Iconic British punk outfit The Damned will be playing with its original lineup for the first time since 1991, for their summer 2021 UK tour, which will take place in London, Birmingham, Glasgow and Manchester in July. The group will be performing material from their first two records Damned Damned Damned and Music for Pleasure, at the events, with tickets for the shows going on sale at Friday, October 23 at 10 a.m. British time.

Formed by Dave Vanian, Captain Sensible, Rat Scabies and Brian James in London all the way back in 1976, the group became the first punk outfit to release a single that same year “New Rose” and the first group to tour the United States. Nine of their singles have charted on the UK Top 40, with the group also helping launch the goth movement during the 1980s. This upcoming tour will be celebrating the 45th anniversary release of “New Rose.”

Vanian has been the most consistent member of the group, which has gone through multiple lineups during their over four decade long careers in the music industry. Prior to this founder’s reunion, their most recent lineup also included the likes of Captain Sensible, Paul Gray and Monty Oxymoron.

The group still continue to put out music to this day and released a nostalgic new single “Manipulator” last month. Their latest studio album Evil Spirits, came out back in 2018, while the group released The Rockfield Files earlier this week.

“Evil Spirits isn’t necessarily a kind of genre-busting marvel, but it also isn’t trying to be,” mxdwn reviewer Arnim Whisler explained. “The Damned is a band comfortable in their own skin, and four decades later they sound like they’re just having fun. And thanks to that, the listener will likely wind up having fun too.”

The Damned UK Reunion Tour Dates

7/9 Eventim Apollo, London
7/16 O2 Academy Birmingham
7/17 O2 Academy Glasgow
7/18 O2 Apollo Manchester

Photo Credit: Mauricio Alvarado