THE DAMNED + The Hard Ons
10.3.17 Metro Theatre
The Hard Ons were a spot
on choice as openers tonight. Seemingly evergreen, they ripped through a
set that included classics Dull and Just being with you. There was a new one
in there that sounded pretty good as
well. A grinning Keish could barely contain his excitement at being on the same
stage as The Damned, despite the mix giving them a bit of a muddy sound
unfortunately.
Tonight’s show was sold out, and the atmosphere is thick with
anticipation. After a not-too protracted
wait madcap keyboardist Monty Oxymoron is the first on stage to play the piano
intro to Melody Lee. He’s followed by
drummer Pinch, bass player Stu West, and then of course Captain Sensible and
Dave Vanian to rapturous cheers, and when they launched into the aforementioned
song, the energy was palpable, and the energy continued unabated through the entirety of tonight’s set. They
were into Generals next from the “Strawberries” album, one punter shouting “play some punk”. It’s been a long time though,
since The Damned were simply a “punk” band having long transcended genre
boundaries, yet somehow retaining their
unique sound and identity. As with a lot
of gigs you can’t tailor the setlist to your own preference so there’s always
going to be someone disappointed. (They
ain’t gonna play all of the first album tonight are they? And those that love
‘em know they are always going to throw in something that they haven’t done for
a while or something left field. Like Generals.
That’s The Damned). The Damned did however treat us to a nice little
snapshot of their extensive and varied oeuvre with plenty of crowd favourites. And every song
crackled with intensity. A cracking Damned
set really.
Suited and gloved, Dave Vanian clutches his classic
microphone and owns the stage. Vanian’s appearance as always only adds to The Damned’s
enigma and effortless dips into different styles. He’s flanked by the ever irrepressible Captain Sensible to his right, swirling and
snarling, showing his mastery of the guitar and interacting with the audience,
later falling into the front of the
crowd. The whole band are on fire. Monty is jumping up and down, singing along
when not playing his keyboards, Stu and Pinch holding down the rhythm section
with enthusiasm and precision.
The classics come thick and fast. Disco Man is next, and there’s a good swathe of songs from “Machine
Gun Etiquette”; I just can’t be happy
today, Love Song, Machine Gun Etiquette, and later on Plan 9. Spliced in are Street
of Dreams and Eloise, perhaps
again not every fan’s choice, but both of which still have an undeniable command.
During Ignite they get the crowd to
sing along the “Whoa Whoa” chorus,
taking the tempo down and then going full tilt again. Wait for
the blackout is greeted of course enthusiastically, as is the crowd
pleasing double salvo of Neat Neat Neat
and New Rose.
We all know we’re gonna get an encore, so the throng is hanging
for more. They come back sans Dave for Captain to do Jet Boy Jet Girl, and then Dave returns and we get Noise Noise Noise and Smash it Up. Then they’re back for a
second encore with Antipope. So with
all those songs, you couldn’t’ t help
but have a smile on your dial right? Anyone that says they were “boring” or “didn’t
play enough punk” – Come On! There was quite a good vibe amongst punters
though, everyone is happy, chatty and friendly, and there were no dickheads
which is always a bonus.
This was not some by
the numbers 40th Anniversary tour gig going through the motions.
This was a celebration of 40 years of triumph, and doing things as themselves,
their own way. It was also an example of how good a band can be after 40 years,
despite various and expected line-up changes. This particular line up has been
together for 13 or so years, and it’s well evident. It’s also a good reason to
look forward to their new album, likely to be their swansong. It’s been hinted
that it will take on a new direction, but head into more psychedelic territory,
and “offer some of the old and a lot of the new. Hopefully with Captain’s
melodic guitars, we’ll have some good pop songs on there” Dave has said in a
recent interview. Sounds Damned good.
SETLIST
Melody Lee
Generals
Disco Man
I just can’t be happy today
Alone Again Or
Love Song
Machine Gun Etiquette
Street of Dreams
Eloise
Stranger on the Town
Ignite
Wait for the Blackout
The history of the world (Part 1)
New Rose
Neat Neat Neat
Encore
Jet Boy Jet Girl
Noise Noise Noise
Smash it Up
Encore
Antipope
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