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English punk legends The Damned are returning to Australia for the first time since 2018. They are playing a series of sold out dates promoting “Darkadelic” which is their 12th studio album and the first LP release since the largely disappointing “Evil Spirits”.  Ahead of the tour we’ve had an in-depth listen to the album so we know what we will be in store for next week.

The good news is that this is a very good record.  It is packed with catchy songs, strong musical and vocal performances and sympathetic production that allows the band to cover the spectrum of their sound weaving all their influences from punk, gothic, psychedelia and pop.  Fans can no doubt debate whether or not this is their strongest studio work since “Strawberries” or “The Black Album” in the early 1980s.  It took me a few listens to really get it but now that I have got those songs under my skin and into my head it really does feel like it is on a par with their earlier works.

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Give this album a serious listen. Don’t dismiss it because it doesn’t have the rawness or the aggression of their original pure punk releases from the 1970’s.  The original line from 1976 up may have briefly gotten back together for some re-union shows to honour those works but this album is very much about the future. They have succeeded in making a record that is surprisingly strong and better than anything any other band that has been around for almost 50 years could have made.

Vanian’s vocals remain remarkably strong.  His voice was never a typical raucous punk ‘shouty’ voice. It remains deep, rich, smooth and resonant and sounds as good as it ever has. Captain Sensible’s guitar, so often buried in the production of ‘Evil Spirits’, has been restored to the forefront of this work.

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Three singles has been pre-released from the album and all have accompanying videos directed by Martin Gooch who was in charge of the theatrical spectacular that was the band’s ‘Night of a Thousand Vampires’ production in 2019.  The second of these singles is “Beware of the Clown” and is probably the album’s standout track.  The good Captain, often known for his “that’s enough politics” quips when anything resembling political commentary threatens to enter their live performances has, perhaps surprisingly, penned this ode to the “conveyor belt of bozos” who have been leading the British Parliament of late.  The Captain features in the video as a UK Prime Minister whose swingometer rating rapidly moves at high rotation between evil and stupid, which seems a good summary of most world leaders to me!  The song is classic Damned, it has a catchy tune sweetening a piece of power punk pop subversion.

If have an opportunity to get yourself a ticket for any of their shows I would recommend that you do so.  I’m really looking forward to hearing how they weave these new soon to be classics into the gig.

4 out of 5

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Follow THE DAMNED
Website – Instagram – Facebook – Youtube

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Press Release 19th March 2023 (below) HERE

UK Punk Icons
THE DAMNED
announce
AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND TOUR

Returning in June 2023!

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AMNPLIFY – DB