The Damned

To this day, folk still argue whether the best punk band of the seventies was the Sex Pistols or the Clash. It’s the wrong question. They should be arguing over the Damned and the Buzzcocks. They were more fun, had better songs, released more records and played them on Top of the Pops. Of those two, I’d say The Damned had the edge, their longevity surely proving the point, as does their ability to evolve and move on. Though still being alive probably helps. They are, of course, far more than the last men standing, as their latest batch of cracking tunes demonstrated on the LCR stage, where they were in fine form.

Before sampling music from the upcoming Darkadelic, however, there was time to squeeze in half an hour with the inestimable Nightingales, a band I would have (and have done) happily gone seen as headliners in their own right. As such, I could devote a whole review to this hugely talented bunch, who rattled through the music, with little time or patience for natter. However, we’re not here to talk about them, so I’ll have to be content with noting the excellence of Fliss Kitson’s drumming and the vocal talent of perennial front man, Robert Lloyd, a Philip Larkin lookalike that can hold a note as well as write a nifty lyric. He really should lose the Kazoo, though.

I’ve seen The Damned more times than I can remember, but up until 2018 it had been quite a break, and I remember the upgrade being quite a shock. My memory of the band’s formative years might be a little hazy now, but I seem to remember them being – well - a little shambolic. The songs were always great, but appreciation of them was in spite of the playing and was usually mitigated by being stomped on in the mosh pit. UEA is not a huge venue, but it is compared to the sweaty, claustrophobic Waterfront or (if I dare go back that far) the legendary Pink Toothbrush. Last time out they seemed as surprised as anyone to be playing Norwich’s largest venue, but given the casualness with which the band took to the stage, they’ve since become more accustomed to being national treasures. Nevertheless, the verve and clarity with which launched into Street of Dreams will still take some getting used to. Sensible is a properly good guitar player now, while new boy (Pitch has sadly left) Will Taylor’s drumming was fabulous, driving forward in partnership with prodigal son Paul Gray, still bouncing around like a man who’s just won the lottery of life. It’s a long time since Dave Vanian did the vampire thing, but with the shades and the leather gloves he still looked the coolest sexagenarian this side of Samuel L. Jackson. His sonorous baritone is one of the best singing voices in rock, and after a brief sampling off of the Black Album (Lively Arts and Wait for the Blackout) he got the chance to showcase it on more than half a dozen new songs. Devoting a great chunk of your set, especially for a band that has such a powerful back catalogue, to so many songs off of the new album, as yet unreleased, might be thought brave to the point of foolhardiness, but hats off to them for having the confidence and commitment do to so.

It all stacked up pretty well, with Beware of the Clown and Wake the Dead particularly memorable. The performance was enlivened by Vanian wearing a red nose for the former, a welcome sign (along with the occasional silly dance) that he is finally lightening up after all these years. I remember when, back in the day, Sensible did all the talking, while Vanian prowled around menacingly, reserving his voice solely for the songs. Everyone is a lot more jolly these days, not least during the roadies dance routine for Leader of the Gang, which culminated in one of them wearing a presumably Glitter inspired cardboard and tin foil outfit that can be filed under seemed like a good idea at the time.

The Norwich crowd responded well to the new stuff, for which the band seemed genuinely grateful, but we’d have all gone home a bit disappointed if the standards weren’t given an outing too. Was I the only one twitching nervously as the Saturday curfew of 10pm loomed menacingly? We needed have worried – not one, but two encores well and truly busted through that barrier, so that we not only got Love Song, Neat Neat Neat, New Rose, Eloise and Smash it Up, but a welcome outing for Standing at the Age of Tomorrow from the excellent Evil Spirits. I rank the song amongst their best and proof, if proof were needed, that The Damned are about as far from a Heritage band as you can imagine.