The Damned, a key originator of punk rock, perform live with Flamin' Groovies and The Courettes at The Truman.
The Damned play The Truman on Wednesday, November 4, with Flamin' Groovies and The Courettes opening. It's a long way from where they started: London, 1976. They were the first punk band to release a single, then an album, then a second album, then a tour of America, and then they split up by the autumn of 1977. They reformed with the 1979 album Machine Gun Etiquette, and they're one of the few classic punk bands still active.
They were the only punk band of that first wave to mix gothic sounds and a horror aesthetic with punk music. The sound is fronted by baritone crooner David Vanian, with guitarist and bassist Captain Sensible on the other side, and driven by Brian James—whom The Clash's Mick Jones called the man with the vision for punk a year before anyone else. Their 1977 debut influenced American hardcore, while their darker moments foreshadowed goth and death rock. Guns N' Roses, Foo Fighters, Depeche Mode, Green Day and The Offspring have all cited them as an influence. They've kept putting out records, too: Evil Spirits in 2018 and Darkadelic in 2024.
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Support comes from Flamin' Groovies, who formed in San Francisco in 1965 and are best known for "Shake Some Action." The Courettes round out the bill. The show is at The Truman, 601 E Truman Rd, Kansas City, MO 64106. Doors open at 6 PM, and the music starts at 7 PM.
