The Damned Wolverhampton Wulfren review

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pigeon
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The Damned Wolverhampton Wulfren review

Post by pigeon »

When The Damned's 40th Anniversary tour dates were announced, i thought to myself brilliant,but after the supurb gig at the Royal Albert Hall in May how could they top that?. It is pretty hard to top that one. But as it is going to be a big tour i am definitley going to catch them as many times as possible. Specially locally. Guildford, Brighton, London is wot i am looking for specifically. Yes there all in one week,and they are at the Brixton Academy. Holiday form dueley put in 3 months early!, Holiday form comes back a week later rejected "but, its the damned 40th anniversary tour" i say to my manager who replies "I couldn't care less if it's their 50th Anniversary you won't be there,you'l be out in that carpark keeping my trollies tidy and clearing up after Dumb and Dumber".

However dissapointed about the fact that i could be missing the whole tour. My good friend Alex Owen, says come to Wolverhampton and i can stay at his house in Crewe. So i then put the wolverhampton holiday form in and it is signed off. Ticket dueley purchased and train tickets purchased.
It was later on that the news came that they would be playing Damned,Damned,Damned in it's entirety ... again only having seen them play it previouly 5 years ago on the 35th Anniversary tour. They must love that album.

So the day finally came and i head of to Wolverhampton for my 11th Damned gig. I get to Wolverhampton at 2.50pm, and go in search for the venue. Wolverhamptons musical herritage is proudly displayed all over the town centre. jimmy plant, Slade, & Cornershop all from Wolverhampton.

I get to the venue rather early,it is cold. But the band are doing soundcheck and the people standing outside get to hear it what are they playing ...... "Eloise". I meet a new friend outside, he wants to meet Captain, i say i have already met him, and show him my photo with him taken by Matt Brown at the Islington Academy last year. I am feeling rather peckish so it is cold now so we go for a KFC to warm up.
Meal eat its time to go and line up to get in, we are the first there.

An hour later, we are let into the venue. I go to the merchadise stand i want to Buy Captains solo album "Revelution Now", so i get in on CD. i go into the venue intime for the support band, "The Nightingales", i watched there set. They are very prog rock.

Time for the damned the long wait is finally over. The lights go down with the bands intro song being played. One by one the band members come onstage "TURN THAT SHIT OFF ... PHIL COLLINS WHAT A F*CKING W**KER .... DON'T GET ME STARTED ON PAUL WELLER". Captain shouted "THIS IS THE ALBUM THAT WAS THE REACTION TO ALL THAT, TAKE IT AWAY STU" "Neat Neat Neat" fills the hall, one of the best punk rock singles. "Fan Club", and "Born to Kill" swiftly follow. What immediantly hits me how good the band are live right now. They are really enjoying themselves. Time for one of my favourites on the album "i fall", and then "New Rose",the first punk rock single. The crowd always like this one. 40 somethings jumping around, to the sound of their youth, mixed in with younger fans with parents. A Damned Crowd is a mixed bunch, much like The Stranglers auidence. As the set goes on the band get more energetic as "Fish","So Messed up", by the time "1 of the 2" is here its near the end of the album, as the band do not play "Stab your back". It is time for "I feel alright". And that is the end of Damned,Damned,Damned.

Captain then says "There you go,28 minutes of briliance,we mayaswell go now. ... No ...ok so it's 1977, Brian James has left the band, What do we do,our carrer could be over. But wait what next? ... LEMMY COMES TO THE DAMNEDS RESCUE, he actually did a couple of gigs with us,so lets have a round of appaluse for Lemmy, I don't think we paid him" The band start the second set with "Street Of dreams", i really do like this song, "Amen" from 2001s brilliant "Grave Disorder" is up next,and then Captain says "Does anyone remember seeing us on the young ones???, is anyone old enough to remember the young ones???" "nasty" up next, "Eloise", & "History of the world" all follow. I am really enjoying this is one of the best times i have seen them, it reminds me of Undercover festival last year. Now time for my favourite part of the set my favourite Damned album "Strawberrys" "Ignite" is brilliant, "Under the floor again" is just always brilliant. I love that song. Such unique songwritting.

Captain then says "Where gonna do the black album now whos got that one?", Monty then says "Not all of it like just dipping in" "Wait for the blackout" is on. Up next is time for another cover Jefferson airplanes "White Rabbit". Which moves onto the "Machine Gun Etiquete" part of the song "Love Song", "Antipope" and "Smash it up" finish off the main set. The band go off too loud cheers. They come back on Dave vainian says "Captain is now going to sing you a song if your lucky", "I've led a checkerd solo carrerr you know", "Life goes on" is played i can't believe it one of my favourites and i have never seen them play. This is just brilliant, they won't top that "DISCO MAN" another one of my favourites "Meledy lee" and "Noise Noise Noise" finish of the gig. A 2 hour set. They are really fantastic on this tour if you havent seen them yet go and see one of the last dates.

