Fangbase - Reviews

Assembly Rooms, Derby

Thursday 4th July 2002

I had never been to the Assembly Rooms before and my first impression is a good one. Air Conditioned, beer reasonably priced and a car park attached to the venue.

I treated myself to a new T Shirt with the new Vince Ray design is this the cover for the next album? Had a quick chat with Jed she was telling me how much she is looking forward to the Warped Tour. Then I met Marty's Family we all chatted and Pinch came and said hello I kept my distance after the Stella incident at Stourbridge. I am impressed with the dedication of some people, Marty has been to every show on this tour and he isn't the only one. I just wish my wife was as understanding and my job would allow me the time.

I guess it was around 9:30pm when the Damned walked on to the usual "Sensible's a W**ker" chants and the burst into 'Street of Dreams' maybe it's Captains guitar sound but it sounds so much fresher listening to it live rather than the album version. Maybe they could do Sanctum Sanctorum or Psychomania next time?

The full Set was:

Street Of Dreams
Amen
Democracy
Plan 9
Song.com
Wait For The Blackout
Just Can't Be Happy
Would You Be So Hot
Disco Man
Under The Floor Again
Ignite
She
Neat Neat Neat

New Rose
Eloise
Smash It Up

Talking to a few of the guys after we were all agreed this line up is just so hot at the moment and they are buzzing off each other the body language between all of them indicates that they are all having a great time and that is showing through in the performance. The version of 'I Just Can't Be Happy Today' they played tonight has got to be the best I have ever heard it was superb. Monty was as manic as ever with Pat looking stunning she really is an attractive lady and Mr Vanian is one lucky fella. Dave & Captain were their usual animated selves and it was nice to see Captain in the Red Beret again. One nice touch was when a female fan through her G string to the Captain so he could wipe his nose, well I think that’s what he was doing?

Seemed to take a while for the crowd to get going I got the impression from looking around that there were quite a few younger faces not exclusively old die-hards which was a good thing I suppose.

One downside was a small minority and it was only about 4 people had obviously come out of a time warp and seemed to think Machine Gun Etiquette was the current Damned album. All they wanted to hear was Melody Lee and when it was not being played they decided to throw a few (plastic) glasses of beer the band handled it professionally as ever and it didn't detract from the performance.

In summary I would say it was yet another excellent performance and for you who will be going to the rest of the summer shows all I can say is - Lucky buggers!

Kevin Ruscoe

Another...

I am a relatively new attendee at Damned gigs having been to my first back in the mid 90's at a venue that is now the All Bar One at the Angel in Islington before the Captain was re-united. I can at least now claim that the number I have attended is in double figures which I appreciate is small beer compared to some of you who have followed the band from the beginning. I shouldn't really apologise for the accident of birth that makes me too young to have witnessed the band in those heady early years. What is becoming clearer to me however is that this is a band that is still improving as has been evident from the current tour.

The balance between old material and new at Stourbridge and Derby was just right and the switch between tracks that spanned more than 25 years was almost seamless. Colleagues at work find it strange that I could go and see the same band so regularly however unlike my beloved football team (no details, therefore no abuse) for whom I hold a season ticket, I have never been let down or disappointed by the performance of the Damned. As others have mentioned in their reviews there is nothing to compare to hearing personal favourites performed live, in my case currently Disco Man and Wait for the Blackout.

Of course last year there was plenty of unfamiliar material being performed from Grave Disorder, less than twelve months on these songs are now welcomed like old friends. There were a couple of tracks I loved but didn't know, which the other reviews inform me were "Street of Dreams" and "Under the Floor Again". The Captain mentioned at Derby that they were doing two tracks from each album so I obviously need to improve my collection.

I won't give you a blow by blow of the gigs (assuming that you are still reading this) as others have already done that. Instead I will give you a more personal insight to my attendance as the contrast was stark. Usually at gigs I can be found as close to the front as possible with my active participation varying according the current level of my fitness. At Derby I was bouncing around as usual surrounded by the increasing number of young people (or am I just getting old) as well as the old stagers (and by are some of them old). I have to admit that now I consider myself a more seasoned fan I get somewhat irritated by the antics of some. For example at Derby people were shouting "The Captain is a w**ker" when everyone knows that it is "Sensible" that gets his enjoyment from self-gratification. I have also never understood those who cry out for "Smash It Up" 10 minutes into the set. I always have mixed emotions when I hear the intro because much as I love the song it means that it's nearly the end of the gig - don't people know it is always the last song.?!

Imagine then my consternation when I read the Stourbridge review and found out that they had come back on stage and done another song afterwards. On that occasion I had taken a lady friend to a gig for the first time and rather than jumping up and down at the front I was rubbing myself up and down against her at the back. By the time that the final chords of Smash It Up were fading away we were out of the venue, in the car and at it like a couple of rabbits. (Thanks for sharing that with us! - Ed.) Little did I know that there was a second encore although I suppose it was apt that I was missing "Love Song". Mind you it might as well have been "Three Minute Hero"!

Anyway thanks for the band for a couple of great nights - and for anyone wondering the black thong you may have seen in the car park at the Stourbridge gig wasn't the same one the Captain wore at Derby. If it had been he would still have it stuck to his head!

Name withheld to protect the identity of those involved!