There’s no place I’d rather be than right up front at a loud, raucous rock show. And being right up at the front of the stage at the State Theatre on Saturday night to see the 40th Anniversary tour for one of my favorite bands, The Damned, makes it all the better.
The trailblazing British punk band is celebrating their long tenure on this lengthy trek through the States and luckily for local fans, this included a stop at the downtown St. Petersburg venue. Plowing through a superb set list that touched on all phases and eras of the band’s existence, it’s safe to say there was plenty of music included to please fans of any stage of the Damned’s long and storied tenure.
Opening with a razor-sharp version of “Melody Lee” from the brilliant 1979 album Machine Gun Etiquette, it was clear that this veteran band didn’t come to wheel out a lazy nostalgic stroll down memory lane. Instead, the current five piece incarnation of The Damned came to rev up a crowd and to again prove they still got it.
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Relegated to a seated position due to a recent stage mishap a couple of weeks ago at a Toronto show that resulted in a broken rib, the normally animated and boisterous Captain Sensible sat atop a spray painted throne of sorts for the duration of the show. In actuality, and in line with the Captain’s humor, the throne was actually a spray painted toilet that was wheeled out before the set to accommodate the ailing Sensible. Donning his trademark red beret and round glasses, Sensible, who now handles lead guitar duties as opposed to his earlier role as bassist, was no less visible or vital as an integral member of this equation.
Cracking jokes, making political observations and recalling comical remembrances of the times he’s had too much to drink, the Captain held court like only he can. On a locally relevant note, Sensible mentioned one of his drunkest nights where he felt compelled to slowly walk across the front of a concert stage and urinate on the front row of fans at a Damned show. “It was at that place, down the street…” he recalled. Yes, indeed, it was at a late 80’s show at Jannus Landing where he dropped his pants and his underwear to relieve himself on his adoring public. I recall it well as I was lucky enough to be pressed up front and one person to the left of where the shower began.
Lead singer Dave Vanian is like no one else and is singing in arguably the best tone and authority he’s ever channeled. The always well-dressed and stylish frontman, who looks like a cross between Count Dracula and Zorro, sported a long black overcoat, black gloves and a black shirt with a popped collar and wraparound shades. Oozing cool as he paced from side to side of the stage, Vanian carried the weight of the material with ease and confidence. Whether crooning selections from the band’s mid-80’s goth-era material (“Alone Again Or”, “Eloise”) or dipping back to earlier, more rambunctious material (“Fan Club”, “Neat Neat Neat”) Vanian’s deep, commanding voice was in fine form and served as the glue that kept the wonderful chaos together for the duration of the nearly two-hour show.
Plenty of hits and deep album cuts filled the varied set list but it was “New Rose”, the single that holds the distinction of being the very first British punk rock single to be released from the original UK wave in 1976, that seemed to get the crowd to reach the absolute fever pitch of the evening. As a rowdy gang formed a pit at the front of the stage, it was clear that this legendary two minute slice of punk rock revelry can still incite people to lose their minds as it did upon its release all those years ago and since.
Keyboardist Monty Oxy Moron was among those who were inspired to lose their minds as well; often running out from behind his instrument to jump and flail about, it seemed as if he too was as inspired and compelled to let the music take over his body and his senses like most of us in the tightly packed crowd were doing.
And why wouldn’t we? Here was one of the most important and vital bands from our generation, up close and personal on stage at one of our favorite local hometown venues, unleashing song after song of a catalog that has remained a constant companion for so many of us. Nostalgia? Hardly. This is a still sharp, exciting, and vital rock and roll band that has forty years plus under their collective belts and knows just how to supercharge an audience and make them lose their minds. And, man, are they good at it.
Equally thrilling was Riverside, California’s four-piece rock machine The Bell Rays who took the stage as openers to precede the main attraction. Delivering a loud, boisterous 45-minute set of their own, the band who was originally many, many years ago described to me as “Tina Turner fronting the MC5” were the perfect complement to The Damned. Led by powerhouse vocalist Lisa Kekaula, the band commanded the attention of everyone in attendance, whether previously familiar with their material or not, and made believers of them all. Chanting the words “rock show!” repeatedly and encouraging attendees to make the most of the experience, Kekaula and her forceful, soulful voice led the tight, rocking outfit through a solid set of selections from their lengthy discography.
