THE DAMNED's CAPTAIN SENSIBLE Reflects On 50 Years Of Punk Chaos

Interview by Angela Croudace
Fifty years after helping ignite the UK punk movement, Captain Sensible still sounds pleasantly surprised that The Damned are standing strong.
Speaking ahead of the band's Australian 50th Anniversary Tour this September, the guitarist reflected on a career that has taken the group from playing tiny pubs to prestigious venues that once wanted nothing to do with them.
"When we started, I never thought it would last more than three or four weeks," he laughed. "We were playing this uncompromising noise music and upsetting audiences. I never thought anyone would let us make an album, let alone still be doing it 50 years later."
For Sensible, The Damned's longevity comes down to authenticity. Despite five decades on the road, the band continues to embrace unpredictability.
"You never know what's going to happen next, even we don't know," he said. "That's the great thing about proper, organic rock and roll."
The celebrations arrive during what Sensible calls a "golden period" for the band. One particularly satisfying milestone has been performing at iconic venues that once rejected them.
"We're playing places that banned us back in the day," he said. "The Royal Albert Hall didn't want us in the late '70s, and now we're playing places like the Sydney Opera House. For a band that's always been anti-establishment, that's pretty ridiculous."
The conversation also unearthed one of punk's more bizarre stories, with Sensible confirming a bit of family lore for me; a tale involving an inflatable dinosaur costume at London's Rainbow Theatre. After being dragged into the crowd by the costume's tail, he emerged without it and finished the show naked.
"It's why there was never a repeat performance," he joked.
Fifty years on, The Damned remain rebellious, unpredictable and, somehow, still surprising themselves.


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