The other punk band.

The Damned: Don’t You Wish We Were Dead

With its premiere at SXSW, complete with a gig by the band, The Damned: Don’t You Wish We Were Dead served up a bit of punk history.

Ask people to name two early British Punk bands and you’ll hear The Clash and the Sex Pistols. From here the list will start to vary, you’ll hear The Undertones, The Vibrators, and The Buzzcocks. Another top contender for Punk Rock Family Feud would be The Damned. They were the first UK punkers to release a record. Firsts aside, they never achieved the notoriety of the The Clash and The Pistols probably on account of them leaning into goth. While most of the early punks embraced the bubblegum simplicity of the music, the Damned created darker melodies.

Others believe the band’s lack of more mass appeal was due to the name of guitarist Captain Sensible. Some punkers were not able to digest the irony and found any notion of sensibility compromised their punk rock agenda.

Disclaimer: That last part was total fiction. For a more insightful look at the band keep an eye out for Wes Orshoski’s film. Learn more and show some damn support, by liking The Damned: Don’t You Wish We Were Dead.