The Damned Live Performances Index
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2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000
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1989 1988 1987 1986 1985 1984 1983 1982 1981 1980
1979 1978 1977 1976
Naz Nomad & The Nightmares The Phantom Chords Captain Sensible
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The Damned: Live Performances - 1981
The list of shows for 1981 should be considered as 'work in progress'.
Thursday 24 December 1981 - The Greyhound, Fulham, London
Set: unknown.
Comments: The Greyhound advertised this as 'The Damned Christmas Party'.
Sunday 20 December 1981 - Queen's Hall, Leeds (Christmas on Earth Punk Festival)
Set: Lively Arts, Wait For The Blackout, Disco Man, I Just Can't Be Happy Today, Plan 9 Channel 7, Melody Lee, Gun Fury, Noise Noise Noise, Limit Club, Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde, Love Song, Neat Neat Neat, New Rose. encore - Smash It Up (part 2 only).
Comments: Christmas on Earth was advertised as also featuring Bow Wow Wow, The Exploited, UK Subs, Black Flag, Anti-Pasti, Anti Nowhere League, Chron Gen, Chelsea, Vice Squad, Trockener Kecks, Lama, The Insane, Charge, and GBH. Apparently Bow Wow Wow and Anti-Pasti did not play.
Sunday 6 December 1981 - Lyceum, London
Set: Lively Arts, Wait for The Blackout, Disco Man, I Just Can't Be Happy Today, Plan 9 Channel 7, Limit Club, Gun Fury, Melody Lee, Fan Club, Noise Noise Noise, Love Song, Neat Neat Neat, New Rose, Smash It Up (part 2 only), Citadel, Looking At You.
Comments: Support from Anti Nowhere League, Charge, Black Flag and Chelsea.
Saturday 5 December 1981 - Pavilion, West Runton, Cromer
Set: unknown.
Comments: Support from Anti Nowhere League.
Friday 4 December 1981 - Wirrina Stadium, Peterborough
Set included: Pretty Vacant.
Comments: Anti Nowhere League and Chelsea in support.
Thursday 3 December 1981 - Locarno, Portsmouth
Set: unknown.
Comments: Support from Anti Nowhere League. A contributor to this site wrote 'I remember going to the Portsmouth Locarno and being quite shocked at the hostile atmosphere at the venue - the bouncers were laying into everybody that night. I was quite glad to get out of there at the end of the gig.
Tuesday 1 December 1981 - King Charles Hotel, Gillingham
Set: Lively Arts, Wait for The Blackout, Disco Man, I Just Can't Be Happy Today, Plan 9 Channel 7, Melody Lee, Gun Fury, Fan Club, Noise Noise Noise, Limit Club, Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde, Love Song, Neat Neat Neat, New Rose. encore 1 - Smash It Up, Citadel. encore 2 - Looking At You, Pretty Vacant.
Monday 30 November 1981 - Queensway Hall, Dunstable
Set: Lively Arts, Wait For The Blackout, Disco Man, I Just Can't Be Happy Today, Plan 9 Channel 7, Melody Lee, Gun Fury, Fan Club, Nights In White Satin, Noise Noise Noise, Limit Club, Love Song, Neat Neat Neat, New Rose, Smash It Up, Citadel.
Comments: Support from Anti Nowhere League. A contributor to the officialdamned.com forum wrote of this gig - "Crap sound due to "clever" hall design - a large oval with the stage at one end - which meant that you had to stand in the middle to hear equally in both ears! Sounds wierd I know, but that is how it was. A load of local yobs hijacked the gig fairly early on and "sieg heil" was being shouted constantly. A big fight broke out about 45 minutes into gig, which DV, Captain and crew attempted to stop with only limited success. Horrible atmosphere after that. The band played well but the performance was tainted by what had happened. No encores that night. I guess they couldn't wait to get off, and I was out the door and on my way home as soon as the last note faded away".
