Punk legends, The Damned will tour Australia next month promoting their newest album 'Darkedelic' they released at the end of April.
"Since we were all locked up for two years, it's been magnificent to get back on the road," the group's guitarist Captain Sensible says."It's such a privilege to tour the world like this. I would never have seen any of these countries if it wasn't for being in a band."
He notes that "the great thing is we won't be on a tour bus [in Australia]. I mean roadies just do not change their socks; it's one of the laws of rock & roll."
The birth of the 'Darkedelic' album "was the result of not being able to tour," Captain Sensible says. "So Dave Vanian [singer], Paul Gray [bassist] and myself were beavering away writing songs. So yeah, it's full of crackers."
They are looking forward to sharing the new album with the world, as it has taken some different turns to their previous work. "We've taken risks, musically. We messed with the punk format this time, there's an element of psychedelia and garage to it. There's a song on there about death."
Captain Sensible went on to explain the thought process behind the song 'Wake The Dead', which he's particularly proud of.
"My Dad loved this song we had called 'Love Song'. It's a thrashing punk tune. He would go down the pub and come back singing it in a Frank Sinatra style.
"So we played it at his funeral. And it became apparent that fans were doing a similar thing when their loved ones were departing.
"'Wake The Dead' is a two-fingered riposte to the grim reaper. He should really be the one to worry, because wherever it is you go when you kick the bucket you can be sure the punk generation aren't going to go quietly.
"To hell with it, go and get drunk and have a laugh and talk about how crazy the things are that these people have done in their lives. That's the punk way anyway, I think."
Captain Sensible reflected with nostalgia on the music scene he grew up in. "A record was a real thing and you treasured it. "You read all the sleeve notes, you fell in love with the picture on the front of the album, and you got used to turning the album over halfway through."
The song 'Follow Me' is a reflection on modern entertainment culture and social media influencers. "It seems to me the only talent they have is to be able to endure endless procedures of surgery on their faces. There's dogs on Instagram with more followers than I've got. Some of them've got half a million followers. A bloody Shiba dog. What's going on there?"
When asked his opinion on the current music scene, he says: "I'm sure there's great young bands out there but I'm not willing to dredge through the mounds of dung to find them.
"When I go to the supermarket, and they're playing this ghastly pop music, it makes me sort of run out screaming. I leave my wife with the trolley saying 'No, I can't stand it anymore'."
On the future of the music industry he predicts: "What we've got to look forward to in the future is new music from people like Jimi Hendrix and The Beatles because it will all be computer generated. There'll be new Damned albums once we've kicked the bucket."
He had some wise words of advice for young musicians. "Learn to write songs, and don't worry if the first ones sound rubbish. The stuff I used to write as a teenager, I've still got the demos, it's so laughable. But a bit of practice and you get there.
"You have to live with the songs for the rest of your life, so you might as well give them all the best shot they have of shining. Try and keep your recording honest. I think it's best to learn to play an instrument. Learn how to sing rather than let the computer correct your imperfections.
"Try and do something original as well. Really lock yourself away and don't listen to other music. Just create something that sounds like you. Even if you think it's weird, it might be the next big thing. The weirder the better really, because that means it's really you."
The Damned 2023 Tour Dates
Mon 5 Jun - The Gov (Adelaide)Wed 7 Jun - Princess Theatre (Brisbane)
Thu 8 Jun - Metro Theatre (Sydney)
Fri 9 Jun - Forum Melbourne
