I looked it up , Dec 4th , very close to our wedding anniversary, what better present for Mrs Conn ,a trudge around Kilburn in the freezing rain , she's a lucky girl
Mrs Conn will be all over this , we saw one of his last appearances,strangely he made a walk on at an ELO concert in Watford town hall days later he was gone
That's the negative effect of going to Watford has on the human psyche!! (And no jokes about what was his last great hit....)
By the time it happens, it'll have been over 40 years since Dave, Rat, Paul and Captain were The Damned. For many, it's the definitive line-up. For me, it's the most musically creative and interesting to listen to. Live, they were superb and chaotic - a live album from the time was named 'Mindless, Directionless Energy' with a degree of cause. The response to the news has been euphoric. A terminally ill fan wrote that he had a real reason to fight even harder, to see it happen. On Facebook, the ever understated and gracious Paul, told someone to..."Steady on, old chap." I love that bloke. With Paul, Rat and Brian all having returned to the fold in recent years, I'm in dreamland...it's The Damned equivalent of Hoddle, Gazza and Greavesie all returning, fit to play in the first team....
Random pick from my albums this morning , Tom Waits Raindogs, I've seen him 3 times 2 of them brilliant the other was a complete waste of money
From Captain... "The Rat is back.. by immense public demand! But truly, the great man made such an impression on everyone while out on the ‘Originals’ shows that offering him back his rightful place on the throne behind the kit seems the very obvious way to go. During that all too brief tour he took those early Damned songs by the scruff of the neck and gave them the kick up the backside they so richly deserved.. nobody plays them better. I know I’ve said it before but.. Rat Scabies, best drummer of his generation - discuss.. We have to thank Will Taylor for his amazing work on Darkadelic and recent live performances - he really put his stamp on that record, and was an absolute joy to work with. And not forgetting the riff-meister Brian James either, who we still are VERY keen to get out with again at some point. That tour was just FAR too short IMHO. Thanks to all of you out there who knocked our heads together and made this happen...and after far too much fart arsing about we finally got around to it. Now, if only politicians listened to THEIR audiences, eh! Hopefully see you at a show next year. please log in to view this image " I had some belated hope that he'd turn up at last night's birthday celebrations for Paul Halford, after all, he invented 'Johnny Moped'. Maybe at the 80th bash...?
Something's lit a fire under those at Damned HQ. No sooner has Ratty returned to the fold than a UK tour has been announced. It takes in all the hot spots... ...London, Glasgow, Manchester, Eastbourne... ...Yes, The Winter Gardens in God's Waiting Room. Very Punk.... This high degree of organisation completely flummoxed this punter. I thought that with the return of the '79 line up, we were returning to booking gigs just days in advance, like what it used to be. The credit card was out and I was ready to buy. But no, this is major pre-planning and involves buying tickets in excess of 12 months beforehand!! Never heard of such a thing before, guvnor. Oh well, it proves that the old dog is full of life yet. I reckon a few extra dates may appear in the weeks ahead. There was talk before the Johnny Moped gig, amongst the hardest of the hardcore, about a trip to Europe to get an early sighter of the new/old line up and they owe us a Rebellion, too. So, maybe Budapest and Prague as well as Blackpool??? It's good to see the boys back at the top again. The dark days of the late 90's and early 00's seem a long, long way away, now. Enjoy the salad days. You have earned them.
News has reached Mrs B that The Damned are holding back details of 2 more shows at The Roundhouse, on the Thursday and Friday (19 & 20 December), pending sales of the Wednesday tickets. Now, we're going to Southampton on the previous Friday, Eastbourne on the Saturday and could well end up at all 3 Roundhouse gigs. Eastbourne tickets are a smidgen under £50 a piece, which adds up to.... "Oh my gawd..." Christmas 2024 is cancelled...and this year's will have to be done on the credit cards.
Nick Drake died this week in 1974 , one of those musicians who never saw success in their life time ,he left behind 3 albums and a John Peel session and his life was only acknowledged years later
RIP Geordie of Killing Joke He was a major talent. When Jimmy Page sings your praises, you're good. They weren't a major part of my musical influences, but there are some superb tracks and a number of people I know were massive fans. They were the first band that one of my brothers saw live. There is significant upset at his early loss, following a massive stroke on Friday. Thanks for the memories...
This doesn't appear to be public knowledge, for some reason. His wiki entry hasn't even been updated and I can't find a single report of it. RIP Geordie.
Everyone ready for a new Christmas single...? What do you mean, "**** off, it's still November!" Here it is anyway, you miserable feckers... https://vivelerock.net/blogs/news-1/dreaming-of-a-sensible-gray-christmas ...and I agree, it's no 'There Ain't No Sanity Clause'. Which reminds me that the 40 minutes I spent at the blood bank, this afternoon, was spent on The Damned app, voting for them to play said song at next year's concerts...over...and over...and over again! I was bored and Mrs B has banned me from Ebay.
Following on from Brian's initial post in the Politics thread, I was motivated to look through what are virtually the only physical reminders of my life before 1984 - my collection of vinyl in 45 and 33 form. (Divorces and global relocations having taken their toll over 4 decades! ) The 200+ album's can wait for another day, but for now I'll just list a few of the more interesting pre-1970 singles. Some are clearly hand on's from relatives, but I certainly have to claim responsibility for any post-1965!
The Damned are the Saturday night headliners @ the Stone Valley Festival (South) in May next year. Excellent news, as it won't cost me and Mrs B any more cash, as we've already got tickets...now announce The Undertones and Hard-Fi....please?
