THE DAMNED + THE NIGHTINGALES – BRIGHTON DOME 17.4.23
I just knew deep down in my bones that after their original lineup concerts back in October that the Brighton & Hove News covered (Review HERE) that The Damned current personnel would be immediately back on the case….and they have proved me right with a brand new album, ‘Darkadelic’, ready to drop and a full 15-date tour to boot, that thankfully includes tonight’s performance at Brighton Dome.
It will be interesting to see how this new long-player fares as The Damned’s previous studio album, titled ‘Evil Spirits’ came out back in 2018 and it became the band’s first ever UK Top 10 album, peaking at No.7. The nearest to that have previously been back in 1985 when ‘Phantasmagoria’ album frustratingly peaked at No.11.
Prior to the onset of Covid, The Damned were in my opinion honestly as good as ever as a live outfit. They played two absolutely blinding concerts at the Concorde 2 on 26th and 27th June 2019 (Reviews HERE). The previous year, on 19th November 2018 to be precise, they performed a decent concert at the Brighton Dome (Review HERE).
The past few tours have also seen The Damned opt for some jolly decent support acts, with 2018 being Johnny Moped, being The Piranhas, and the recent original lineup dates featured the Skids. For this new 2023 tour they called on the services of The Nightingales, who I can recall seeing live 10 years ago at the Green Door Store.
The current Damned lineup for this tour features none other than Dave Vanian (66 – vocals and gothic fashion icon), Captain Sensible (68 – guitar and former red beret wearer), Monty Oxymoron (61 – keyboard and Sumerian Kyng), Paul Gray (64 – bass and former Eddie & The Hot Rods member) and new drummer (since February 2022) Will Glanville-Taylor.
Tonight The Damned are back in action at Brighton Dome Concert Hall where they played almost four years ago. This evening is very much the outfits aim to show us what they have recently been up to and as a result they played no less than 11 of the 12 tunes to be found on the forthcoming ‘Darkadelic’ album, which is set to drop at the end of the month on 28th April, the exception being the album’s closing number ‘Roderick’.
The house lights were extinguished at 9:15pm and the ‘Main Title Theme (From The Man With The Golden Arm)’ by Jet Harris was blasted out of the speakers as their choice of intro tape. The guys took to the stage with Captain Sensible (Raymond Ian Burns) on our left (stage right) sporting his trademark garb; on the opposite side was the one-of-a-kind Monty Oxymoron (or Laurence Burrow to his old schoolmates), who wasn’t a well bunny at all, as his voice had gone, but his fingers were still able to grace his Roland and second keyboard very effectively and keep an eye on the laptop; to his right was the quiet one on bass, namely Paul Gray; behind him was the newest band member Will Glanville-Taylor sat behind the drumkit; and finally to arrive was the rather dapper David Lett aka Dave Vanian with his distinctive old style mic in tow.
Dave Vanian as always was moving around the stage with ease and indeed Captain and Paul Gray were able to do the same if they wished as their equipment was cordless. They opened with 1985’s ‘Street Of Dreams’ (from ‘Phantasmagoria’), which was followed by the first of the cuts from the new ‘Darkadelic’ album, in the form of ‘The Invisible Man’. After which they thankfully gave us a couple of numbers from ‘The Black Album’, which were ‘Wait For The Blackout’ and ‘Lively Arts’. Back in the day, the band used to also play an epic version of ‘Curtain Call’ which on disc was in excess of 17 minutes in length, but there was no time for that as they seeked our approval on the brand new material.
The Damned had made a very bold decision in selecting no less than nine brand new numbers in a row, which I can’t recall witnessing before, unless it’s a show specifically for the new release. Thus those in the circa 90% capacity Dome were hearing ‘Bad Weather Girl’, ‘You’re Gonna Realise’, ‘Western Promise’, ‘Beware Of The Clown’, ‘Wake The Dead’, ‘Follow Me’, ‘Motorcycle Man’, ‘Leader Of The Gang’ and ‘From Your Lips’ for the very first time. The upshot of this was that the punters would simply be sitting (in the rear stalls or upstairs) and standing in the stalls and watching the band as opposed to pogoing and such like.
Of these new compositions ‘Western Promise’ started a little like Echo & The Bunnymen’s ‘The Killing Moon’, which was a plus. ‘Beware Of The Clown’ saw Dave Vanian put a clown’s red nose on and carried on singing. A roadie enters stage right (our left) and also pops one on the Captain’s nose while he was still playing his guitar for comedic value.
Whilst we are on the subject of clowns, The Sensational Alex Harvey Band (whose guitarist Zal Cleminson often sported a mime/clown painted face) came up in conversation between the Captain and the poorly Monty, as Monty croaked that his very first concert that he ever went to was here at the Dome back in 1973 (6th June 1973 to be precise) and that was to see Slade and The Sensational Alex Harvey Band were the support.
