Punk legends The Damned are back with a spectral new single, “There’s A Ghost In My House,” accompanied by a vivid new video directed by Gilbert Trejo. The track is the first preview from their upcoming Not Like Everybody Else LP — a full-length covers album and heartfelt tribute to the band’s late founding guitarist, Brian James, out January 23, 2026, via earMUSIC (and BFD/The Orchard in North America).
Recorded in a blistering five days of emotion and creative fire at Revolver Studio in Los Angeles, the album finds The Damned — Dave Vanian on vocals, Captain Sensible on guitar, Rat Scabies on drums, Paul Gray on bass, and joined by longtime keyboardist Monty Oxymoron — reconnecting with the raw energy that started it all. Not Like Everybody Else marks the first time in forty years that Rat Scabies has returned to the studio with the band.
The Damned are no strangers to covers — their history is littered with smart, subversive re-imaginings, from their early takes on “Help!” and “Alone Again Or” to their chaotic live versions of garage and psych classics. But Not Like Everybody Else feels different: this one comes straight from the heart. It’s a celebration of the records that shaped them and the guitarist who started it all, while proving the band’s pulse still beats as hard as ever — five decades in.
Kicking off with R. Dean Taylor’s “There’s A Ghost In My House” and moving through classics like Pink Floyd’s “See Emily Play” and The Animals’ “When I Was Young,” the album closes with a powerful farewell: “The Last Time” by The Rolling Stones — featuring Brian James himself, taken from his final live performance with The Damned in Birmingham and lovingly remixed for this release.
“There’s A Ghost In My House,” originally penned by Motown songwriter R. Dean Taylor, becomes something altogether new in their hands: a tense, nocturnal anthem pulsing with Captain Sensible’s sharp guitar and Dave Vanian’s deep, magnetic croon. It’s both homage and possession — a Northern Soul classic filtered through The Damned’s unmistakable gloom-and-glam alchemy.
The accompanying video, shot entirely in stark black and white by Gilbert Trejo (son of actor Danny Trejo), stitches together electric moments from The Damned’s recent U.S. tour — including their appearance at the inaugural CBGB Festival in Brooklyn. It’s pure stage possession: Dave Vanian prowls and leans into the crowd with theatrical intensity, Captain Sensible slashes at his guitar in his signature striped shirt, Rat Scabies hammers the drums with renewed fury, and Paul Gray and Monty Oxymoron drive the chaos from the wings. Between shots of heaving audiences and giant backdrops emblazoned with The Damned logo, Trejo captures the enduring magnetism of a band fifty years in — still loud, still unholy, still alive. The monochrome palette adds a ghostly quality, turning the performance into both celebration and séance, a communion between punk’s past and present.
Watch the video for “There’s A Ghost In My House” below:
Not Like Everybody Else assembles ten songs that trace Brian James’s earliest influences — from British R&B to Detroit proto-punk — reimagined through The Damned’s singular lens. The tracklist reads like a roadmap to their roots:
- There’s A Ghost In My House (R. Dean Taylor)
- Summer In The City (The Lovin’ Spoonful)
- Making Time (The Creation)
- Gimme Danger (Iggy & The Stooges)
- See Emily Play (Pink Floyd)
- I’m Not Like Everybody Else (The Kinks)
- Heart Full of Soul (The Yardbirds)
- You Must Be a Witch (The Lollipop Shoppe)
- When I Was Young (The Animals)
- The Last Time (The Rolling Stones) — featuring Brian James’s final performance
To celebrate the album, The Damned will play a one-off covers show at the Albert Hall, Manchester, on January 28, 2026, performing songs from Not Like Everybody Else alongside fan-favourite covers that have marked their career. It promises to be an unforgettable night honouring Brian James and the band’s shared history. Fans who order the album through the Official Album Store starting October 29 will receive early access to tickets for the release show. Three exclusive 7” vinyl singles featuring previously unreleased B-sides will also be available for pre-sale.
Set to coincide with The Damned’s 50th-anniversary celebrations, Not Like Everybody Else is a heartfelt homage and a testament to the enduring spirit of one of punk’s most pioneering bands. Fifty years of The Damned also means fifty years of punk — with the 1976 explosion now hitting its half-century.
The Damned have announced a special 50th-anniversary show at OVO Arena Wembley on Saturday, April 11, 2026, marking five decades since the band first erupted as one of the founders of British punk rock. The milestone celebration will feature special guests The Loveless featuring Marc Almond, Peter Hook And The Light, and The Courettes.
Pre-order Not Like Everybody Else on vinyl, CD, and digital formats here.
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