The Damned Pay Tribute to Brian James at Intimate Manchester Show

“Don’t complain about the songs, Brian chose them. This is for Brian!”

As aptly put by bassist Captain Sensible, The Damned took the stage of Manchester’s Albert Hall to play “not a single Damned song”, instead honouring the late founding member, Brian James, with a selection of covers of his favourite tracks. To celebrate the release of their new album, Not Like Everybody Else, this intimate show welcomed back drummer Rat Scabies, as well as marking the 50th anniversary of punk itself.

Instead of an opener, the crowd was warmed up with a DJ set from John Robb, playing a mixture of tracks that perfectly set the scene: The Rolling Stones, Hendrix and Eno. The room felt like being transported back to a more nostalgic era, putting us in the headspace to witness something truly special. Concertgoers of all ages were united in high spirits and camaraderie over a shared passion for the band, evidently undeterred by generational gaps. It was fascinating to witness everyone having braved the cold to be decked out in leather, chains and battle jackets, showing that the ‘look’ of punks and goths has not budged an inch over the past fifty years.

Cramped in tightly against the crowd, shoes sticking to beer spilt all over the floors, being barged past by people ducking in and out for smokes: the energy leading up to The Damned was nothing short of authentically old-school punk.

Off the bat, the gig felt like a celebration of the band’s tight-knit community as they walked out to the silly, upbeat melody of ‘Yes Sir, That’s My Baby’, perfectly encapsulating how the band have never taken themselves too seriously. Opening with R. Dean Taylor‘s ‘There’s a Ghost in My House’, despite the majority of stoic faces in the crowd, it was clear that The Damned have not at all lost their passion for performing. A band of their size and prestige in punk history being so down-to-earth was a pleasant surprise, with frontman Dave Vanian interacting plenty with the audience and riffing with the other members on stage. Captain Sensible‘s playful commentary between songs provided maximum entertainment, such as dryly advising the crowd “Don’t do drugs, kids!” right before kicking into Jefferson Airplane‘s ‘White Rabbit’.

Whether people were taking their time and enjoying a drink or four to Pink Floyd‘s ‘See Emily Play’ or jumping up and down and belting along to The Kinks‘ ‘I’m Not Like Everybody Else’, the joy within the room was infectious. The feeling of being taken back to the past, and the lack of people at a show taking videos, was utterly refreshing. I even saw someone whip out a digital camera instead!

Admittedly, as a Gen-Z metalhead, this was not my scene, so I was delightfully caught off-guard when Vanian encouraged a small mosh pit to form for the final song of the night, The Stooges‘ ‘1970’, after a mostly stationary crowd for the majority of the set. Although it wasn’t at all comparable to the movement at shows I’m more accustomed to, it was wonderful to see how across the alternative music scene, people are all united by shoving each other around and flailing wildly.

Overall, The Damned put on a damn good show, where the love in the room for Brian James, punk rock and the importance of community was abundantly overwhelming.