After thirty-five years and a path marked by both line-up and label changes, it could never be said that The Damned don't still cut a bedeviled image on stage. Currently backed by longtime, on-again-off-again guitarist Captain Sensible, keyboardist Monty Oxy Moron, bassist Stu West and drummer Pinch, Damned singer Dave Vanian took the stage at Slim's in San Francisco on October 29, 2011 and showed concertgoers how gothic a punk band can be. Now celebrating their thirty-fifth anniversary, The Damned took the stage armed with a set-list of hexed and star-crossed classics and, from note one, each member seemed to shed decades with each passing song. It was a sight to behold; Vanian crooned his throat out and coaxed true sighs of pleasure out of the crowd, while Sensible split his time searing eardrums and feeling every incendiary lick as he played; wobbling and collapsing as if possessed. The show was like no other, and Ground Control editor-at-large Raymond Ahner was there with his camera to capture every minute of the band's onstage rejuvenation. Is the band doing this show onstage every night of their current tour? Fans can only hope so, and go to judge for themselves.
Photos:
Raymond Ahner's photo essay of The Damned's performance at Slim's in San Francisco.
Artist:
www.officialdamned.com/
www.myspace.com/officialdamned
www.facebook.com/The-Damned/
www.twitter.com/the_damned
Tour:
The Damned's thirty-fifth anniversary tour continues. Click here for a list of upcoming shows.
