Really well-written piece as always Joe. I saw the show in NYC on Friday and will be writing about it this weekend I hope - in context with 3 other shows I saw, all on consecutive nights. As someone who has seen The Damned a few times over the years, they're as good as they ever were, even if the Captain no longer plays bollocks naked. I love the band to bits. Glad you got to see this peak line-up play peak-period songs. Dictators too. Cheers.
I was never a big punk fan, but I do have a Damned story. For several years in the 90s, I lived in Ealing, West London, and we were within walking distance of Brentford FC. Brentford Bees was my introduction to English football. Next to the stadium, there is a pub called The Griffin, and the first time I went, Rat Scabies of The Damned, was holding court. I quickly realized he was a huge Bees fan and a regular pre-game drinker at the pub. Anyway, we chatted a couple of times, and he thought it was hilarious that of all the big-name teams to watch, an American chose to be at Griffin Park. Nevertheless, meeting Rat and the stadium’s proximity to our flat made me adopt Brentford as my English team.
Good text on both bands! Maybe some lines on Paul Gray (bass) and Rat Scabies (drums). Rat has rejoined the band after 26/27 years (quite a period!) and Paul was back in the saddle after 21 years had passed. I have a hard time thinking of a similar case (OK, some lines for Monty as well).
On the business side of things, after the experience of Brian James getting the royalties from the first album and its classics, shared credits became the norm (until "the "Anything" LP).... and then some "appropiation" took place. You probably know the example of your "Hit and Miss" song, which started life as a Paul Gray & Graeme Douglas composition for Eddie & The Hot Rods
Oh. Quite a coincidence that The Fleshtones are going to tour the UK with The Damned. A surprise and then some! Do you have any information on how this double bill came about? I would not have thought (other than both bands starting at the same era and their rock and roll credentials) that this was going to happen. Maybe The Fleshtones have a better manager / the Damned are fans / last-minute substitution?
Really well-written piece as always Joe. I saw the show in NYC on Friday and will be writing about it this weekend I hope - in context with 3 other shows I saw, all on consecutive nights. As someone who has seen The Damned a few times over the years, they're as good as they ever were, even if the Captain no longer plays bollocks naked. I love the band to bits. Glad you got to see this peak line-up play peak-period songs. Dictators too. Cheers.
Thanks as always, Tony. Yeah, I'm kind of shocked that they play this well on all levels this far into the game. Extraordinary! And inspiring.
I was never a big punk fan, but I do have a Damned story. For several years in the 90s, I lived in Ealing, West London, and we were within walking distance of Brentford FC. Brentford Bees was my introduction to English football. Next to the stadium, there is a pub called The Griffin, and the first time I went, Rat Scabies of The Damned, was holding court. I quickly realized he was a huge Bees fan and a regular pre-game drinker at the pub. Anyway, we chatted a couple of times, and he thought it was hilarious that of all the big-name teams to watch, an American chose to be at Griffin Park. Nevertheless, meeting Rat and the stadium’s proximity to our flat made me adopt Brentford as my English team.
Love it
Just so much fun to read your descriptions of the guys, especially Davian and Sensible. (Do you write fiction? You'd be killer at characterization.)
Thanks so much, Ellen! Nah, I haven't written fiction since my awful stories in college. ;-) I channel it through nonfiction.
Good text on both bands! Maybe some lines on Paul Gray (bass) and Rat Scabies (drums). Rat has rejoined the band after 26/27 years (quite a period!) and Paul was back in the saddle after 21 years had passed. I have a hard time thinking of a similar case (OK, some lines for Monty as well).
On the business side of things, after the experience of Brian James getting the royalties from the first album and its classics, shared credits became the norm (until "the "Anything" LP).... and then some "appropiation" took place. You probably know the example of your "Hit and Miss" song, which started life as a Paul Gray & Graeme Douglas composition for Eddie & The Hot Rods
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlYCpzWQF7w
But then morphed into a Gray / Vanian / Sensible / Scabies credit.
In any case, Paul clearly "owns" the song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLh1dzh8drQ
And probably you were looking forward for something like this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtxsssTAt_o
Oh. Quite a coincidence that The Fleshtones are going to tour the UK with The Damned. A surprise and then some! Do you have any information on how this double bill came about? I would not have thought (other than both bands starting at the same era and their rock and roll credentials) that this was going to happen. Maybe The Fleshtones have a better manager / the Damned are fans / last-minute substitution?
And long live the Dictators!
What a killer video that '81 gig is! Thanks for sharing.
As for the December UK tour, I just assume the Damned have good taste. ;-)
More than happy to go with that!
Here are the available songs from that gig.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiI2zJy0Xoc&t=435s