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| Dave Vanian |
Born in Hemel Hempstead, England, David Lett changed his name to Dave
Vanian in early life after working as a gravedigger – Vanian being a play
on "Transylvanian." Vanian wore dark and otherworldly clothing both
on stage and off. He and Captain
Sensible (Raymond Burns) were
members of the short-lived London-based band Masters of the Backside, which also included future Pretenders front woman Chrissie Hynde. Vanian and Sensible
went on to form the Damned in 1975,
one of the first punk rock bands and a proto-gothic band. The band split and
reunited in various configurations many times, with Vanian the sole consistent
member, but since 2004 the Damned has consisted of Vanian on vocals, Sensible
on guitar, Monty Oxymoron on
keyboards, Andy (Pinch) Pinching on
drums and Stu West on bass. The
Damned's 10th and most recent album is 2008's So, Who's Paranoid?.
New York area fans count on the Damned coming around every
year around Halloween. This time, however, the band was celebrating its 40th
anniversary with a two and a half hour set. For this tour, Vanian toned down
his vampire-like appearance onstage, going on stage without chalk-white makeup
and wearing a less formal suit and seeming no lacquer in his combed-back hair.
The Damned moved through several genres over the decades, but tonight the band
was clearly a speedy rock and roll band, far more polished than its early
garage punk days. The current sound fell somewhere between Billy Idol and the Cult,
with Vanian putting on his best Jim
Morrison. Generally speaking, the set seemed to begin with some of the
band's later, calmer songs and ended with furious songs from its earliest days.
While the concert was 40 years removed from its days opening for the Sex Pistols, the Damned demonstrated
that a pioneer band can move forward and still be connected to its past.
Visit the Damned at www.officialdamned.com.
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