The Captain informed us that newbie ‘Motorcycle Man’ (one of the better new numbers) had been written by Paul Gray. The Captain also announced that the next number ‘Leader Of The Gang’ was a glam rock number about Alvin Stardust, but we knew exactly who he was referring to, and just in case anyone wasn’t clear, the roadie came back on stage and stood behind drummer Will and sported some cheap homemade silver glitter wear.
We were now 51 minutes into their set and for the punks in the house it was finally time to let loose to 1977’s ‘Born To Kill’ (from the debut ‘Damned Damned Damned’ album), which Captain dedicated to The Damned founding member Brian James, who he said only lives down the road. The Captain also used to live in Brighton until Devon won him over.
The iconic ‘Love Song’ (from the 1979 ‘Machine Gun Etiquette’ album) saw the moshpit expand at the front, and even more so as they segued straight into ‘Second Time Around’ aka the title track from 1979 ‘Machine Gun Etiquette’ album, which surprisingly for me turned out to be the very best song on the night!
After ‘Standing On The Edge of Tomorrow’ (from 2018 ‘Evil Spirits’ album) we had ‘Neat Neat Neat’ which you would think would have been a straightforward punk number, but tonight’s rendition was an extended version that partly incorporated ‘Folsom Prison Blues’ by Johnny Cash, which I certainly wasn’t expecting. It was as Captain said their “Frank Zappa version”.
The standalone ‘Eloise’ single was given an airing next as the first encore number. I noted at this juncture that Monty’s rapid keyboard style was reminiscent of Ron Mael’s (Sparks) style, which brought a smile to my face. This was followed by a teasing starter version of the legendary ‘Smash It Up (Part 1 & 2)’ which is a must-play song.
The lads vacated the stage again, but only to return shortly afterwards and played ‘Girl I’ll Stop At Nothing’ (found on the forthcoming platter), which morphed into and was eclipsed by the closing 1977 anthem ‘New Rose’ (from ‘Damned Damned Damned’ album). Will’s drumming was rather good during these two numbers. It was now 10:50pm and they had finished. The Captain then asked the crowd if we had enjoyed the new numbers and many shouted their approval. The Damned are a fabulous band, but I for one’ felt that there was too much emphasis on the forthcoming new material and it would have been nice to have had the likes of ‘Melody Lee’ and ‘Anti-Pope’ included in the set.
My last few Brighton concerts from The Damned across a handful of years or so have highlighted two differing feelings within me. It seems that when they played Concorde 2 a couple of times, that they were bang on the top of their game and as good as they ever were, with real back-to-basics punky vibes. Whereas the last couple of Brighton Dome shows seemed more showbizzy with even a nod to prog and less gutsy and back to the roots. So at the Concorde 2 they portray themselves as a punk band and at Brighton Dome they morph into a rock band. Depending on which Damned floats your boat it’s a case of “Another hit or miss another hit or miss”.
For me personally, I’m praying that next time around I will be enjoying the band at the Concorde 2, so if they could kindly oblige, as ‘The Captain’ says “Cheers Me Dears!”.
The Damned:
Dave Vanian – vocals
Captain Sensible – guitar, backing vocals
Paul Gray – bass
Monty Oxymoron – keys and laptop
Will Glanville-Taylor – drums
The Damned setlist:
(Intro tape) ‘Main Title Theme (From The Man With The Golden Arm)’ by Jet Harris
‘Street Of Dreams’ (from 1985 ‘Phantasmagoria’ album)
‘The Invisible Man’ (from 2023 ‘Darkadelic’ album)
‘Wait For The Blackout’ (from 1980 ‘The Black Album’ album)
‘Lively Arts’ (from 1980 ‘The Black Album’ album)
‘Bad Weather Girl’ (from 2023 ‘Darkadelic’ album)
‘You’re Gonna Realise’ (from 2023 ‘Darkadelic’ album)
‘Western Promise’ (from 2023 ‘Darkadelic’ album)
‘Beware Of The Clown’ (from 2023 ‘Darkadelic’ album)
‘Wake The Dead’ (from 2023 ‘Darkadelic’ album)
‘Follow Me’ (from 2023 ‘Darkadelic’ album)
‘Motorcycle Man’ (from 2023 ‘Darkadelic’ album)
‘Leader Of The Gang’ (from 2023 ‘Darkadelic’ album)
‘From Your Lips’ (from 2023 ‘Darkadelic’ album)
‘Born To Kill’ (from 1977 ‘Damned Damned Damned’ album
‘Love Song’ (from 1979 ‘Machine Gun Etiquette’ album)
‘Machine Gun Etiquette’ (aka ‘Second Time Around’) (from 1979 ‘Machine Gun Etiquette’ album)
‘Standing On The Edge of Tomorrow’ (from 2018 ‘Evil Spirits’ album)
‘Neat Neat Neat’ (Inc part of ‘Folsom Prison Blues’ by Johnny Cash) (from 1977 ‘Damned Damned Damned’ album)
(encore)
‘Eloise’ (Barry Ryan cover) (from 1986 ‘Eloise’ single)
‘Smash It Up (Part 1 & 2)’ (from 1979 ‘Machine Gun Etiquette’ album)
(encore 2)
‘Girl I’ll Stop At Nothing’ (from 2023 ‘Darkadelic’ album)
‘New Rose’ (from 1977 ‘Damned Damned Damned’ album)
As stated earlier, supporting The Damned at the Dome were post-punk band The Nightingales.