Sunday 29 November 1981 - Locarno, Bristol
Set: Lively Arts, Wait for The Blackout, Disco Man, I Just Can't Be Happy Today, Plan 9 Channel 7, Melody Lee, Gun Fury, Fan Club, Noise Noise Noise, Limit Club, Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde, Love Song, Neat Neat Neat, New Rose. encore 1 - Smash It Up, Looking At You. encore 2 - Citadel, Ballroom Blitz.
Comments: Support from Anti Nowhere League. Guest appearance of Lol Coxhill on saxophone.
Saturday 28 November 1981 - Royal Court, Liverpool
Set: Lively Arts, Wait For The Blackout, Disco Man, I Just Can't Be Happy Today, Plan 9 Channel 7, Melody Lee, Gun Fury, Fan Club, Noise Noise Noise, Limit Club, Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde, Love Song, Neat Neat Neat, New Rose. encore [ see Comments ].
Comments: Support from Anti Nowhere League. This set is taken from a bootleg recording which ends the main set with 'New Rose'. Two versions of this bootleg were sourced… and both finish with different tracks! Both versions have some cuts between tracks following ‘New Rose’ and both seems to have been manipulated. One contained ‘Smash It Up’, ‘Citadel’, West One (Shine On Me) [with members of The Ruts?], ‘Looking At You’ and ‘Pretty Vacant’, the other contained ‘Burglar’, ‘Pretty Vacant’ and ‘Two Pints Of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps Please [with Max Splodge]’. ‘Smash It Up’ and ‘Citadel’ would make sense as an encore (or first encore) – as this was common at the time… and therefore it is assumed that these 2 tracks were played as an encore at this Liverpool show. However, there seems no logical reason for The Damned to be singing with The Ruts at Liverpool in November 1981… and the same can be said about performing with Max Splodge. It is assumed that the other additional numbers are outtakes of July 1980 shows (though this is unconfirmed) and they are therefore being discarded as having anything to do with this concert. However, it remains possible that a second encore was played, that it may have featured one or other of the combinations of songs mentioned earlier, or indeed that a different second encore was played on the night but unrecorded.
Friday 27 November 1981 - Victoria Hall, Hanley, Stoke
Set: Lively Arts, Wait For The Blackout, Disco Man, I Just Can't Be Happy Today, Plan 9 Channel 7, Melody Lee, Gun Fury, Fan Club, Noise Noise Noise, Limit Club, Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde, Love Song, Neat Neat Neat, New Rose. encore 1 - Smash It Up, Citadel. encore 2 - Billy Bad Breaks, Looking At You.
Comments: Support from The Anti-Nowhere League. A short piece of 'Summer Nights' was played prior to 'Disco Man'.
Thursday 26 November 1981 - King George's Hall, Blackburn
Set: Lively Arts, Wait For The Blackout, Disco Man, I Just Can't Be Happy Today, Plan 9 Channel 7, Gun Fury, Melody Lee, Fan Club, Noise Noise Noise, Limit Club, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Love Song, Neat Neat Neat, New Rose. encore 1 - Smash It Up, Citadel. encore 2 ? - see Comments.
Comments: Tosh on keyboards. Anti Nowhere League and Chelsea intended for support - however, a contributors to this site wrote 'ANL definitely supported, but Chelsea did NOT appear'. There is evidence to suggest that 'Pretty Vacant' and 'Looking At You' were also played... and presumably these would have been played as a second encore as at other gigs of this period.
Wednesday 25 November 1981 - Locarno, Birmingham
Set: Lively Arts, Wait For The Blackout, Disco Man, I Just Can't Be Happy Today, Plan 9 Channel 7, Melody Lee, Gun Fury, Fan Club, Limit Club, Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde, Love Song, Neat Neat Neat, New Rose. encore 1 - Smash It Up, Citadel. encore 2 - Noise Noise Noise, Looking At You.
Comments: Support form Anti Nowhere League and GBH.
