Live Performances Index
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
The Damned: Live Performances - 1980
Wednesday 10 December - Cleopatra's, Huddersfield
Comments: Although flyers from the time show this date as re-scheduling of the 28 November gig, apparently it did not go ahead.
Tuesday 9 December - King George's Hall, Blackburn
Set: unknown.
Comments: This show confirmed as having taken place - the gig actually took place in the Windsor hall rather than the King George's Hall (same building). Support from The Straps.
Monday 8 December - University, Durham
Set: unknown.
Comments: This show confirmed as having taken place. Support from The Straps.
Sunday 7 December - Apollo, Glasgow
Set: unknown.
Comments: This show confirmed as having taken place. Support from The Straps.
Friday 5 December - Odeon, Edinburgh
Set: unknown.
Comments: This show confirmed as having taken place. Support from The Straps.
Thursday 4 December - Apollo, Manchester
Set: I Fall, Wait For The Blackout, I Just Can't Be Happy Today, Plan 9 Channel 7, Fan Club, Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde, Smash It Up, Hit or Miss, Neat Neat Neat, Drinking About My Baby, Love Song, New Rose, Noise Noise Noise, Ballroom Blitz.
Comments: Support from The Straps.
Wednesday 3 December - Hammersmith Odeon, London
Set: I Fall, Wait For The Blackout, I Just Can't Be Happy Today, Plan 9 Channel 7, Fan Club, Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde, Smash It Up, Hit or Miss, Neat Neat Neat, Drinking About My Baby, Love Song, New Rose, Noise Noise Noise, Looking At You, Ballroom Blitz.
Comments: Support from The Straps and Dag Vag. Motorhead & The Ruts announced as Special guests for 'Ballroom Blitz' - Lemmy & various members of The Ruts were on stage.
Tuesday 2 December - Odeon Theatre, Birmingham
Set: unknown.
Comments: This show confirmed as having taken place. Support from The Straps. A contributor to this site stated 'My first ever concert aged 14. All I remember is that Captain came back on stage, after the encores, naked except for his guitar, pee'd on the crowd and sang a song. No idea what it was but it obviously made an impression'.
Monday 1 December - Bradies, Liverpool
Set: unknown.
Comments: This show confirmed as having taken place. Support from The Straps.
Sunday 30 November - Locarno, Bristol
Set: unknown.
Comments: This show confirmed as having taken place. Support from The Straps. Apparently Dave Vanian and Rat Scabies had a fight on stage and the gig was curtailed after about 20-30 minutes.
Saturday 29 November - Ajanta, Derby
Set included: I Fall, Neat Neat Neat, New Rose, Looking At You, Love Song, Smash It Up, I Just Can't Be Happy Today, Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde, History of The World, Drinking About My Baby, Wait For The Blackout, Ballroom Blitz.
Comments: Support from The Straps.
Friday 28 November - Cleopatra's, Huddersfield
Comments: CANCELLED - flyers from the time show the gig as re-scheduled for 10 December.
Wednesday 26 November - New Cornish Riviera Lido, St Austell
Set: unknown.
Comments: This show confirmed as having taken place. Support from The Straps.
Tuesday 25 November - Top Rank, Cardiff
Set: unknown.
Comments: This show confirmed as having taken place. Support from The Straps.
Monday 24 November - Gaumont, Southampton
Set: unknown.
Comments: This show confirmed as having taken place. Support from The Straps.
Sunday 23 November - Top Rank, Sheffield
Set: unknown.
Comments: This show confirmed as having taken place. Support from The Straps.
Saturday 22 November - Pavilion, West Runton, Cromer
Set: unknown.
Comments: This show confirmed as having taken place. Support from The Straps.
Friday 21 November - Unity Hall, Wakefield
Set: unknown.
Comments: This show confirmed as having taken place. Support from The Straps.
Thursday 20 November - Mayfair, Newcastle
Set: unknown.
Comments: This show confirmed as having taken place. Support from The Straps.
Wednesday 19 November - Dunelm Ballroom, Durham
Comments: A Ruts DC show, rather than a Damned show, with a noteable Damned appearance. The Damned joined Ruts DC on stage for a 5-song encore consisting of 'New Rose'. 'Love Song', 'Babylon's Burning', 'Shakin' All Over', and 'Burglar. Apparently, Captain Sensible was naked and pee'd over the crowd at the front of the stage'.
Wednesday 19 November - Polytechnic, Leicester
Comments: CANCELLED (or tentative and never confirmed).
Wednesday 5 November - Hope & Anchor, London
Set: unknown.
Comments: Charity gig, where The Damned supposedly performed their original 1976 set.
Saturday 27 September - Cleopatra's, Huddersfield
Set included: Love Song (opener), I Just Can't Be Happy Today, Noise Noise Noise, Smash It Up.
Comments: Under 18's matinee gig. Support from All Over The Carpet and The Exploited.
Friday 26 September - Cleopatra's, Huddersfield
Set: unknown.
Comments: Support from The Exploited.
