On Monday, October 28th, The Damned are set to play a sold-out concert event billed as “An Evening Of A Thousand Vampires” at London Palladium, a gig that is now confirmed as their final performance with drummer Pinch.
Regarding the theme of the event, which aims to become the largest gathering of vampires ever recorded by achieving entry into the Guinness book of world records, the band have made the following official statement:
Ladies and Gentlemen, How do.
It is I, your truly Damned Tour Manager and humble narrator.
We have finally heard back from the Guinness Book Of Records and it is somewhat different to what we believed it would be.
From Guinness:
“To qualify as a Vampire you need to be wearing the following:
For the Gentlemen: Full, traditional vampire fancy-dress costume. This would normally consist of the following: Black trousers, black shoes, waistcoat, shirt, black cape or collared overcoat (a different colour on the inside will be permitted), fangs on the top set of teeth.
For the Ladies: an evening dress is required – black, white or red or any such elaborate Victoriana or gothic attire in keeping with the theme. Plus Red Lipstick & Fangs.”
The running order of the evening will be …
- 6.45pm – Doors
- 7.00pm – Arrival of The Funeral Cortege
- 7.15pm – Take Your Seats
- 7.45pm – The Circus Of Horrors Cabaret
- 8.15pm – The Damned Act 1
- 9.30pm – Intermission (20 Minutes)
- 9.50pm – The Damned Act 2
- 10.30pm – Curfew
The Palladium show coincides with the release of a brand new compilation, Black Is The Night, which is out now. Captain Sensible has promised it will be The Damned’s “definitive collection”.
“The band have put together what we believe to be the definitive compilation. The die-hards have got most of these tracks but there’s obscurities we’re throwing in…Every home should have one.”
Listen to the new song and the collection’s crooning gothic title track below and order the Black Is The Night here:
After drumming for The Damned for the past two decades Pinch has announced his departure from the band, with the Palladium gig being his final performance with the long-running punk group.
“After 20 years with The Damned it’s time for me to move on. Having just fulfilled a dream playing Madison Square Garden, the upcoming London Palladium show seems like an obvious stepping off point for me. I’ve been lucky enough to meet some heroes and play shows with legendary bands and amazing characters. I send my love to my band mates past and present as well as everyone in the Damned organization and wish them all the best for the future. Up the Punks.”-Pinch
A drummer has not been announced as of yet.