Tuesday 24 November 1981 - Top Rank, Cardiff
Set: unknown.
Comments: Support from Anti Nowhere League.
Monday 23 November 1981 - Top Rank, Brighton
Set: Lively Arts, Wait For The Blackout, Disco Man, I Just Can't Be Happy Today, Plan 9 Channel 7, Melody Lee, Gun Fury, Fan Club, Noise Noise Noise, Limit Club, Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde, Love Song, Neat Neat Neat, New Rose. encore 1 - Smash It Up, Citadel. encore 2 - Billy Bad Breaks.
Comments: Anti Nowhere League and Chelsea in support.
Sunday 22 November 1981 - Top Rank, Reading
Set: Lively Arts, Wait For The Blackout, Disco Man, I Just Can't Be Happy Today, Plan 9 Channel 7, Limit Club, Fan Club, Noise Noise Noise, Love Song, Neat Neat Neat, New Rose, Smash It Up, Citadel. encore - Looking At You, Love Song.
Comments: Anti Nowhere League and Chelsea in support.
Saturday 21 November 1981 - Manchester University
Set: unknown.
Comments: Support from Anti Nowhere League and Varicose Veins.
Friday 20 November 1981 - The Pier Pavilion, Colwyn Bay
Set: unknown.
Comments: Support from Anti Nowhere League. Gig known to have taken place.
Thursday 19 November 1981 - Victoria Hall, Hanley, StokeComments: CANCELLED - rescheduled for 27 November. Intended support from Anti Nowhere League.
Thursday 19 November 1981 - Tiffany's, BradfordComments: CANCELLED.
Wednesday 18 November 1981 - De Montfort Hall, Leicester
Set: unknown.
Comments: Support from Anti Nowhere League.
Tuesday 17 November 1981 - Gaskins Plus One, Middlesbrough
Set: unknown.
Comments: Support from Anti Nowhere League, Emergency Purge and Frenzy Battalion. Gig confirmed as having taken place. Apparently, during the Anti Nowhere League set and preceding The Damned taking to the stage, the crowd were pulling the ceiling and the pipes down and Captain Sensible 'had to keep coming out and threatening not to come on unless they stopped'.
Monday 16 November 1981 - Rotters, Doncaster
Set: Lively Arts, Wait For The Blackout, Disco Man, Billy Bad Breaks, I Just Can't Be Happy Today, Plan 9 Channel 7, Limit Club, Gun Fury, Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde, Fan Club, Noise Noise Noise, Love Song, Neat Neat Neat, New Rose. encore - Smash It Up, Citadel, Looking At You.
Comments: Support from Anti Nowhere League.
Sunday 15 November 1981 - Lyceum, Sheffield
Set included: Pretty Vacant, Ballroom Blitz.
Comments: Support from Anti Nowhere League. A contributor to this site has confirmed that this gig, rather than the Town Hall Grimsby took place this night and that the Anti Nowhere League definitely supported. 'Ballroom Blitz' was sang as 'Maggie's tits'.
Sunday 15 November 1981 - Town Hall, GrimsbyComments: Some advertising for the time shows this venue / location as part of the tour - however, other tour advertising gives the Lyceum, Sheffield for 15 November and a contributor to this site has confirmed that The Damned did, indeed, play Sheffield.
Saturday 14 November 1981 - Pavilion / Town Hall, Skegness
Set: unknown.
Comments: Support from Anti Nowhere League. The Friday 13th EP advertising included tour dates - one of these dates showed this gig as intended for The Pavilion. However, other advertising from the time shows The Town Hall - it seems likely that the intended venue was altered.
Friday 13 November 1981 - Odeon, Edinburgh
Set: Lively Arts, Wait For The Blackout, Disco Man, Billy Bad Breaks, I Just Can't Be Happy Today, Plan 9 Channel 7, Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde, Fan Club, Noise Noise Noise, Limit Club, Love Song, Neat Neat Neat, New Rose. encore 1 - Smash It Up, Citadel, Looking At You. encore 2 - Melody Lee, Love Song, Ballroom Blitz.
