The Damned were in NYC for two nights celebrating their 40th Anniversary and I am excited to share that we were there for both shows in terms of review and photography. Night #1 was given an in-depth overview by our own Steve Bunche and that narrative can be examined on THIS LINK. Now here is the photo gallery from this particular night.
Artist: The Damned Venue: Gramercy Theatre (New York, NY) Opener: n/a Date: 10/29/2016 Label: English Channel Records
Written By: Steve Bunche
“NEAT, NEAT, NEAT!!! 40 YEARS OF THE DAMNED AT THE GRAMERCY THEATRE”
Where to even start when discussing the Damned?
One of the seminal bands of the early British punk movement, the Damned always stood out from their safety pin-and-Doc Marten’s-sporting contemporaries in a number of ways, such as eschewing the era’s Mohawk and swastika fashion for markedly individual ridiculousness (singer Dave Vanian’s silly-yet-elegant Edwardian vampire chic and Guitarist Captain Sensible’s red beret, sunglasses, nurse’s uniform and occasional complete and utter nudity spring to mind), possessing a sense of humor, shamelessly allowing the beautiful voice of its singer to dominate the proceedings — seriously, Dave Vanian is blessed with one of pop music’s most singular, evocative, and beautiful vocal deliveries — and a flair for actual musicianship that flew in the face of British punk’s famous “any arsehole can pick up a guitar and bang out three chords” attitude.
While the majority of their contemporaries fizzled out like a fart in a thunderstorm, largely due to their cookie-cutter sameness and embarrassing (though well-intentioned) amateurishness, the Damned visibly grew and evolved from album to album, refining their sound from its rough-edged origins of four decades past into the tight, wholly professional and enthralling unit that endures to this day, despite numerous personnel upheavals and the criminally offensive ignoring that they receive from pretty much all but those in the know. Undaunted by such shabby treatment, the Damned have once more returned, this time to mark their forty years of merrily purveying polished mayhem to their loyal followers (and not one of their periodic so-called farewell tours) with an anniversary tour that recently brought them to NYC’s venerable Gramercy venue, a former vintage movie palace that now serves as an unpretentious concert space that’s mercifully free of the plague of hipster types that have infested what remains of the Big Apple’s dwindling old school punk scene. Continue reading The Damned @ Gramercy Theatre (10/29/2016)→
I always get a little excited when KISS announces a new tour, okay I am lying I always get SUPER EXCITED when KISS announces a new tour and yesterday afternoon a press conference was held to let the world know that they will be heading out with Def Leppard for a summer tour. It’s a celebration of their 40th Anniversary which is pretty cool and it was only a couple of weeks ago that I raised a glass to the 40th Anniversary of their debut album “KISS”. You can enjoy that post HERE. I’ve copied some press release stuff and then added my own thoughts on the matter for you to enjoy below the poster. Read on.
LOS ANGELES – March 17, 2014 – This summer two of the world’s greatest rock bands, KISS and DEF LEPPARD, are set to deliver a massive tour dedicated to fans who wanna rock and roll all night! These two legendary rock bands spanning two continents announced today that they will launch the tour as KISS celebrates their 40th year in music. The summer’s biggest hit-fueled rock tour, promoted exclusively by Live Nation, will storm through 40-plus cities throughout North America kicking-off on Monday, June 23 in West Valley City, UT at the USANA Amphitheater. Tickets go on sale starting on Friday, March 21 through the Live Nation mobile app and at www.livenation.com. Continue reading KISS & Def Leppard Announce A Hot Summer Tour for 2014→