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<\/p>\nWhen punk took off in and around London, three bands were in the vanguard of what came to be known as the \u201cpunk class of \u201877.\u201d Sex Pistols and The Clash would be the highest profile acts who broke through into the public consciousness, but a third group \u2013 The Damned \u2013 made serious inroads as well. And rather than coast on the reputation they cultivated in the 1970s, today\u2019s Damned makes new music with all the spirit of their punk-era work.<\/p>\n
Burning brightly, Sex Pistols quickly collapsed under their own weight. The Clash held true to their values and scored critical and commercial success, but they sputtered out after a decade together. In contrast, The Damned endure to this day: three of its four founding members (plus one key member who was there for some of the band\u2019s best early work) are in the group today. The current run of shows represents the first tour in 35 years to feature The Damned\u2019s classic \u201880s lineup.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
When The Damned first appeared on the scene with their debut single \u201cNew Rose,\u201d their brash and bratty attitude helped pave the way for punk\u2019s ascendancy. Produced by Nick Lowe, the song distilled punk essence into two and a half minutes, with nuclear blast guitar, whip-smart drumming (from Rat Scabies), Captain Sensible\u2019s insistent bass lines and the from-the-grave vocals of Dave Vanian. Guitarist and songwriter Brian James would depart the band within a year, beginning The Damned\u2019s cycle of revolving-door membership. But Vanian, Sensible and Scabies would be on board for nearly all of the group\u2019s best work.<\/p>\n
Sensible (born Raymond Burns) switched to guitar decades ago. With a lineup featuring Vanian and longtime member Paul Gray, The Damned created 2023\u2019s Darkadelic<\/i>. That album combines punk attitude and psychedelia-meets-goth flourishes, while taking a sharp aim at current-day topics. \u201cWe don\u2019t really discuss what the lyrics are going to be like before entering into an album project,\u201d Sensible says. \u201cBut we did talk about the music this time around; we decided it was going to [have] more of a garage psych element than the last few records.\u201d<\/p>\n
Intentionally or not, many of the themes on Darkadelic<\/i> are topical. Sensible\u2019s \u201cBeware of the Clown\u201d focuses on self-centered liars and buffoons who attain high elected office. Another of his compositions, \u201cLeader of the Gang\u201d ruminates on disgraced (and currently incarcerated) glam rocker Gary Glitter. A co-write with Gray, \u201cFollow Me\u201d takes aim at social influencers.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were just talking about the lyrics of Darkadelic<\/i> compared to our songs from back in the day,\u201d Sensible recalls. Citing early Damned classics like \u201cStab Your Back\u201d and \u201cSmash it Up,\u201d he admits that those songs had primitive lyrics compared to current-day tunes. \u201cI don\u2019t know if that\u2019s a good or a bad thing,\u201d he says with a laugh, \u201cbut we\u2019ve certainly gone up a couple of levels.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another one of Sensible\u2019s tunes on Darkadelic<\/i> is \u201cWake the Dead,\u201d a songwriting collaboration with Martin Newell. A poet and musician who has written scores of enduring pop-rock tunes, Newell has always taken a do-it-yourself approach to music. That set of principles has kept him at some distance commercial success.\u201dWhy Martin isn\u2019t one of the biggest names in music history, I don\u2019t know,\u201d Sensible says. \u201cI always describe him as a one-man Beatles. And he\u2019s great to write with.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWake the Dead\u201d leverages The Damned\u2019s status as goth heroes. Sensible explains that through his travels on social media, he discovered that many of the group\u2019s songs have been played at funerals. \u201cI suppose we and our audience are the right age where people do pop off occasionally,\u201d he deadpans. So he decided to write a tune purposely designed for that use. \u201cIt has a heroic, \u2018two fingers to the Grim Reaper\u2019 vibe,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s not all, \u2018Oh, I\u2019m scared of going!\u2019 Goths and punks, they\u2019re not scared of that nonsense. Just enjoy life while you\u2019re here!\u201d<\/p>\n
And at age 70, Captain Sensible certainly seems to be enjoying his life, both in and out of the band he co-founded nearly 50 years ago. Sensible left the Damned in 1984 for a solo career, returned, left again and returned to stay in 1996. \u201cI gave The Damned up [in \u201884] because it wasn\u2019t paying as much,\u201d he says with a hearty laugh. \u201cDisgraceful, isn\u2019t it?\u201d His solo career leaned in a more pop direction, earning him money plus several hit singles in the UK.<\/p>\n
But Sensible says that The Damned is his first musical love. \u201cI just love standing there with an insanely loud amplifier and a Gibson SG in my hand,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s just a marvelous thing; I recommend it highly.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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