Comments: Support from Anti Nowhere League. Release performance of Friday 13th EP.
Thursday 12 November 1981 - Mayfair, Newcastle
Set: Lively Arts, Wait For The Blackout, Disco Man, Billy Bad Breaks, I Just Can't Be Happy Today, Plan 9 Channel 7, Gun Fury, Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde, Noise Noise Noise, Limit Club, Smash It Up ( part 2), Love Song. encore 1 - Neat Neat Neat, New Rose. encore 2 - Citadel, Ballroom Blitz.
Comments: Support from Anti Nowhere League. The encore breaks were hard to distinguish on the tape that this set was compiled from, but seem highly likely based on obvious cuts in the audio.
Wednesday 11 November 1981 - Porterhouse, RetfordComments: An intended show that did not take place - evidence of which could be seen in a public announcement, by the venue, in which the the band was being sued for breach of contract.
Sunday 27 September 1981 - Lyceum, London
Set: I Fall, Wait For The Blackout, Lively Arts, Gun Fury, Fan Club, I Just Can't Be Happy Today, Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde, Smash It Up, Disco Man, Melody Lee, Neat Neat Neat. encore - New Rose, Love Song.
Comments: Support from Wall Of Voodoo and The Dark. Altered Images were also listed as support but did not play. The encore break was hard to distinguish on the tape that this set was compiled from, but seem highly likely based on an obvious cut in the audio. Intended to be a Stiff Little Fingers (SLF) show but The Damned stepped in as last minute replacements [reason unknown... but Jim Reilly (drummer) quit SLF sometime during mid-1981, so lack of a drummer seems possible]. A contributor to this site wrote "Stiff Little Fingers were supposed to play the Lyceum and we had tickets with their name on. We queued up outside, some bloke was walking up and down telling punters that Stiff Little Fingers weren't going to play but the Damned were". Some banter during the show was directed towards Stiff Little Fingers.
Friday 18 September 1981 - Phoenix Hall, Polytechnic, Sheffield
Set: I Fall, Wait For The Blackout, Lively Arts, I Just Can't Be Happy Today, Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde, Smash It Up, Drinking About My Baby, Melody Lee, Hit or Miss, Noise Noise Noise, Love Song, Neat Neat Neat, New Rose. encore - Looking At You, Ballroom Blitz, Looking At You (reprise).
Comments: Support from Rough Copy. Part of a wider project of gigs for the unemployed - advertising indicated that tickets would be made available to the unemployed, from various South Yorkshire outlets, the day before each concert. There was a false start to 'Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde', Captain stopping and discussing being out of tune. Charlie Harper played harmonica during the encore.
Saturday 8 August 1981 - Mayflower, Manchester (evening show)
Set: I Fall, Wait For The Blackout, Lively Arts, I Just Can't Be Happy Today, Plan 9 Channel 7, Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde, Smash It Up, Gun Fury, Melody Lee, Love Song, Neat Neat Neat, New Rose. encore - Looking At You.
Comments: Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde was dedicated to Varicose Veins, so it seems likely that they were supporting this night.
Saturday 8 August 1981 - Alexandra Park, Manchester (Northern Carnival Against The Missiles) (afternoon show)
Set: Wait For The Blackout, Lively Arts, I Just Can't Be Happy Today, Plan 9 Channel 7, Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde, Smash It Up, Drinking About My Baby, Melody Lee, Hit or Miss, Noise Noise Noise, Love Song, Neat Neat Neat, New Rose. encore - Ballroom Blitz, Looking At You.
Comments: Free show - 'Northern Carnival Against Missiles'. Bill included John Cooper Clarke, The Freshies, Beat Roots, Harlem Spirit (It seems that Ronnie Lane, Thomson Twins & Hawkwind all put pulled-out).
