The Damned are unique among their first wave punk peers for their longevity and musical variety, and have continued to make many an old age punk (and goth and rocker) happy on their recent tours, not least when drummer Rat Scabies and guitarist Brian James rejoined Dave Vanian and Captain Sensible for an original line-up reunion last autumn.
However, it is the current line-up of Vanian, Sensible, Paul Gray, Monty Oxymoron and Will Taylor who are behind their 12thalbum. Darkadelic draws on the many Damned influences over the last half-century – not just punk but also the old school rock’n’roll it rebooted for a new generation, and the horror rock which gave birth to the enduring goth subculture.
Opening track ‘The Invisible Man’ taps into some of that Alice Cooper melodrama with a maniacal glee, before the nippy pace of ‘Bad Weather Girl’ gives way to sonorous riffola and Hammond organ embellishment. ‘You’re Gonna Realise’ also takes off with the wind at its heels but ends with a metallic clang.
‘Beware of the Clown’ is a musical throwback to their mid-80s goth pop days on the perennially hot topic of political corruption. Following love song ‘Western Promise’ with its lovely trumpet coda, they crank up the psych on ‘Follow Me’, a rollicking garage rocker with propulsive tambourine rattle and don the leathers for the Motorhead-like machine gun fire of ‘Motorcycle Man’, a pugnacious punk number with urgent organ licks which then rides off into the sunset with a burnished Sensible guitar solo.
‘Girl I’ll Stop At Nothing’ remains consistently pacey, and they keep up the momentum with ‘Leader of the Gang’ while also adding in some retro pomp action. With memories of their biggest hit ‘Eloise’ rekindled, they round off this peppy set with the entertaining bombast of ‘Roderick’.
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