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Fifty years ago, The Damned were lying to pub owners just to get booked. Now they’re playing the Sydney Opera House.
If that doesn’t tell you everything you need to know about the weird, glorious trajectory of punk rock, nothing will.
The Damned – ‘New Rose’
This September, one of the most important and enduring bands in alternative music history will return to Australia for their Final Damnation 50th anniversary tour – celebrating half a century of chaos, classics and refusing to do things the normal way.
And if you ask Captain Sensible – aka co-founder, guitarist, singer, songwriter and owner of one of the greatest stage names in music – the whole thing still feels faintly ridiculous.
“Back in the day, you’re not really the sort of band they need in their establishment,” he laughs.
Now? “We’re playing places like Wembley, the Albert Hall… and Sydney Opera House. It’s kind of revenge of the yobbos.”
That phrase alone might honestly deserve framing, tbh.
Because before ‘New Rose’, before Damned Damned Damned, before becoming one of the foundational bands of British punk, there was… considerably less glamour.
Captain remembers working jobs as a toilet cleaner and typewriter mechanic before music offered an escape route.
“I had 14 toilets to clean every day,” he says. “Talk about shit jobs.”
But that punchline quickly became pure motivation.
“I would sit in my bedroom practising and practising because it was the only way out for me.”
And when original guitarist Brian James invited him into The Damned? That changed everything.
“People Would Chase You Down The Street With Billiard Cues”
The funny thing about being punk pioneers is nobody tells you that at the time.
According to Captain, early punk wasn’t some grand revolution with a mission statement. It mostly came from boredom.
By the mid-70s, glam had faded, stadium rock was ballooning into excess and disco was everywhere.
“The music just wasn’t talking to us,” he says. “As a working-class bloke, the lyrics just didn’t make any sense.”
So they built the band they wanted to hear. Zero expectations. No five-year plan. No idea anybody else would even give a fuck.
“We weren’t thinking anyone else would ever like it. We were doing it for ourselves.”
Of course… not everybody appreciated that.
Getting gigs often meant disguising themselves as something more acceptable.
“You wouldn’t say, ‘we’re a punk group’ or you wouldn’t get the gig,” he explains.
Then once they started playing?
“The manager would be having a fit,” he laughs.
Sometimes venues pulled curtains across the stage mid-song. Sometimes they pulled the power entirely.
And outside the venues wasn’t always friendlier.
“The newspapers would write anti-punk pieces saying this is the end of civilisation.”
Captain remembers walking down the street in full punk gear only for pub patrons to spot him.
“The whole pub would turn out and chase you down the road with billiard cues.”
Not exactly the romanticised punk mythology Instagram might sell you. But somehow, he still says: “I’d go back and relive it in a heartbeat. It was glorious.”
The Secret To Lasting 50 Years? Never Repeat Yourself
Most bands spend decades trying to preserve a version of themselves. The Damned did the exact opposite.
After Brian James exited following the band’s first two albums, Captain says they were widely written off. But instead, they evolved.
“We had to really quickly learn how to write songs,” he chuckles.
And suddenly The Damned transformed from a pioneering punk band into something much harder to pin down – darker records, theatrical turns, early goth influences and albums that deliberately refused to repeat themselves.
“We always tried to keep things interesting by pushing the limits.”
And that philosophy still defines the live show now.
So if you’re expecting tightly scripted arena precision on this anniversary run… think again.
Captain practically recoils at the idea: “We treat the live experience as sacred.”
“There’s no choreography. No same old banter. Everything is whatever happens on the night.”
Apparently even drummer Rat Scabies refuses to play songs the same way twice.
Which means nobody – including the band – fully knows what’s going to happen.
“A choice bit of banter from a member of the audience can run through the whole show,” he says. “It’s rock and roll with all the rough edges left on.”
Captain Sensible’s One Big Piece Of Advice For Young Bands
You probably won’t be shocked to learn Captain isn’t huge on modern production trends. His music collection apparently stops somewhere around 1980.
And his assessment of contemporary recording culture is… extremely Captain Sensible.
“Nowadays everybody’s got a laptop with every sound ever created in it,” he eye-rolls.
His advice? Limit yourself. Create rules. Build identity through restriction.
“Limit your sonic palette,” he says, “Before you start a project, decide on eight or nine sounds and stick to them.”
Then comes the line that honestly feels like the thesis statement of The Damned’s entire existence: “Try and be as different as possible.”
“Follow your own muse,” he imparts. “Don’t copy anyone.”
After fifty years, sold-out tours, surviving changing scenes, and somehow ending up inside the venues punk was never invited into… it’s hard to argue with that.
The Damned’s Final Damnation 50th anniversary Australian tour kicks off this September and you can suss all the details down below.
The Damned – 2026 ‘Final Damnation’ Australian Tour Dates
- Thursday 10th September SYDNEY, The Opera House
- Friday 11th September BRISBANE, The Tivoli
- Sunday 13th September MELBOURNE, The Forum
Tickets on sale now via https://thephoenix.au/the-damned-2026/
Further Reading
The Damned Announce 50th Anniversary ‘Final Damnation’ Aussie Tour
NEWS FLASHBACK: Algy Ward of Tank, The Saints and The Damned Has Died Aged 63
Swedish Metallers Avatar Announce 2026 Australian Tour Dates
The post From Getting Chased Out Of Venues With Billiard Cues To Playing The Sydney Opera House: The Damned Reflect On 50 Years Of Punk appeared first on Music Feeds.
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