Sunday 17 August - Gloucester Park, Basildon (Basildon Rock Festival)
Comments: An apparent gig by The School Bullies, with The Screaming Ab Dabs also on the bill. However, a fake band (originally named The Spurts) apparently played as the School Bullies, mimicking The Damned under their alias, during 1980. This band is known to have played on 17 August 1980... so it is probable that this was not actually a 'Damned' gig.
Wednesday 30 July - Newcastle Polytechnic?
Set: unknown.
Tuesday 29 July - Shepperton
Set included: Love Song, Second Time Around, I Just Can't Be Happy Today, Melody Lee, Help, Neat Neat Neat, Looking At You, Smash It Up, New Rose, Plan 9 Channel 7, Drinking About My Baby.
Thursday 24 July - Bellvue, Manchester
Set included: Love Song, Melody Lee, Neat Neat Neat, Looking At You, Smash It Up, New Rose, Plan 9 Channel 7, I Just Can't Be Happy Today, Wait For The Blackout , Ballroom Blitz, Drinking About My Baby.
Comments: Support from Ruts DC, The Irritators and Auntie Pus. A contributor to this site wrote - 'I was at the Belle Vue gig and remember it well because it was my first damned gig on my 16th birthday. The Ruts weren't introduced as Ruts DC even though Malcom Owen had died. I can't fully remember the exact set but they played [ extracted and included above ]. 'Drinking About My Baby' was with Captain Sensible taking over on drums. Happy Days'.
Wednesday 23 July - Top Rank, Sheffield
Set: Love Song, Drinking About My Baby, Looking At You, Hit or Miss, Noise Noise Noise, Smash It Up, Melody Lee, Help, Neat Neat Neat, New Rose. encore - Burglar, Pretty Vacant, Shakin' All Over and In A Rut.
Comments: Support from The Irritators and Ruts DC. A contributor to this site wrote 'The Ruts joined the Damned on stage and they performed many songs together in an emotion charged performance as Malcolm Owen had died of a heroin overdose the week before the gig'.
Tuesday 22 July - Unity Hall, Wakefield
Set: unknown.
Comments: A clipping from the time shows a comment for this gig as being at Trotter's, Wakefield - however, no supporting evidence has come to light indicating a change of venue, and those in the know from the area are unfamiliar with Trotter's, it is therefore presumed to be an error. Support from The Ruts and The Irritators. The Ruts and The Damned played together at the end of the show.
Monday 21 July - Tiffany's, Glasgow
Set: unknown.
Comments: Intended support was from Billy Karloff & The Extremes, but they are known to have left the tour after the Derby gig
Sunday 20 July - The Caird Hall, Dundee
Set included: Love Song.
Comments: Support from The Ruts (Malcolm Owen had recently died) and The Irritators. A contributor to this site wrote of The Irritators "The Irritators consisted of a teenage girl singer (no older than sixteen years of age) a male drummer and male guitarist. I can only remember there being 3 in the band so am unsure if the guitarist played bass or lead. The girl wore a revealing oufit made from white bin liner material and had an almost skinhead haircut into which a grid pattern had been cut. At the end of their set a female, who claimed to be the singers mother as well as band's manager, appeared on stage and berated the audience for shouting obscenities at her daughter. She then proceeded to rip off the young girls top and stormed off stage shouting "happy now!" at the audience. The girl stood topless for a few minutes then wandered off stage to wild applause. The only words I remember her speaking between songs were "yes! we are irritating bastards aren't we!" Of The Damned he wrote "The Damned played a great set and this gig is still one of the best I have ever been to. The Captain was on top form as usual and we even got a bonus penis flash from him at the end of the gig".
Saturday 19 July - The Nite Club, Edinburgh
Set: unknown.
Comments: No support band. Gig known to have taken place.
Saturday 19 July - Cleopatra's, Huddersfield
Comments: CANCELLED - 2 gigs (matinee & & evening) arranged during September for 26 & 27 September.
Friday 18 July - Assembly Rooms, Derby
Set: unknown.
Comments: Support from Billy Karloff & The Extremes. A contributor to this site wrote "I went to see The Damned on 18 July 1980 at the assembly rooms, it was my first gig, I was 15 years old. The songs I remember were 'Love Song', 'I Just Can't Be Happy Today', 'Noise Noise Noise', 'New Rose', 'Neat Neat Neat', 'Dr Jeckyl and Mr Hyde' and 'Smash It Up parts 1 & 2'. The support, Billy Karloff, wore see through plastic macs" [Neil Hay of Billy Karloff & The Extremes wrote "We did indeed wear plastic macs owing to the extensive spitting that was a feature of all punk gigs at the time and we had also toured with The Revillo's previously so had some experience of this - we also had "Sou-wester" hats. The idea was to start off wearing our normal stage clothes and if the spitting started, we would put on the afore-mentioned macs and hats at the end of the song. Bizarrely, once we did this, the spitting stopped"]. Another contributor wrote 'The gig caused much controversy and made the front page of the Derby Evening Telegraph the following Monday due to allegations of the Damned vomiting in the dressing room and making off with sections of the PA (amongst other stuff). In fact it saw the end of such acts at the venue for years.'
