The Damned were one of the big three punk bands back in the day. The summer of 76, which is mostly remembered for being one of the hottest summers on record was also a hot bed of punk talent.
The Clash and The Sex Pistols were the other two powerhouses of punk to kick off their careers that year and of all three, The Damned were probably touted as the least likely to still be around 46 years later yet here they are. They said it was the gig that would never happen, but it did and wow, like a phoenix from the flames, the pranksters of punk returned to Glasgow to destroy the doubters. With premium prices for tickets when they were released, the punters were under pressure to pay out, but they did, in their droves. There were discounted tickets to bolster numbers late on, but the promoters put on a mouth-watering line up to reward the faithful fans. With Penetration and TV Smith and The Bored Teenagers added to the bill, it promised much.
Undaunted with the thought of sharing a stage with three giants of punk, Smalltown Tigers showed they had claws and ripped into their set with vigour. Hailing from Rimini, Italy, they brought their 70’s infused punk rock to Scotland. With a room filling up, they entertained the early fans with a set list made up predominantly from their “Five Things” mini-album. It’s easy to draw comparisons to The Ramones/The Runaways as the girls lean towards the garage-punk ethos as they’ve built up their catalogue of accessible tunes. There were a couple of new tunes in the set which show there’s more to come from the trio of tigers.
The Adverts released one of the greatest punk debut records of all time. The timeless classic “Crossing the Red Sea with The Adverts” is without doubt, an all time top 10 so it’s no wonder the crowd had swelled in numbers to come see Tim Smith return to Glasgow with his “Bored Teenagers”. He was in Glasgow 6 months ago armed with his trusty acoustic but no sign of any guitar for him this show. He bounded on stage and advised the audience there would be no time for pleasantries as he had 30 mins to get through his set. Kicking off with the ironic “No Time to be 21”, the songs were played out relentlessly.
The wit and guile from Tim’s normal shows may have been missing between songs, but the early promise he showed back in the day was there to behold. A regular to Blackpool’s Rebellion Festival with his backing band, it’s not often you get the chance to see him live like this and he continued to belt out the classics with “On The Roof” and “Bombsite Boy”. Tim danced on the dimly lit stage like a puppet on a string but it was Tim who was in control of the proceedings. The boundless energy exuded from him was complimented by the onslaught of back to back belters culminating in “Gary Gilmore’s Eyes”, “Bored Teenagers” and “One Chord Wonders”. Simply stunning showmanship on any level and had the audience eager for more.
It was an evening for “Nostalgia” and Pauline Murray opened the Penetration set with The Buzzcocks cover. The last time Pauline was in Glasgow earlier in the year was with The Invisible Girls so she’s no stranger to the city. Probably more at home now playing her newer material, the popularity of Penetration was still evident as the band played through some of their classics. Another band who released a seminal debut album, “Moving Targets” was always touted as one of great albums of 1978. Murray’s down to earth demeanour was demonstrated when she opened dialogue with the crowd, repeating the word Nostalgia a few times after playing the classic song almost as if she was bemused the band were still playing the material after 45 years.
Penetration and The Invisible Girls band wise are one and the same but subtly different. It was another 30 minute slot and the band filled it with classic tracks culminating in the fiery hit single “Don’t Dictate”. The attitude is still there but different delivery these days. The crowd showed some spirited appreciation as the band slipped off stage.
Damned, Damned, Damned. The reason the venue is near sell out and why fans had turned out in numbers to hear the original line up play through their first two albums. “The gig they said would never happen” to quote Captain Sensible and rightly so. But, the four legendary characters of punk had set aside their differences to bring pure nostalgia to the evening.
There may have been mixed reviews from the earlier gigs, but I doubt very much that had impacted on attendance as folks wanted to judge for themselves first-hand. Not sure how many people in the building had seen the original line up but that’s what they were here to see. As it transpired, original is best for tonight at least as The Damned demonstrated they are a force to be reckoned with. For someone who says he hasn’t played drums very much, Rat Scabies heavy drumming combined with Captain Sensible’s crushing bass powered through the fist song. Brian James may have looked frail as he stood next to his beat up Marshall Amp, but his guitar work looked effortless.
The Stooges “1970” never sounded so good live as it did in the O2 Academy. The influential seventies song set the scene for what was to come. It was the perfect opener and indicator of where The Damned drew their influence from. Those early albums seem like a world away from what the band morphed into, but the foundation proved they had built something solid.
Dave Vanian greeted the packed venue with a “Good Evening Glasgow” as the band powered into “You Take My Money” from the aptly named second album “Music for Pleasure”. The Beatles provided the next tune as the cover got a live airing having first been covered by the band back in ’77. The first track to be played from Damned, Damned, Damned got them into full swing. “Born to Kill” maintained the intensity and they kept it going all night.
The early single releases brought about the biggest cheers of the night as “Stretcher Case Baby” and “Problem Child” had the mosh pit bouncing but it went up a gear with the crowd pleasing “Neat Neat Neat”. Sensible had to swap basses prior to the song as he’d broken a string on his Paul McCartney lookalike Hofner styled bass played during the early Beatles era.
Vanian owned the stage as he prowled every inch engaging with the crowd and pointing to the punters in his imitable style and when Mike Smith (Saxophone) joined the band on stage for “You Know”, the pair entertained the amused audience. Sensible wittingly remarked Smith had just joined the tour fresh from playing with Ellie Brookes. “So Messed Up” closed out the main set on a high leaving the audience screaming for more but it wouldn’t take long for the band to return. As Sensible left the stage, he said of the performance, “It was a Short, sharp shock”. Possibly too short, definitely sharp and a very welcome shock that the band had reformed.
It would’ve been a shock had the band not returned but there was never any chance of that. Scabies teased the audience with the odd hit on the toms as he took his rightful place back on the kit. Rat then launched into his toms as the iconic opening of “New Rose” sent the crowd into a frenzy. The first punk single to be released in the UK in ’76 saw The Damned at the fore front and after 46 years, they’re still the ones to beat, at least for tonight. There was no respite for the crowd as James fired into “Pills”. Covered by many but The Damned made the Bo Diddley song their own.
Sensible said “Could this be the last time” as the band played the song of the same name. The Rolling Stones song, such a fitting end to one of the most memorable gigs seen in Glasgow in a long time. To make it even more dramatic, Sensible took his Epiphone Hofner look alike bass and smashed it to pieces. He handed it over to Vanian and he finished it off discarding it onto the stage.
Emulating the ‘Stones’, The Damned have outlasted so many of their peers and will no doubt continue as long as they are able but in what form, only time will tell.
Words and Pictures: Raymond Thomson / punk4RT