboard player [wimpLink artistId="3712459"]Monty Oxymoron[/wimpLink], and drummer Will Taylor -- unleashed their 12th studio album, [wimpLink albumId="271315547"]Darkadelic[/wimpLink], followed by two months of touring in Europe and the United Kingdom. ~ Ned Raggett & Mark Deming