Can't wait for next year to see them again for the 12th time, non stranglers gig of the year. 10/10
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Re: The Damned Wolverhampton Wulfren review

Post by Bobinblack »

Great review that, Pidge 8)

Saw them in Leeds recently, not the best show I've seen them put on TBH but still a cut above the majority.

Penetration supported, they were pretty fine too, Pauline's voice seemed even better than before.
Think I'll go for a stroll in the trees.
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Re: The Damned Wolverhampton Wulfren review

Post by Rockula »

Great review Pidge.
The dates on this tour have been top notch with hardly a bad word about any of them except the usual banter from people complaining that they still don't do 'Stab Your Back' (which is hardly a great loss frankly).

But where have all these people come from that are making it virtually sell-out tour and claim they've 'always been fans'.
I'm not complaining, new blood is good, but I hope after all this '40th Anniversary' stuff at least some of them stick around for next year when they celebrate 1977... :lol:
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Re: The Damned Wolverhampton Wulfren review

Post by db63 »

They were amazing in Manchester,captain massively underrated guitarist.,great set.
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Re: The Damned Wolverhampton Wulfren review

Post by Greatkudu »

db63 wrote:They were amazing in Manchester,captain massively underrated guitarist.,great set.
Great review.Just couldn't make any dates.A bad playing better than ever without a doubt.
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Re: The Damned Wolverhampton Wulfren review

Post by elvisintheclouds »

Great review Sir! 8)
Thank you very much
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Re: The Damned Wolverhampton Wulfren review

Post by parasiteinblack »

Rockula wrote:Great review Pidge.
The dates on this tour have been top notch with hardly a bad word about any of them except the usual banter from people complaining that they still don't do 'Stab Your Back' (which is hardly a great loss frankly).

But where have all these people come from that are making it virtually sell-out tour and claim they've 'always been fans'.
I'm not complaining, new blood is good, but I hope after all this '40th Anniversary' stuff at least some of them stick around for next year when they celebrate 1977... :lol:
At Norwich they did a sort of version of Stab Yor Back which was mainly Monty playing a short keyboard version of it with I think some minimal bass form Stu. This was then ended with "I think you've had enough of that, now you can't say we never played it" or words to that effect from either Captain or Vanian.
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Re: The Damned Wolverhampton Wulfren review

Post by pigeon »

Rockula wrote:Great review Pidge.
The dates on this tour have been top notch with hardly a bad word about any of them except the usual banter from people complaining that they still don't do 'Stab Your Back' (which is hardly a great loss frankly).

But where have all these people come from that are making it virtually sell-out tour and claim they've 'always been fans'.
I'm not complaining, new blood is good, but I hope after all this '40th Anniversary' stuff at least some of them stick around for next year when they celebrate 1977... :lol:

i'm not sure really, i have only seen them 11 times now since 2004, but every gig i have seen has been fairly well attended. Apart from Undercover festival last year, the place was half full. But thats what made it great.
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Re: The Damned Wolverhampton Wulfren review

Post by ThruBeingCool »

It's nostalgia that brings the punters in. Old bands can't go wrong if they use the words "anniversary", "classic" etc when naming their tours.

It will be interesting to see if The Damned (for example) draw the same crowds when they promote and tour their new album.
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Re: The Damned Wolverhampton Wulfren review

Post by elvisintheclouds »

ThruBeingCool wrote:It's nostalgia that brings the punters in. Old bands can't go wrong if they use the words "anniversary", "classic" etc when naming their tours.

It will be interesting to see if The Damned (for example) draw the same crowds when they promote and tour their new album.
Sad but true!
Thank you very much
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Re: The Damned Wolverhampton Wulfren review

Post by pigeon »

I will definitley be going to see them next year, on the new album tour. I have pledged for the New Album. I will go to the London gig first. I think the new album tour will be even more succsessfull than this tour, given how many people have pledged for it already. Over 6 thousand people so far.
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Re: The Damned Wolverhampton Wulfren review

Post by gizzard »

As much as I am a massive fan of the band I have gave this tour a miss, saw them back in August and they were excellent, however I have seen all of DDD done five years ago on the 35th anniversary tour, as for the rest of the set there is nothing I haven't seen/heard countless times.
I can't understand why they have not done anything from their last two albums on this tour, so much for being a career spanning retrospective set.... :roll:

I will certainly seen them when they tour with the new album though. 8)
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