The Damned to play with original line up

As unlikely that it is, The Damned have confirmed that they’re gonna play a bunch of shows in the UK with the original lineup. That line up being – Dave Vanian, Brian James, Rat Scabies and Captain Sensible. For “one tour only” in July 2021.

Next year will mark The Damned’s 45th Anniversary and the tour set will focus on the band’s first two LP’s – ‘Damned Damned Damned’ and ‘Music For Pleasure’ both albums were released in 1977.

It’ll be the first time Brian James and Rat Scabies have appeared onstage together with The Damned in over 25 years. Brian James left The Damned in 1991 and Rat Scabies left in 1996. Since then the only consistent members have been singer Dave Vanian and guitarist Captain Sensible.

In the documentary “The Damned: Don’t You Wish That We Were Dead” it showed the tension between Captain Sensible and Rat Scabies, having disagreements over unpaid royalties. Watching it seemed unlikely they’ll ever play on the same stage again, let’s hope they’ve let bygones be bygones and they have a good time on tour.

Below is the “Covid-safe” poster

“New Rose” was the first single released by The Damned, released on 22nd October 1976 on Stiff Records. It’s considered to be the first single by a British Punk band, yes they released their first single before the Sex Pistols.

A retrospective review of New Rose by music critic Dave Thompson:
‘New Rose’ is today rightly revered as one of the greatest songs to emerge from 1970s Britain. More than anything outside of the Pistols ‘New Rose’ (and its flip, the relentless slaughter of the Beatles’ ‘Help’) brought a focus to the still burgeoning punk scene, finally lifting it out of the musical basket it had hitherto shared with the Stooges/Dolls/MC5 axis, and knocking the Feelgoods and Hot Rods-powered pub rock angle clean out of sight. This was no sub-metal snottiness, no high octane R&B revival. Rather, it was the absolute redefinition of all that rock ‘n’ roll held dear, a stunning return to basics which threw every last iota of expertise and experience to the winds. The band’s detractors thought they were smart when they called the Damned’s record ‘primitive.’ They were way off the mark – the Damned’s fans saw it as primeval.

Get tickets for the show from The Damned website