The Damned are currently on their original lineup tour. Postponed twice from the original dates in 2020, this must be one of the last tours to have been delayed due to covid.
The original lineup of Vanian, Scabies, Sensible and May, played together when the band was originally formed in 1976.
The history of band members joining and leaving the band is confusing to say the least, but suffice to say that the original lineup has not been together since 1991.
So, how was the gig?
Did it live up to the hype? Did it feel like 1976 again?
And most importantly, was this gig with the £140 I paid for two tickets?
(Seriously, what is up with adding a ‘Service charge’ to tickets you buy online? What service and are you caring me for!?)
Well before we talk about the main event, let’s discuss the three support acts.
Support
Smalltown Tigers
This 3-piece Italian punk band were amazing and made the absolute most of their small 20-minute set.
They get better, but not by much…
They played fast, heavy punk rock and they played it well. What more do you want?
The trio were clearly just really enjoying playing their music, barely stopping between songs to accept applause.
The best part was during one of their last songs where they played an ongoing instrumental, with the guitarists facing the drummer, all seemingly encouraging each other to keep playing and play even faster.
They were my favourite of the support acts and I really wish they had been given more time.
TV Smith
When Timothy ‘TV’ Smith walked on stage, I saw an ageing man with grey hair and thin arms.
I was not expecting this to be the most energetic set I saw all night!
He played a bunch of songs from his original band, the Adverts, and clearly still has the energy he had back then.
I’ll admit I don’t know The Adverts and so the songs were not familiar to me, but I enjoyed the set a lot, mostly because he made it fun.
Jumping over the stage, huge leg kicks and air punches showing that he was clearly still having the time of his life on stage.
Penetration
Another classic punk band, this one being formed way back in 1976, Penetration are another piece of punk history, and Pauline Murray is still a fantastic singer.
Theirs was a much more mellow sound than the other bands however and didn’t really seem to fit the vibe of the evening. The songs were enjoyable, just maybe less energetic or loud as the others.
So, let’s get to the main act, how were The damned?
The Damned
After an enjoyable opening with bright lights and a riff on the Dr. Who theme, the band finally came on stage to rapturous applause.
They then jumped straight into the set, and let me just say: it sounded amazing!
They playing every song incredibly well and the band were all on top form.
Ignore what you may have read in The Telegraph, this is a talented group of musicians who do know how to use their instruments and the songs couldn’t have sounded closer to the recordings if they tried.
Dave Vanian’s incredible crooning vocals continue to amaze me; he’s like the Elvis of punk rock.
Sensible has moved back to Bass to allow Brian James to come back on guitar, and he is still a very talented bass player, despite it not being his main instrument any more.
James’ guitar was perfect, as though he learned these songs in the 70s and the knowledge of playing with them stuck in his brain ever since.
And Scabies’ drumming was perhaps less frantic or exaggerated than I would have expected, but it was expertly done and I cannot fault it.
The Setlist
The band played a bunch of songs from the first two albums, which makes sense as that’s the albums that these band members were from.
There were also four cover songs, although these were also originally on the albums, so I won’t split hairs.
Here is the setlist in full:
| # | Song | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | I Feel Alright | Damned Damned Damned |
| 2 | You take My Money | Music for Pleasure |
| 3 | Help! | Music for Pleasure |
| 4 | Born To Kill | Damned Damned Damned |
| 5 | Stretcher case baby | Music for Pleasure |
| 6 | Feel the pain | Damned Damned Damned |
| 7 | I Fall | Damned Damned Damned |
| 8 | Fan Club | Damned Damned Damned |
| 9 | Alone | Music for Pleasure |
| 10 | Fish | Damned Damned Damned |
| 11 | 1 of the 2 | Damned Damned Damned |
| 12 | Problem Child | Music for Pleasure |
| 13 | Neat Neat Neat | Damned Damned Damned |
| 14 | Stab Your Back | Damned Damned Damned |
| 15 | Sick of Being Sick | Music for Pleasure |
| 16 | See her Tonite | Damned Damned Damned |
| 17 | You Know | Music for Pleasure |
| 18 | So messed Up | Damned Damned Damned |
| Encore | ||
| 19 | New Rose | Damned Damned Damned |
| 20 | Pills | New cover |
| 21 | The Last Time | The Final Damnation |
Now I have no issues with the bands’ sound – it was genuinely amazing.
But thats not to say I didn’t have gripes with the gig as well.
Issues
My first issue with the gig was more that they did go straight for the songs, rather than having much interaction with the audience.
For me, one of the best parts of a Damned gig is the chat and banter that comes with it, and yet here there was none.
Aside from a hello and the odd comment, there wasn’t much aside from the songs. No chat, no chants of ‘Sensible’s a wanker’, nothing like that.
If anything, the gig felt too professional, and less like a punk band reliving their glory days.
Also, the whole pull of this gig was that they had Rat Scabies and Brian may with them.
However, they didn’t really make themselves the focus.
It was still the Vanian and Sensible show. This makes sense as they’re the ones who have been the Damned all the way through, plus its hard for the drummer to really have a presence on stage, but some more focus on them would have been good.
Scabies did have his moment with some drum solos however, and the intro to New Rose continues to be one of the best pieces of drumming I’ve heard.
Brian May wasn’t very lively, but from what I’ve heard, he just isn’t.
He stood there and played incredibly well, but didn’t make a show of himself, and just quietly did the job well.
Worth it?
So, the big question; was this gig worth £140 for 2 tickets?
Honestly, no. Not for me anyway.
I don’t think I was really the target audience for this tour though.
For the majority of the audience who were around when the first two albums, Damned Damned Damned and Music for Pleasure, came out and they enjoyed these songs new and really got to love the albums.
However, I have their whole discography to listen to and so I don’t have the love for some of these songs as the older crowd does.
While some of the songs from these albums are great (Neat Neat neat and New Rose were obviously the shows highlights), a lot of the songs I just don’t think are amazing.
Fish, Fan Club, Alone – all these songs are pretty good, but I just wouldn’t rank them higher from some great songs on later albums.
And let’s be frank – a Damned gig where they don’t play Smash It Up is just criminal.
But again, that wasn’t the point of the gig. The point was to see the original lineup play the original songs.
Let me be clear; the songs the band played were played incredibly well, sounded amazing and it was brilliant to be able to see the original lineup. I may not have been around for that lineup, but I can still appreciate it.
My only issue is that the songs they played weren’t necessarily the songs I wanted to hear.
Wrap up
This was a decent Damned gig and it was really cool to see the original line up performing songs from the original few albums.
That being said, for me at least, it wasn’t the most amazing gig, and was certainly not worth £140.
But that’s my opinion, and maybe older fans got a lot more out of the gig than I did.
But at the very least it’s great to know the band are still on top form and I will be buying tickets to their next tour, so long as the setlist will be more songs I already know and love.
