THE DAMNED Vinilo y CD

Review: AD 2022: Live In Manchester is the long overdue live album from seminal homegrown punk legends The Damned, who announced plans in 2020 to undertake a reunion tour with the original line up of Dave Vanian (vocals), Brian James (guitar), Captain Sensible (bass), and Rat Scabies (drums), but naturally had to put things on hold due to the pandemic. Finally making good on their promise and reuniting for the first time in over four decades to descend upon Manchester's O2 Apollo in November 2022 for an immense set of 21 tracks taken from the band's first two (and only) albums to ever feature the classic OG line up; Damned Damned Damned and Music For Pleasure, both initially released in 1977, feast your ears on a true fly-on-the-wall experience if you were one of the many miserable millions to not experience such an iconic rarity in person that night.

Review: Following the announcement in October 2020 that the OG line up of seminal homegrown punks The Damned featuring Dave Vanian (vocals), Brian James (guitar), Captain Sensible (bass), and Rat Scabies (drums), would reunite for their first batch of reunion shows in over four decades, the pandemic quickly disagreed and forced the members to push back their run until November 2022. AD 2022: Live In Manchester delivers the group's iconic set at Manchester's O2 Apollo made up of 21 classic cuts from their 1977 debut full-length Damned Damned Damned and its same-year sophomore follow up Music For Pleasure (the only two projects all four original members performed on).

Review: Not to be confused with our own homegrown horror-punk legends, this preceding The Damned were a short-lived Dutch glam rock studio-only project, who's one release of note is this long out of print Morning Bird 7", accompanied by the proto-disco groove of B-side 'Theta'. Available on wax for the first time in 50 years, this slept on neon-tinted holy grail of glam originally came courtesy of iconic producer Miki Dallon (The Sorrows, Boys Blue, Shakane, New York Dolls) for his Young Blood International label in 1974.

Review: Shadowed Tales From Mulhouse by iconic punk group The Damned is a haunting journey into the depths of musical darkness. The album captivates throughout with its eerie melodies, ethereal vocals, and brooding atmosphere. Each track exudes a sense of mystery and intrigue, drawing the audience into a world of shadows and secrets. The band's masterful instrumentation and haunting lyrics create a spine-chilling experience that lingers long after the final note fades away. All of this makes Shadowed Tales From Mulhouse is a testament to The Damned's prowess as musical storytellers, leaving listeners enthralled and eager for more from this enigmatic ensemble.

Review: Shadowed Tales From Mulhouse captures punk's original rebels in live action in 1994, feeling like a return to their rowdy garage punk origins after spending the latter part of the 80s helping to shape goth rock and then take it overground and into the charts. No sign of 'Eloise' or 'Grimy Fiendish' here though - this all about genre-defining hits like 'Love Song', 'Neat Neat Neat', 'New Rose' and 'Smash It Up', with a heap of perfectly suited and totally unlikely cover versions, from 'Pretty Vacant' to 'You've Lost That Loving Feeling' and 'I Walk The Line'. All on nice coloured vinyl, too, it stands as a testament to The Damned's storytelling prowess, leaving audiences enthralled and craving more from this enigmatic ensemble.

Review: 'Neat Neat Neat' might have only been the second single released by The Damned, but its timeless longevity as an essential punk staple has seen it appear in episodes of The Simpsons and The Boys while Edgar Wright would give the track yet another lease on life by using it to score the intense opening chase sequence in 2017's Baby Driver. That's before even mentioning the vastly differing artists it has influenced with everyone from My Chemical Romance to Elvis Costello taking a stab. Pressed to artwork complimenting purple wax, this 7" offers a slice of cuts captured during a set in Mulhouse, France in 1994, with the classic single on the A-side, while the flip boasts a dynamic yet bizarre bevvy of covers, from the likes of iconic pop duo The Righteous Brothers ('You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin') to 60's mods The Craig ('I Must Be Mad') to Johnny Cash's 'I Walk The Line'.

Review: Following 'New Rose' as only the second ever single released by The Damned, 'Neat Neat Neat' has gone on to become, not only one of the band's biggest hits, but a timeless punk anthem used in everything from series like The Boys and The Simpsons, to the epic heist/chase sequence in Edgar Wright's Baby Driver, to even being covered by vastly differing acts from Elvis Costello to My Chemical Romance. This vibrantly coloured 7" captures a handful of cuts from a 1994 live performance in Mulhouse, France, boasting the aforementioned single on the A-side with a curious selection of covers on the flip, ranging from Johnny Cash's 'I Walk The Line' to 'You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' from The Righteous Brothers and even a rendition of 60s mod originals The Craig's 'I Must Be Mad' lobbed in for good measure.

Review: Here's a classic live album from British punk heroes The Damned, captured in full flight at Woolwich Coronet on July 11 1985. Wrongly credited to a gig at Santa Monica Civic when it was originally released back in 1997, the facts have since been set straight but whatever the case, this is the band at their best. There's all the best bits of their back catalogue and even some choice covers such as the Electric Prunes' ever-classic 'I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night' and Iggy Pop's 'Lust For Life' - and that's just the icing on top of a set brimming with kick ass punk rock.