Sunday 12 July 1981 - Lyceum, London
Set: I Fall, Wait For The Blackout, Lively Arts, I Just Can't Be Happy Today, Plan 9 Channel 7, Dr. Jekyll & Mr Hyde, Smash It Up, Drinking About My Baby, Melody Lee, Looking At You, Noise Noise Noise, Love Song, Neat Neat Neat, New Rose. encore 1 - I Feel Alright. encore 2 [but see Comments] - I Just Can't Take Any More, Shakin' All Over.
Comments: Support from Ruts DC, Anti Pasti & Charge. 'I Just Can't Take Any More' with Jock from The Straps. A cut in the recording that this set was sourced from 'suggests' a 2nd encore, but it is possible that the last 3 numbers were played as a single encore.
Sunday 5 July 1981 - Lyceum, London
Set: I Fall, Wait For The Blackout, Lively Arts, I Just Can't Be Happy Today, Plan 9 Channel 7, Smash It Up, Dr. Jekyll & Mr Hyde, Drinking About My Baby, Melody Lee, Love Song, Neat Neat Neat, New Rose, I Feel Alright, Ballroom Blitz, In A Rut, Love Song (reprise).
Comments: 5th anniversary gig. Support from Ruts DC, Anti-Nowhere League & Vice Squad. Apparently The Missing Men also supported at this show, a contributor to this site stating 'Unbilled at this gig, was first band on 'The Missing Men'. In the line up was Roman Jugg and Bryn Merrick, later of The Damned. I was their manager at this time and had befriended, then Damned bass player, Paul Gray. He offered us the opening slot, and we took it on and had a fantastic reception off the audience. Can't remember the full set, but would have played, 'One Of Our Aircraft Is Missing', 'Radio Love', 'Pictures Of The Missing Men', 'I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night)', later covered on the Naz Nomad album'.
Friday 3 July 1981 - To Act Disco, Weissenohe, West Germany
Set: I Fall, Wait For The Blackout, Lively Arts, I Just Can't Be Happy Today, Plan 9 Channel 7, Dr. Jekyll & Mr Hyde, Smash It Up, Drinking About My Baby, Melody Lee, Hit Or Miss, Noise Noise Noise, Love Song, Neat Neat Neat, New Rose. encore - I Feel Alright, Ballroom Blitz, Pretty Vacant, Shakin' All Over.
Comments: 'Pretty Vacant' and 'Shakin' All Over' may have been played as a 2nd encore.
June / July 1981 - Metropole, Berlin, West Germany
Set: I Fall, Wait For The Blackout, Lively Arts, Fan Club, Drinking About My Baby, Smash It Up (part 2), New Rose, Noise Noise Noise, Neat Neat Neat, Pretty Vacant.
Comments: For years there has been doubt in 'Damned circles' as to whether this show really took place at The Metropole. It now seems likely that it was actually at The Loft, Berlin - a venue that put on punk gigs, which was just around the corner from The Metropole complex. As to the date, the set compares well with other gigs of this period - also, Captain Sensible and Rat Scabies do the 'My Dog Has No Nose' joke and there has always been a tendancy to use the same banter during a particular tour... and that joke also appeared in the 3 July 1981 show. A chaotic show in which the band claim that Dave Vanian's drink was spiked at the bar - he spent much of the show unable to contibute. Short snippets of songs followed 'Pretty Vacant' - a piece of 'Burglar', a piece of 'Shakin' All Over'. A contributor to this site wrote – “As I recall, the gig referred to was actually the final gig of a residency the Damned played at the Metropole. It may have been the Loft, but the free drinking afterwards was in the Metropole bar – maybe they owned both venues. Anyway, I don’t know how many times they played, but I saw them twice in that stint at the Metropole. Yes, Dave Vanian’s drink had been spiked with Acid as Capaint Sensible explained angrily from the stage. He also suggested “The show must go on” and called for a volunteer from the audience and someone, probably a squaddie as there were a lot of lads there from the two regiments stationed in West Berlin (one of which was the Irish Rangers), leapt up and did the honours for the rest of the gig. He was good – seemed to know all the words! The Captain was on one and set fire to his amp with lighter fluid, squatted on top it and, as he told me afterwards, was trying to do a dump on the amp, but only succeeded in setting fire to his testicles.”
