The Damned w/ Swinging Utters, & Pleasure Forever

I’ve got some advice I’d like to give anybody who “thinks” they’re name is on the guest list.  “Be smart enough to get the cell phone number of the tour manager of the band whose guest list you’re supposed to be on.”  I strolled up to The Galaxy will call and found out that this was a sold-out show and that they didn’t have my name on The Damned’s guest list, Nitro Records guest list, or The Galaxy guest list.  Did I panic and start throwing a fit?  NO!  I simply borrowed a cell phone and called The Damned’s tour manager whose name I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you!  After this formerly mentioned tour manager cleared the way for me and put me in the care of The Galaxy’s hospitality girl Carrie, it was all smooth sailing from there on out.  Not only was Carrie one of, if not “The” most beautiful girl(s) whose acquaintance I’ve ever made, but she also does a heck of a job at hospitality.  I’ve never been treated so good or been hooked-up as well at The Galaxy.  All access?  Carrie handled it.  Photo pass?  Carrie handled it.  Thanks Carrie, You rule!

I missed the first band Pleasure Forever on account of my own tardiness caused by my thinking the show didn’t start until at least 8p.m.  I guess I’ll have to start calling venues in advance and checking on showtimes.  Next up was East Bay Punk band Swinging Utters.  This band surprised the hell out of me, and all in all I went away thinking they were an incredibly good old school Punk band.  Swinging Utters owe more of their sound to The Clash than any recent big name Punk bands.  Swinging Utters remind me in terms of their sound alone a lot of a band called One Man Army who I saw a week earlier.  Swinging Utters played for an hour straight, and one very cool highlight of their show was when one of their guitarist was left alone onstage with an acoustic guitar and proceeded to entertain the audience with a very cool version of Brian May’s classic folk song “39”.

The Damned re-surfaced in Southern California after a noticeably long absence at last years Blood Drive.  Here we are a year later and we have The Damned touring in support of their newest masterpiece “Grave Disorder” which was recently released on Nitro Records.  The Damned opened this show with “Democracy” off the new record and the crowd went ape-s*** from the beginning of this show, all the way to the end.  Dave Vanian and Captain Sensible are the founding members of The Damned, which means they’ve been around at least 25 years and still they both look as young and sound every bit as great if not better than they did in 1977.  Vanian’s wife and bass player Patricia Morrison (ex Sisters of Mercy, Gun Club, The Bags), as well as Pinch on drums and Monty Oxy Moron on keyboards round out the line-up and contribute to it being in my opinion the best yet.  Sensible has made the switch from bass to guitar and proves he’s got more than 3 chords up his sleeve.  Hear him play live and one might say with all the wah-wah and fuzzbox in his playing that The Captain’s got a full-on Hendrix jones, or a trippy psychedelic one at the very least.  Incredible man!  I’m blown-away at The Damned’s ability to incorporate the unexpected into their new stuff and make the older stuff sound even better.  Punk’s not dead.  It just got a whole hell of a lot better!
 

Phil Dis is a special contributor to antiMUSIC  -  Photos by Phil Dis - Copyright 2001 Iconoclast Entertainment Group - All Rights Reserved
 

MORE!

Visit The Damned Official Website to get the lowdown on their new album plus tons of other cool  stuff.

Check out Nitro Records for more on the Damned and other great Nitro Artists!

Listen to sound samples and Purchase "Grave Disorder" online