The Damned
Formed
Members
Dave Vanian (vocals, theremin), Captain Sensible (bass, guitar, keyboards, vocals, 1976-84, 1989-92, 1996-present), Brian James (guitar, 1976-78, 1989-91, 2022), Rat Scabies (drums, 1976-77, 1978-96, 2022, 2023-present), Lu Edmonds (guitar, 1977-78), Jon Moss (drums, 1977-78), Algy Ward (bass, 1978-79), Paul Gray (bass, 1980-83, 1989-92, 1996, 2017-present), Bryn Merrick (bass, 1983-89), Roman Jugg (organ, synthesizer, guitar, 1983-89), Jason Harris (bass, 1992-96), Kris Dollimore (guitar, 1993-96), Alan Lee Shaw (guitar, 1993-95), Monty Oxy Moron (organ, synthesizer, 1996-present), Patricia Morrison (bass, 1996-2004), Gary Dreadful (drums, 1996-99), Andrew Pinching [aka Pinch] (drums, 1999-2019), Stu West (bass, 2004-17), William Granville-Taylor (drums, 2022-23)
Related Artists
Also Known As
The Doomed, Naz Nomad and the Nightmares, The School Bullies
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keresaspa
"From the snot-nosed punk originals of the early days, to altogether more arty areas and beyond into goth territory, the Damned have always believed in keeping things fresh but, unlike some of their style-crossing contemporaries, I've been able to enjoy every incarnation. Heck, they even managed to cover a classic like "Alone Again Or" without incurring any ire from me. Ask me to name my favourite bands and I'm unlikely to say the Damned but when I look back over the years they've always been a major part of my musical journey and long may they continue to be so."
RYM Rough Guide for The Damned
Biography
On 22 October, the band put out their first single, and the first Punk single to be released in the UK, “New Rose / Help”. On 18 February 1977, The Damned released their debut album, the Nick Lowe-produced Damned Damned Damned. Opening with "Neat Neat Neat", and also featuring a cover of The Stooges’ “I Feel Alright”, the album is seen as a classic of the punk era. The band went on tour to promote the album, opening for the final tour of T. Rex. Later that spring, they became the first British Punk band to tour the US, helping to inspire the first wave of west coast Hardcore Punk. In August, Lu Edmonds was added as a second guitarist. Produced by Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason, their second LP Music for Pleasure was released in November, and was quickly dismissed by critics. The album also featured saxophonist Lol Coxhill on one track. Scabies quit the band after recording, and the Damned decided to break up in February 1978.
In late 1978, Scabies, Vanian and Sensible got together with Lemmy of Motörhead and started playing together under the name “The Doomed". Captain Sensible had switched to guitar and keyboards, Lemmy gave his place to The Saints’ Algy Ward, and in April 1979, the quartet started going under the name “The Damned” again. Later in the year, they put out the new album Machine Gun Etiquette. Including the songs "Love Song", "Plan 9 Channel 7" and "Smash It Up", the record received very positive reviews. Vanian's vocals had by now expanded to a crooning style, and the album showed the band’s 60’s Psychedelic / Garage influences, while also doing a cover of the MC5. Joe Strummer and Topper Headon provided backing vocals on the title track, as The Clash were recording London Calling at the same studio as them.
Ward left the band in 1980, and was replaced by Paul Gray (of Eddie and the Hot Rods). Double LP The Black Album was released later in the year, with the influence of New Wave in the band being evident. One track of the LP was produced by Hans Zimmer. In 1982, Sensible had a solo no. 1 hit with the track "Happy Talk". The poppier style of the song, somewhat influenced the band’s next album, Strawberries (released later in 1982). Featuring new keyboardist Roman Jugg, the record included the song “Life Goes On” (with vocals by Sensible), as well as contributions by Sensible’s then girlfriend Rachel Love (of Dolly Mixture). Gray had a fight with Scabies while recording, and left the band. After the tour that followed the record's release, Sensible also departed, to pursue a solo career. Meanwhile, by 1982, founding member Brian James had started The Lords of the New Church, with Dead Boys' Stiv Bators on vocals.
After Bryn Merrick joined on bass, and Jugg moved to guitar, the band worked on their next album; a one-off project of ‘60s covers, that had them billed as Naz Nomad and the Nightmares. After Sensible's departure, Vanian’s vampire-like appearance became more characteristic of the band as a whole. The Damned released the album Phantasmagoria (featuring Susie Bick on the cover) in 1985. In January 1986, the single "Eloise" (a cover of Barry Ryan), was a No. 3 chart success in the UK - the band's highest chart placing to date. However, the follow-up LP, Anything (released in December), was a commercial failure. Their cover of Love's "Alone Again Or" was also released as a single. Late in 1987, The Damned began work on a new album that never materialized, and after doing some farewell shows for the next couple of years, they broke up.
In 1993, Guns n' Roses covered "New Rose" on their album "The Spaghetti Incident?", while The Offspring contributed a cover of "Smash It Up" to the 1995 film Batman Forever. The Damned reunited in the following years, with Vanian, Sensible and organist Monty Oxy Moron being the constant members. They released 5 more albums, with 2001's Grave Disorder, featuring former Sisters of Mercy bassist (and Vanian's future wife) Patricia Morrison. In 2017, bassist Paul Gray returned to the band. 2018 album Evil Spirits was produced by Tony Visconti. Former bassist Algy Ward passed away in 2023.
Rat Scabies re-joined the Damned in 2023.
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- 08 Jun 2024 No Values Festival @ Fairplex Pomona
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