THE DAMNED.......+ Fisted Sister 6th of december

stigma

THE DAMNED.......
+ Fisted Sister
Temple bar music centre
friday 6th of december
730pm 20 euro
Tickets available from sound cellar,comet
records,meros and TBMC box office or directly from
Toxic.

The Damned
Anarchy, chaos and destruction: it's an old saying, an
apt, but insufficient description of this ever
innovative and legendary band. The Damned is all of
that, but also a band that continues to evolve—still
drawing its old fans while courting the new; pounding
out punk rock standards, but writing music for the new
century.

Punk was always about rebelliousness--for The Damned,
it is progressiveness and ability to change that makes
the band's career endure and keep true to its punk
rock roots.

It was over two decades ago when the world first got a
glimpse of The Damned's unique concept of punk rock
music, nearly 25 years (actually July 6th, 1976 with
the Sex Pistols) since the insane antics of Captain
Sensible and partner-in-crime Dave Vanian were
showcased at the now legendary 100 Club in London,
England. Now 24 years have passed, with over 20
different band members and what seems like even more
record labels.

The Damned was the first British punk band to release
an album, as well as the first to cross the Atlantic
and tour the United States. Good old Malcolm McLaren
and his Pistol-whipped boys soon followed, but it was
The Damned that was the innovator, not the imitator.
The band is to popular music what Monty Python is to
comedy: creative, witty, insane, intellectual, and one
of a kind.

If there is one thing that can be said about this
band, it is its continuous and unorthodox approach to
live performance and recordings. Despite The Damned's
cult-like following, it is perhaps the music
industry's best-kept secret. In the old days, The
Damned competed with the likes of the Sex Pistols, the
Clash, the Buzzcocks, Motorhead, and the Dead Boys for
the crown in London's punk rock kingdom; now they
compete with no one.

The original members Vanian, Rat Scabies, Sensible,
and Brian James, were always musically one step ahead
of their contemporaries. The Damned became more and
more complex as the band advanced the sounds first
heard in its early Stiff Records releases. The members
learned how to play their instruments instead of just
smashing them up. Albums to take note of: Machine Gun
Etiquette ('78), The Black Album ('80), and
Strawberries ('82). Today, The Damned holds the
stature of legend, with the likes of Green Day,
Nirvana and The Offspring all citing The Damned as an
influence.

In the late 1990s the band unveiled its most cohesive
lineup in years, featuring the additions of Patricia
Morrison (Sisters of Mercy, Gun Club, The Bags) on
bass, Pinch on drums (English Dogs, Janus Stark), and
Monty Oxy Moron on keyboards. With this lineup, Vanian
and Sensible had enlisted new, solid members with whom
to combine their own brilliant songwriting skills,
ensuring that The Damned's best days are still to
come.

Riding the proverbial wave, the band entered the
studio in London in early 2000 and recorded eight new
songs, leading to a recording contract with Nitro
Records (which, incidentally, is owned by Dexter
Holland, the lifelong fan whose own band The Offspring
covered the Damned classic Smash It Up for the Batman
Forever soundtrack).

The new material was written between March and May of
2000 and marks the first time that David Vanian and
Captain Sensible have collaborated since Frankie Goes
to Hollywood was polluting our airwaves. Rumors spread
like wildfire that these sessions delivered some of
the strongest new material from The Damned since
"Strawberries" was released back in 1982.

Since the band inked the deal with Nitro it has just
finished its first American recording, produced by
Grammy award winner David Bianco (Tom Petty, Teenage
Fan Club, Del Amitri, Rollins Band, Buffalo Tom, and
Afghan Whigs). The Damned's Nitro records debut GRAVE
DISORDER is set for release in october 2001. A world
tour is set to follow. Stay tuned for more. Stay
Damned.

www.officialdamned.com



=====
John Foley , Toxic Promotions , Suite 2 ,
3 Blessington Street , Dublin 7 , Ireland.
Phone: 00353 (1) 8601250 ,(mobile) 00353 87 6988381 ,
Fax: 00353 (1) 8602744. Email: toxicpromo@yahoo.com
Toxic Website:http://www.hardcore-times.com/toxic

---

A 24 track punk/metal compilation CD featuring the best sounds from the
irish underground "inTOXICated" plus COLDWAR's debut album "Whore bred
And Hell Raised" are now available to buy or trade from TOXIC Records.