Billy Karloff & The Extremes met with their management after this show and took the advice to leave the tour.Thursday 17 July - Top Rank, Birmingham
Set possibly: Love Song, Second Time Around, I Just Can't Be Happy Today, Drinking About My Baby, Looking At You, Hit or Miss, Noise Noise Noise, Smash It Up (pt1 only), Melody Lee, Help, Neat Neat Neat, New Rose, Wait For The Blackout, Ballroom Blitz.
Comments: Support from Billy Karloff & The Extremes.
June - Stonehenge Free Festival
Set: Unknown.
Comments: A contributor to this site wrote 'I was at Stonehenge in 1980 and the Damned definitely played. It was on a Tuesday I think... when most people had gone home'.
Sunday 25 May 1980 - Shrimpers Club, Southend (Rock Contest)
Comments: Shrimpers Rock Contest final - (A fake band (originally named The Spurts) apparently played as the School Bullies, mimicking The Damned under their alias, during 1980. This band played (and won) this contest. Contest included - Slash Wildly and The Cut Throats, The School Bullies, Bastille, Janifacy Farm, The Youth, Outrageous Flesh, Screaming Abdabs.
Saturday 24 May 1980 - Russell Club, Manchester
Set: unknown.
Comments: One-off gig - a personal farewell to the club due to imment closure. An article on the internet states "The Damned played the same night as Adam and the Ants Invasion Tour at the Poly, so as to get more punters they charged a reduced rate for people who went to that show to come over to the Russell after, hence they went on at midnight, it was a bloody long night waiting so we went to the pub over the road. The Damned were good hosts and The Captain appeared in the middle of the dance floor wearing Furry jumper / large sombrero and letting off fire crackers.
Tuesday 13 May 1980 - Bataclan, Paris, France
Set: unknown.
Thursday 1 May - Al Baccara, Lugo Di Romagna, Italy
Set: Love Song, Second Time Around, I Just Can't Be Happy Today, Plan 9 Channel 7, Noise Noise Noise, Melody Lee, Looking At You, Born To Kill, Smash It Up, Help, Stab Your Back, Neat Neat Neat, New Rose, Pretty Vacant, Ballroom Blitz, Love Song, I Feel Alright.
Wednesday 30 April - Palalido, Milan, Italy
Set possibly: Love Song, Second Time Around, I Just Can't Be Happy Today, Plan 9 Channel 7, Noise Noise Noise, Melody Lee, Looking At You, Born To Kill, Smash It Up, Help, Stab Your Back, Neat Neat Neat, New Rose, Pretty Vacant, Ballroom Blitz, Walking on the Moon.
Thursday 24 April - Palasport, Genova, Italy
Set: Love Song, Second Time Around, I Just Can't Be Happy Today, Plan 9 Channel 7, Noise Noise Noise, Melody Lee, Looking At You, Born To Kill, Smash It Up, Help, Stab Your Back, Neat Neat Neat, New Rose, Pretty Vacant, Ballroom Blitz, I Feel Alright, Love Song.
Tuesday 22 April - Palasport, Torino, Italy
Set: Love Song, Second Time Around, I Just Can't Be Happy Today, Noise Noise Noise, Melody Lee, Looking At You, Born To Kill, Smash It Up, Help, Stab Your Back, Neat Neat Neat, New Rose, Pretty Vacant, I Feel Alright.
Sunday 20 April - Paradiso, Amsterdam, Holland
Set: unknown.
Thursday 17 April - Exit, Rotterdam, Holland
Set: Love Song, Second Time Around, I Just Can't Be Happy Today, Plan 9 Channel 7, Noise Noise Noise, Melody Lee, Looking At You, Born To Kill, Smash It Up, Help, Stab Your Back.
Wednesday 16 April - Tilburg, Holland
Set: Love Song, Second Time Around, I Just Can't Be Happy Today, Noise Noise Noise, Melody Lee, Looking At You, Born To Kill, Smash It Up, Stab You Back, Neat Neat Neat, New Rose, Pretty Vacant, I Feel Alright, Love Song.
1 March 1980 - Corn Exchange, Cambridge
Set: unknown.
Comments: Support from Victim.
Friday 1 February - Victoria Hall, Hanley, Stoke
Set: unknown.
Comments: Gig known to have taken place. Supported by The Ruts and Discharge (Discharge not billed as such - 'Local Heroes').
21 January 1980 - Croc's, Raleigh
Set: unknown.
Comments: Supposed School Bullies gig. However, a fake band (originally named The Spurts) apparently played as the School Bullies, mimicking The Damned under their alias, during 1980. This band is believed to have played Croc's in early 1980... so it is unclear whether this was actually a 'Damned' gig.
Live Performances Index
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: 5 January 2010.
whiterabbitskgs@tiscali.co.uk