Monday 29 June 1981 - Rotation, Hanover, West Germany
Set: unknown.
Saturday 20 June 1981 - Koria, Finland (Rymyrock Festival)
Set included: Wait For The Blackout, Lively Arts, I Just Can't Be Happy Today, Hit Or Miss.
Comments: Rymyrock (or Kesärock) = summer rock.
Thursday 18 June 1981 - Tavastia Club, Helsinki, Finland
Set: unknown.
Monday 1 June 1981 - Nam Nam, Freisdorf, Bonn, West Germany
Set: unknown.
Comments: Confirmation that this gig went ahead was made by a contributor to this site who wrote ''I saw them in a 'shed' called Nam Nam. The wooden 'shed' named Nam Nam at the time was a rockers club and had a capacity of about 100 people. It's now demolished'. The date of the show was ascertained from a magazine called 'Jungen & Technik'.
Thursday 28 May 1981 - Mausefalle, Stuttgart, West Germany
Set: unknown.
Comments: This show was listed in the old German punk fanzine called 'Der Aktuelle Mulleimer', issue 4. However, whether it took place or not remains unclear.
Sunday 26 April 1981 - Unity Hall, Wakefield
Set: unknown.
Comments: Support from Anti Nowhere League. A contributor to this site wrote 'The gig was memorable for Vanian’s appearance in what I recall as being some sort of demented Futurist / Blitz Club get-up. I’m pretty sure he had some sort of poncho / head scarf and veil affair on at the beginning of the set!' Another contributor wrote 'I thought you might like to know Mr Vanian was basing his look that night on Lazarus risen from the dead (Bible)'.
Saturday 25 April 1981 - Town Hall, Walsall
Set included: Pretty Vacant.
Comments: Support from Anti Nowhere League. A contributor to this site stated that 'Pretty Vacant' was played in the encore.
Friday 24 April 1981 - Music Hall, Shrewsbury
Set: unknown.
Comments: Support from Anti Nowhere League and Fear of Flying.
Tuesday 21 April 1981 - Greyhound, Fulham, London
Set: unknown.
Comments: Advertised support - Dolly Mixture.
Monday 20 April 1981 - Greyhound, Fulham, London
Set: unknown.
Comments: Advertised support - Bite 'n' Be Playful - though there has been a reference to No Dice possibly being the actual support on the night?.
Sunday 19 April 1981 - The Bridge House, London
Setlist: I Fall, Wait For The Blackout, Lively Arts, Fan Club, I Just Can't Be Happy Today, Plan 9 Channel 7, Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde, Smash It Up, Hit Or Miss, Melody Lee, Noise Noise Noise, Love Song, Neat Neat Neat, New Rose. encore - Looking At You.
Comments: Advertised support - The Whizz Kids.
Friday 17 April 1981 - The Star, Croydon ? (see comments)
Set: I Fall, Wait For The Blackout, Drinkin' About My Baby, Hit or Miss, Melody Lee, Fan Club, Smash It Up (part 2 only), Lively Arts, Love Song, Neat Neat Neat, New Rose, Noise Noise Noise, I Feel Alright.
