Stars: The Damned

Summary: Reunion concert of the legendary British gothic/punk-rock group The Damned filmed live at the London Town & Country Club on June 13, 1988. Includes neat performances of "Smash It Up," "New Rose," "I Just Can't Be Happy Today," and "Born To Kill" amongst others.

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The Damned continued to fuel the ardent fires of old fans and new long after the flames of The Sex Pistols and The Clash had been extinguished. Final Damnationis a testament to their longevity and popularity, reeking as it does of fannish glee. It's essentially a document about the legendary reunion concert at London's Town and Country Club in June, 1988, a 17-song set of "chaos music". Captain Sensible walks on in shorts and a veil to wind up the audience ("We're not doing it for the money"). Rat's already spraying water on the drumskins and Dave Vanien (nee Letts) is ready to "woah" his way into "See Her Tonight". They were the first UK punk band; they had the UK's first punk single ("New Rose", which is also played here); somehow they ended up being a look/sound blend of punk, Goth and rockabilly. And that has to be at the heart of what makes the world's fastest cover of The Beatles' "Help" so amazing. Other song highlights include "Fish", the audience singalong to "Wait for the Blackout" and the finale of "The Last Time".

On the DVD:there's a downside to this disc, sadly, in the form of an annoying Video Jockey who has plenty of interesting things to say, but says it over the songs! Rubbing it in even more is a duplication of his commentary in what's labelled as a Biography. For the juicy info the disc's real gems are the 16-minute "Damned Story", crammed with chat from the concert event, and the 18-minute 2001 interview with Brian James. This is the sort of condensed candid critique by which all bands ought to be measured. A photo gallery slideshow rounds out the package. --Paul Tonks

Aspect Ratio:	4:3 Full Frame
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 0
Special Features:	The Damned Story Original 1988 Band Interviews, The Damned Biography Illustrated Band History With Commentary, Brand New Brian James Interview Filmed In 2001, Animated Damned Picture Gallery, VJ Track By Track Analysis, Liner Notes By Lead Singer Dave Vanian
Year:	1988
Release Date:	February 7, 2005
Runtime:	71 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	S V E M 0038
Keywords:	Music, Final, Live, Country, Rock, Damned, Town, Concert, Pop, Reunion, Damnation, Performing, Arts, Popular
Genre:	Music/Performing Arts