The Damned

The Damned is a rock band belonging to London. It was formed in 1976 and soon became the first punk rock band from England to have made it to the UK Music Charts with their album “Damned Damned Damned” and single New Rose. They were also the very first punk rock band belonging to the genre from UK to tour to the United States. Eventually, the band evolved and adopted more of the gothic genre. They continued experimenting and have included a number of genres to their music style. Now this mysterious band is coming to your town for which The Damned tickets have gone up for sale and you can avail good deals.

The Damned current members are Punch, Stu West, Dave Vanian, Monty Oxy Moron and Captain Sensible. The band started off by playing their first official gig in Croydon at a festival. Their next performance was in support of Sex Pistols at “100 Club.” This was followed by the release of their first single New Rose which was praised as a “deathless anthem of romantic angst.” After its success they brought their album Damned Damned Damned to the market, which included a cover of The Stooges song 1970, which the band renamed as I Feel Right.

The Damned went on the United States tour in 1977, becoming the very first band of their respective genre to travel to America. According to some of the critics, The Damned inspired the very first hardcore punk wave of the United States. That same year they opened a tour for T-Rex and then started recording their second studio album “Music For Pleasure.” However, the album didn’t manage to make a mark and was overall a flop, bringing the band to their downfall after a streak of success. In 1978, they broke up.

The Damned members started to experiment solo projects after the band broke up, however divided they could not make much commercial success. Soon the band reunited under the name “Les Punks.” However, in 1979 started performing once again under their previous name. After a handful of random live performances, they finally announced their official reunion with a gig in the April of 1979. After that they signed a contract with Chiswick Records and started working on their next studio album. By that time, Vanian’s vocals had taken a turn into high-baritone, fitting to their whole new gothic style.

The Damned established their new style that consisted of melodic, dark music which was sometimes fast and sometimes loud, while at other times was totally smooth, relaxed on keyboard. Their hit songs from that era included ‘Smash It Up’ and ‘Love Song’ which led to the album “Machine Gun Etiquette” later on. They also covered the famous White Rabbit from Jefferson Airplane under the name “Rabid.” This new album of theirs consisted of a more mature garage rock tone and had Farfisa organ in the back of several songs. This brand new style brought them further fame among the fans who appreciated their new style.

The Damned’s major label success came when they adopted a more vampire like style on stage with the formal dressing and chalk white makeover. After signing contract with MCA, they released “Phantasmagoria” in 1985 which brought them critical acclaim. The album produced number one hits including Grimly Fiendish and The Shadow of Love. After that the band continued to produce albums and singles every now and then with slight change in lineup as well. Till day, the band has managed to release ten studio albums, latest being “So, Who’s Paranoid?” which was released in 2008. After a long time now The Damned is planning to return to the stage to bring back their vampire gothic music to the fans. If you are one, get The Damned tickets now.