The Nightingales were formed by singer Robert Lloyd in 1979 following the split of his previous band, Birmingham’s first punk group, The Prefects. The Nightingales enjoyed cult status in the 1980’s, recording no less than 8 sessions for John Peel’s radio show, which is more sessions than any other band except The Fall and Half Man Half Biscuit.
Their debut single, ‘Idiot Strength’, arrived in 1981 on Rough Trade followed by their debut album ‘Pigs On Purpose’ in 1982 on Cherry Red Records. They initially called it a day in 1986, but in 2004 they re-formed. A dozen albums later and The Nightingales are still going strong with their latest album ‘The Last Laugh’ which was released in 2022.
The Nightingales’ current line-up includes vocalist Robert Lloyd (formerly of The Prefects), Andreas Schmid (from Faust) on bass, James Smith on guitar and drummer Fliss Kitson.
At 8:01pm the Nightingales took to the stage at the Dome, opening with ‘Ace Of Hearts’ from their album ‘No Love Lost’.
The first thing I noticed even before the band came on was the stage set-up with the drum kit front and centre, rather than its usual place behind the rest of the band. As soon as the music started it was obvious that the drummer Fliss Kitson played a very central role in the band’s sound. Rather than the drummer just holding the band together keeping the tempo, Fliss’s drumming was leading the sound with the guitars at times playing second fiddle.
The Nightingales’ sound was very much in the post-punk style of the late 1970’s and early 80’s, with hints of goth thrown in. A few songs, such as ‘Best Of British Luck’ and ‘Watch Your Posture’ had an indie pop sound. While James Smith provided some guitar feedback in the latter part of the set.
Singer Robert Lloyd had a somewhat quirky stage presence. When he wasn’t singing, he would often stand with his back to the audience, limber up with moves like an orangutan or wander off to the side of the stage.
Robert had a very powerful voice and switched between shouting on most songs and on one song almost sounding like a poetry reading. As well as some brilliant drumming, Fliss’s backing vocals provide a good contrast to Robert’s singing style, on tracks like ‘Top Shelf’.
There was a bizarre section during ‘I Needed Money At The Time’, when Robert used a cabbage as a stage prop holding it aloft while singing the lyrics “it’s just the same old cabbage”.
The Nightingales crammed 11 songs into the 40 minute set. Often one song would go straight into the next. It was 18 minutes before the first break between songs. There were only a couple of breaks in their whole set and no lengthy guitar retuning. There was no superfluous banter with the audience or unnecessary explanations of the subject matter of the songs. While keeping the performance flowing, it could have appeared as if the band were rushing to get to the end of their set.
The Nightingales’ set ended with ‘Dick The Do-gooder’ at 8:41pm. Robert walked off the stage, leaving Fliss to thank the audience. Although nowhere near full during the support slot, many in the audience seemed to enjoy The Nightingales’ performance. It was an interesting and entertaining performance. The Nightingales latest LP ‘The Last Laugh’ can be checked out on their Bandcamp page HERE.
The Nightingales:
Robert Lloyd – vocals
Fliss Kitson – drums and backing vocals
Andreas Schmid – bass
James Smith – guitar
The Nightingales setlist:
‘Ace Of Hearts’ (from 2012 ‘No Love Lost’ album)
‘Crafty Fag’ (from 1983 ‘Hysterics’ album)
‘I ❤️ CCTV’ (from 2022 ‘The Last Laugh’ album)
‘Too Posh To Push’ (from 2017 ‘Becoming Not Becoming’ EP)
‘Diary Of A Bag Of Nerves’ (from 2014 ‘For F*ck’s Sake’ album)
‘Needed The Money At The Time’ (from 2022 ‘The Last Laugh’ album)
‘Best Of British Luck’ (from 2012 ‘No Love Lost’ album)
‘Watch Your Posture’ (from 2009 ‘Insult To Injury’ album)
‘Little Lambs’ (from 2009 ‘Insult To Injury’ album)
‘Top Shelf’ (from 2020 ‘Four Against Fate’ album)
‘Dick The Do-gooder’ (from 2012 ‘No Love Lost’ album)
A very fair review , a shame the albums wasn’t released before the tour so the songs where more familiar. Still had a great time time though but please Brighton Dome get some Guinness on tap !!!!