THE DAMNED ● Bataclan, Paris

K-RPM were at TheBataclan last Sunday, the 1st of  February , for The Damned’s headline show, part of their series of European dates to promote their new album Not Like Everybody Else. We say “headline” show but there was in fact no support act, which was a bit of a shame, but perhaps there were reasons. We can think of many local bands who could have been up there filling that slot and warming the crowd up. 

In the end, the band went on stage at around 9:00 PM, opening with “There’s a Ghost in My House.” From the first song, the focus of the set was clear: this was an evening of cover songs, showcasing material that the band chose as a tribute to the their founding guitarist Brian James, who passed away in March 2025. While a show that consists almost entirely of covers may seem on paper to be quite unappealing, the Damned pull this kind of gig off with ease, and the crowd obviously loved it. 

The setlist included The Lovin’ Spoonful’s “Summer in the City,” The Creation’s “Making Time,” Iggy and The Stooges’ “Gimme Danger,” and, most surprisingly, Pink Floyd’s “See Emily Play.” Each track carried the energy of the originals while maintaining The Damned’s live performance style, but still, it was a bizarre to watch the band play some of these songs, and as Captain Sensible said himself after the Pink Floyd classic, “we can’t really believe we did that either” …

The Rolling Stones’ “The Last Time” ended the main set, with Captain Sensible pointing out that with this band you never know if it’s the last time or not. 

The show ended with the final two encores of New Rose and I Feel Alright giving the audience their money’s worth with this one-two of The Damned classics. The energy in the room — from stage to crowd — made it a memorable evening that confirmed the band’s enduring presence in live punk and rock performance.

photos : Brian Downie