Classic UK punk rock group The Damned have once again delayed a reunion tour around the UK, citing the coronavirus pandemic as the reason. They took to social media to tell fans that “As a result of all the current uncertainty surrounding Covid, we have taken the tough decision to postpone the original Damned line-up shows to later in 2022 .… We understand that this is disappointing news, but we have to consider putting these shows on in the most Damned-spirited and safest way possible.“
At one point, the band were expected to tour last July, but these plans were delayed due to the pandemic. The most recently scrapped plans were for a tour around the UK in February, celebrating their 45th anniversary, with their first two LP’s Damned Damned Damned and Music for Pleasure being released back in 1977. The tour will be significant for the group, with it being the first time all four members of the original line-up have performed together in over 25 years.
The band ensured that tickets for the scrapped dates would be eligible for the new tour dates, which will be held over next October and November. The supporting acts will remain the same as originally planned. The group’s punk connections seem to have served them well, being joined by many other groups that were there at the genre’s birth; with singer-songwriter TV Smith (of The Adverts – one of the first successful UK punk bands) and the group Penetration (who’s 1978 debut album Moving Targets was described by AllMusic as “among the very last true greats of the first wave of British punk offerings“) joining them on stage.
The group, which formed in 1976, have contributed some important milestones to punk rock, being around during its birth in the seventies. Not only was their debut album Damned Damned Damned the first-ever full album release by a UK punk outfit, their 1976 single “New Rose“ is generally considered the first single by a UK punk band as well.
Throughout the years, the band have had numerous line-up changes, even briefly breaking up in the late seventies due to the negative reception of their second album, Music for Pleasure. The original lineup (and performers in the upcoming tour) was lead singer Dave Vanian, guitarist Brian James, bassist Captain Sensible (Raymond Burns) and drummer Rat Scabies (Christopher Millar). James left after Music for Pleasure and Millar left after the release of their 1995 album Not of This Earth. The latest most consistent line-up was from 2004-2017, with Vanian and Burns, but it’s been a long time coming for all original members to be on stage together again.
The tour will see the band focussing on material from their first two albums, as well as the b-sides and covers that the original line-up played from this era. If you’re interested in finding more about tickets, you can look here. The tour dates for the event can be seen below.
Tour Dates:
28/10/2022 – Eventim Apollo – London
29/10 – Eventim Apollo – London
03/11 – O2 Apollo – Manchester
04/11 – O2 Academy – Glasgow
05/11 – O2 Academy – Birmingham