Comments: Support from The Straps. The Damned played this gig under the alias of 'The School Bullies'. A contributor to this site states - 'the Damned did indeed play this gig as the School Bullies. Didn’t go myself, but was at a gig at The Star the previous night when Johnny Moped was playing (re-formed for one gig, I believe). Clearly remember an announcement being made that School Bullies aka the Damned were playing the next night, keep your ticket stub for priority entry, £5 on the door.' There was a false start to 'Fan Club'. The final 2 numbers were probably played as the encore but it is difficult to confirm from the recording of this show. [Whilst the facts regarding playing under the alias / playing at The Star etc are correct, the date now seems extremely dubious. The date for this show is taken from a bootleg cassette - but is it correctly dated? The Damned are known, with certainty, to have played The Star as The School Bullies on 15 March (see that entry)... did they really play another show, at the same venue, again under The School Bullies alias, with the same support, during April? There doesn't seem to be any documentary evidence to support such a show - hence, it seems likley that the comments above and the associated set are actually from the 15 March gig].
Saturday 11 April 1981 - The Rusty Nail, Sunderland, MassachusettsComments: A gig ticket for 11 April shows The Damned to play The Rusty Nail. Though there is no day or year shown on the ticket, process of elimination suggests it related to a planned show from this aborted tour.
Friday 3 April 1981 - Club 57, Irving Plaza, New YorkComments: Part of an intended US tour that it would appear never came to fruition. Support on the night had been advertised as Minors Aloud.
Sunday 15 March 1981 - The Star, Croydon
Set unknown.
Comments: The Damned played this gig under the alias of 'The School Bullies'. Support from The Straps. An entry in the Captain's diary confirms The Damned played The Star on Sunday 15 March, with the comments 'Me and Dave fell off the stage. Algy bought me a drink'. Additionally, a video of punks from 1981, called Squatparty, has 2 girls talking about seeing The Straps on 3 occasions during this weekend and also mentions the support slot to The Damned playing as The School Bullies. [see also the comment for The Damned at The Star on 17 April].
Tuesday 3 March 1981 - Hammersmith Palais, London
Set: I Fall, Wait For The Blackout, Drinking About My Baby, I Just Can't Be Happy Today, Plan 9 Channel 7, Hit or Miss, Fan Club, Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde, Smash It Up, Lively Arts, Love Song, Neat Neat Neat, New Rose. encore 1 - Looking At You, Noise Noise Noise. encore 2 - Love Song (reprise).
Comments: Support from The Straps. The Damned played this gig under the alias of 'The School Bullies' [unsure now where this information came from, but 1981 seems late for use of the School Bullies alias]. A contributor to this site states - 'the Damned did indeed play this gig as the School Bullies. Didn’t go myself, but was at a gig at The Star the previous night when Johnny Moped was playing (re-formed for one gig, I believe). Clearly remember an announcement being made that School Bullies aka the Damned were playing the next night, keep your ticket stub for priority entry, £5 on the door.' There was a false start to 'Fan Club'. The final 2 numbers were probably played as the encore but it is difficult to confirm from the recording of this show.
Wednesday 18 February 1981 - Basement Bar, Clarendon Hotel, London
Set: I Fall, Wait For The Blackout, Love Song, Hit or Miss, Drinking About My Baby, Fan Club, Smash It Up (pt2), Looking At You, Neat Neat Neat, Noise Noise Noise, Ballroom Blitz, I Just Can't Take Anymore, New Rose, Pretty Vacant, Love Song.
Comments: Advertised support from The Whizz Kids. Jock of The Straps on stage for 'I Just Can't Take Anymore'. Encore break(s) could not be identified in the recording that this set was taken from.
Wednesday 21 January 1981 - Underground, Stockholm, Sweden
Set: unknown.
Comments: Intended support from Rude Kids.
Wednesday 21 January 1981 - Gaskins, Middlesbrough
Set: unknown.
Comments: Support from The Necros.
The Damned Live Performances Index
The Damned - 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010
2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000
1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990
1989 1988 1987 1986 1985 1984 1983 1982 1981 1980
1979 1978 1977 1976
Naz Nomad & The Nightmares The Phantom Chords Captain Sensible
Selected Miscellany Unresolved issues Site updates
Page content last reviewed/updated on: 7 April 2018.
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