There was much anticipation about tonight with it being punk, gothic, psychedelic rock pioneers The Damned`s Golden Anniversary celebration in North London. Always a band that have shared good supports there were three crackers served up as the starter this evening.
The Courettes, husband and wife duo comprising vocalist/guitarist Flavia Couri (from Brazil) and Martin Couri, drummer/backing vocalist (from Denmark) open up proceedings and offer a ray of sunshine with the Spector Wall Of Sound come Motown reflection that is `California`. This thirty minute high-octane performance was a real showcase for this talented pair. There was the blistering `Boom! Dynamite`, the more reflective `Misfits & Freaks` and the hypnotic `Shake!` which led us out. I don`t know what it is about two piece bands but they certainly create a massive noise which around two thirds of the standing area at ten past six can testify to. The band shared that they are touring in September before taking a quick selfie before leaving. If you can`t wait until then, I’d suggest you obtain a copy of their latest album ‘The Soul Of The Fabulous Courettes’, their fourth, it`s a belter.
Peter Hook & The Light follow as Kraftwerk`s `Tans-Europe Express` is pumped through the pa system. The legendary Joy Division and New Order bassist shares a memory of asking for a punk record in Manchester`s Picadilly records and returning home with the Damned`s `New Rose` where himself and bandmate Barney proceeded to rip it off as is every young bands want. Hooky dedicates the show to the late Ian Curtis before Joy Division`s `Dead Souls` kicks us off along with a favourite of mine `Digital`, before `Isolation` and `Disorder`. I saw Joy Division at Birmingham Odeon in October 1979 supporting The Buzzcocks, a lifetime ago and Peter Hook`s voice does a great imitation of the band`s former vocalist. He notices an Illness in the crowd and halts the show until all is well then heads into `She`s Lost Control` and `Shadowplay` with it`s wonderful rumbling bass line before sharing `Transmission` and `Ceremony` then closing out with `Love Will Tear Us Apart` with this packed crowd singing along. Forty minutes isn`t nearly enough but better than nothing and Peter with his son Jack and bandmates only enhanced their reputation with a show that will remain with me for some time to come.
The Loveless have been described as Britain’s best garage rock band and comprise Marc Almond, long-term sideman/guitarist Neal X (Neal Whitmore) once of Sigue Sigue Sputnik, Iggy Pop’s s touring rhythm section, Mat Hector, and Ben Ellis, plus keyboard maestro James Beaumont. First up is the blistering `Wild In The Streets` followed by the suggestive `Putty In Your Hands` a track that has been covered by both The Shirelles and The Yardbirds. We have a psychedelic come garage rock cover of the sadly missed 13th Floor Elevators `You’re Gonna Miss Me` before `Hot Hard and Ready`, `Teenage Wildlife` and the ballad `Dark Side` with its deep organ keys highlights how Marc Almond`s voice has lost none of its versatility or power. I first saw Mr Almond in July 1981 as part of Soft Cell at the Holy City Zoo nightclub in Birmingham before hitting the big time and his voice is still as rich as it was then. `Nothing At All` rings out prior to a cover of Alice Cooper`s `Under My Wheels` which morphs into ` Suffragette City` before Neal X steps forward and shares Sigue Sigue Sputnik`s 1986 hit `Love Missile F1-11` which for me sounded fairly futuristic back in the day and really holds up. Sweet`s `Hell Raiser` is dusted down before Soft Cell`s number one hit, a cover of `Tainted Love` a Northern soul classic and `Heat` ends this forty five minutes. Are The Loveless a covers band? or Vintage rock and r&b, who knows and let`s be honest neither me nor the other ten thousand souls in this almost sold out venue really cared. I thought they might struggle following Peter Hook but nah, they were as superb as when i saw them last in a sweaty packed venue in Brum over two years ago.
Half a century on and The Damned today are Dave Vanian, Captain Sensible, Rat Scabies, Paul Gray and Monty Oxymoron who take to the stage as a Pathe news reel plays and open with `Street of Dreams` my wife`s favourite track so thanks fellas and `Wait for The Blackout` which is a number that I enjoy. The first set built slowly with tracks like `The History of the World Part 1`, `Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde`, `Stranger of the Town` and `Under The Floor again` which all had a variety of images portrayed with live footage of the band members on a big screen above the stage. But it was the expansive cover of Barry Ryan`s `Eliose` that ignited this packed audience. More reflection came with `Wake the Dead` with its backdrop of something that the lady next to me Michelle thought reminded her of the opening sequence from the eighties `Tales of the Unexpected` a British television series based on books written by Roald Dahl and I had to agree. `Life Goes On` and the psychedelic `Is It a Dream` follow `I Just Can`t Be Happy Today` sung by The Captain. The first set concludes with The Captain expressing that he loved the Hope and Anchor in Islington and that tonight`s venue was a concrete shit hole but tonight it was their shit hole as the band closed out with `Smash it Up` in all its glory and brought the first hour to an end.
The Intermission contained clips of long forgotten ads such as Brut with Henry Cooper , Babycham, PG Tips, Lee Cooper, Cinzano with Leonard Rossiter and Joan Collins and Unigate milk with comedian Benny Hill.
The band return after a costume change and open with the racing `Nasty`, the wonderful `Love Song` before tracks like `Fan Club`, `Disco Man` and `Ignite` follow but it`s `Neat Neat Neat` that detonates this fanatical following once again. We endure a drum solo from Rat Scabies before the classic `New Rose` sends the faithful home.
Those members that have passed away such as Brian James, Algy Ward and Bryn Merrick were namechecked by Captain Sensible, which I felt was a heartwarming gesture and that was it.
It was a lot to take in during the performance and even my three hour, two a.m. coach journey from Victoria to home wasn`t enough to digest the show in full. All the hits were there apart from `Grimly Fiendish` but i`m not sure the almost a century old venue was convivial for a band of this calibre. But where else is there apart from playing three nights on the trot at a small venue. It`s been a while since I caught the band live and was just happy to be amongst those who were lucky enough to be a part of this superb anniversary event. My wife was over the moon as well, so what else matters.
