The Damned

Ducking and diving through the crowd in TBMC this evening, I bravely edge myself closer to the stage where Paranoid Visions are holding court. The tightly knit unit still deliver a healthy injection of hard-nosed aggression. As main man Deko coaxes the crowd into a chant of “Hey, ho, let’s go!” a gruff looking tour manager charges the stage and confiscates the mic cutting the set short.

Enter The Damned, welcomed by the enthused on-lookers like soldiers returning from battle. Captain Sensible is grinning behind his trade mark spec’s as the band are joined by the angelically talented Patricia Morrison (ex-Sisters Of Mercy) on bass. Their high-powered dynamism and charisma diffuses through the crowd evoking what can only be described as mass hysteria.

Material from the latest album Grave Disorder draws heavily on the original formula that captured the magic yet each member’s individual evolution over the past two decades merges and enhances the essence.

Delving into the past we are treated to an electrified version of ‘New Rose’ and ‘Neat Neat Neat’ explodes through the sound waves with as much passion as the day it was born. Sparks fly as ‘Smash It Up’ sends fireworks into the atmosphere and the resplendence of The Damned is unleashed once more.