Smash It Up

IMAGE(S) OF THE DAY – Old Punk Roses THE DAMNED Did It Neat In Belgium

Posted on by JL

9 August 2025

Last Monday was retro punk day at Lokerse Feesten – Belgium with Irish heroes
The Undertones, the fantabulous and, imperishable Iggy Pop, the Sex Pistols featuring rattlesnake Frank Carter and British punk trailblazers THE DAMNED.

The latter were the first UK punk band to release a single, and album and touring the US.
Their 1977 debut LP Damned Damned Damned still is one of the best punk longplayers ever, in my book. It featured several blitzkrieg bullets such as New Rose, Neat Neat Neat, Stab Your Back and Born To Kill.

They’re still smashing things up with 3 of the 4 original members: singer Dave Vanian, guitarist Captain Sensible and drummer Rat Scabies. Although they played on automatic pilot, the hits went down a storm. Hail hail!

PICTURE THIS


The Elvis of Punk

Their indestructible golden moment


The Captain

Neat Neat Neat


Newest punk haircut?

Smashing it up, once again


Wanna sing along?

Instagram – All Albums

THE DAMNED – From Blistering Hot To Boring Cold And Back At LOKERSE FEESTEN In BELGIUM

Posted on by JL

5 August 2024

London‘s legendary punks THE DAMNED are smashing things up since 1976 and have no intention whatsoever to call it quits. They’re those kinds of musicians who would go insane when they have to stay home, and get endlessly bored with painting their fence, mow the grass, work in their garden etc.

Last night they played, with 3 heroes of the original line-up (drummer Rat Scabies, guitarist Captain Sensible and frontman Dave Vanian) at Lokerse Feesten in Belgium. Within an hour they went from blistering hot to boring cold and back.

Blistering hot with roasting renditions of golden oldies New Rose, Neat Neat Neat, Love Song and Eloise. Boring cold with lesser known tracks that just didn’t work out to get the crowd afire, and then Captain Sensible losing himself in totally boring guitar solos. Guitar solos? Wasn’t punk invended to get rid of macho guitars solos and dinosaur rock? I thought so.

– NEW ROSE –
Set opener

Of course, the die-hard fans loved it, as well as they did like the beers. Good for them. Unfortunately The Damned sounded mostly as a cover band of their own. Glorious past? YES. Glorious present? NO.

Maybe they should smash it all up for good.

– SMASH IT UP –
Set closer

The Damned: Story

(Photos by Turn Up The Volume)

‘Smash It Up’ by THE DAMNED (1979)…

Posted on by JL

Knockouts from the past…

3 April 2019

‘Smash It Up‘ by THE DAMNED

‘Smash It Up‘ was released as a single on 28 September 1979. A track from their Machine Gun Etiquette LP of the same year, listed weirdly as ‘Smash It Up (Part II)‘. B-side: Burglar. The Damned wanted to smash the hippie culture. If you feel the irresistible urge to smash something too, than now is the time, folks…

THE DAMNED: Biography – Facebook