This article is about the music group. For the movie, see The Damned (film).
The Damned are a punk rock group originally from Croydon, England, a suburb of London, formed in 1976. They are notable for being the first of the British punk bands to release a single, put out an album, and tour the United States.
The Damned have dissolved and reformed many times and have incorporated many styles in their music, most notably garage rock, psychedelic music, the British theatrical rock of Screaming Lord Sutch and The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, and New Romantic. The Damned are also generally regarded as one of the founders of gothic rock. In the phase of their career from roughly 1979 to 1984, they were also (uniquely among original British punk bands) foundational to the young bands who created hardcore punk.
Original members Dave Vanian (David Lett), Captain Sensible (Ray Burns), and Rat Scabies (Chris Millar) were all members of the semi-legendary Masters of the Backside which included future Pretenders frontwoman Chrissie Hynde.
Original guitarist Brian James (Brian Robertson) was a member of the early punk band London SS, a unit that never played live, but whose members later found fame in bands including The Clash and Generation X. Rat Scabies also tried out to be the group's drummer but was rejected.
The Damned played their first gig on 6 July 1976, supporting the Sex Pistols at the 100 Club in London. They were the first of the London punk bands to release a single on the independent record label Stiff Records.