UK punk legends The Damned have released a kinetic reinterpretation of The Lovin’ Spoonful’s 1966 classic ‘Summer in the City,’ as the final single from their upcoming covers-album, Not Like Everybody Else, and announced a series of live shows, marking half a century of smashing things up.
Recorded in just five days at Revolver Studio, Los Angeles, the new album finds the band – Dave Vanian on vocals, Captain Sensible on guitar, Rat Scabies on drums, Paul Gray on bass, and Monty Oxymoron on keyboards – recapturing the raw energy that defined the late Seventies punk rock scene.
Significantly, Not Like Everybody Else marks the first time in 40 years that Rat Scabies has returned to the studio with the band. Every song on the album is described as a personal, celebratory tribute to the group’s late guitarist Brian James and his influences, who passed away last year.
Significantly, Not Like Everybody Else marks the first time in 40 years that Rat Scabies has returned to the studio with the band…
Punk, goth and everything before
Not Like Everybody Else kicks off with R. Dean Taylor’s ‘There’s A Ghost In My House’ and moves through classics like Pink Floyd’s ‘See Emily Play’ and The Animals’ ‘When I Was Young’. The album closes with a poignant ‘The Last Time’ by The Rolling Stones, featuring Brian James, recorded at the last shows he played with The Damned, including his final performance at the O2 Academy in Birmingham, remixed here for this release.
Not Like Everybody Else is available in a variety of physical formats. In addition to a standard CD, and vinyl release, it’ll also ship as a limited Rainbow Sparkle vinyl edition, and a high quality 180-gram audiophile pressing.
To celebrate the new collection, The Damned are playing one-off covers shows at Albert Hall, Manchester on January 28, Bataclan, Paris on February 1 and Essigfabrik, Cologne on February 3, performing tracks from Not Like Everybody Else alongside fan-favourite covers, like ‘White Rabbit’ and ‘Eloise’. Tickets are available here.
The band is also scheduled to perform songs from the album exclusively live on BBC Radio 6.
The Damned famously released the first UK punk single, ‘New Rose,’ in 1976 on Stiff Records, with their debut album Damned, Damned, Damned following in early 1977. Brian James wrote that landmark debut 7-incher and was lead songwriter on the album. He left the group after the release of second album, Music For Pleasure, in 1977.
The Damned will play a special 50th anniversary show at OVO Arena Wembley on April 11 2026, celebrating five decades as one of the founders of British punk rock. Tickets for the big London show are available here.
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Ferrum Audio, a high-end audio manufacturer from Poland, has launched its range of digital-to-analogue converters, headphone amplifiers and power systems in the UK, bringing a new integrated audio ecosystem to British music fans in search of premium personal and lifestyle sound. The company, operating out of Warsaw, is positioning itself in the increasingly crowded ‘high-end…
High-end Technics turntable performance for less than you might expect. That’s the promise behind the SL-1500CS, a new direct-drive Hi-Fi turntable from the legendary Japanese brand, arriving March 2026. For decades, Technics has been synonymous with direct-drive turntables, from broadcast studios to DJ booths and audiophile listening rooms. Models such as the SL-1200 series helped…
The Luxe Review 
UK punk legends The Damned have released a kinetic reinterpretation of The Lovin’ Spoonful’s 1966 classic ‘Summer in the City,’ as the final single from their upcoming covers-album, Not Like Everybody Else, and announced a series of live shows, marking half a century of smashing things up.
Recorded in just five days at Revolver Studio, Los Angeles, the new album finds the band – Dave Vanian on vocals, Captain Sensible on guitar, Rat Scabies on drums, Paul Gray on bass, and Monty Oxymoron on keyboards – recapturing the raw energy that defined the late Seventies punk rock scene.
Significantly, Not Like Everybody Else marks the first time in 40 years that Rat Scabies has returned to the studio with the band. Every song on the album is described as a personal, celebratory tribute to the group’s late guitarist Brian James and his influences, who passed away last year.
Punk, goth and everything before
Not Like Everybody Else kicks off with R. Dean Taylor’s ‘There’s A Ghost In My House’ and moves through classics like Pink Floyd’s ‘See Emily Play’ and The Animals’ ‘When I Was Young’. The album closes with a poignant ‘The Last Time’ by The Rolling Stones, featuring Brian James, recorded at the last shows he played with The Damned, including his final performance at the O2 Academy in Birmingham, remixed here for this release.
Not Like Everybody Else is available in a variety of physical formats. In addition to a standard CD, and vinyl release, it’ll also ship as a limited Rainbow Sparkle vinyl edition, and a high quality 180-gram audiophile pressing.
To celebrate the new collection, The Damned are playing one-off covers shows at Albert Hall, Manchester on January 28, Bataclan, Paris on February 1 and Essigfabrik, Cologne on February 3, performing tracks from Not Like Everybody Else alongside fan-favourite covers, like ‘White Rabbit’ and ‘Eloise’. Tickets are available here.
The band is also scheduled to perform songs from the album exclusively live on BBC Radio 6.
The Damned famously released the first UK punk single, ‘New Rose,’ in 1976 on Stiff Records, with their debut album Damned, Damned, Damned following in early 1977. Brian James wrote that landmark debut 7-incher and was lead songwriter on the album. He left the group after the release of second album, Music For Pleasure, in 1977.
The Damned will play a special 50th anniversary show at OVO Arena Wembley on April 11 2026, celebrating five decades as one of the founders of British punk rock. Tickets for the big London show are available here.
Panasonic upgrades your kitchen with slimline air fryer microwaves, and Bread & Ice-Cream makers
Has your microwave seen better days? Panasonic is refreshing its kitchen appliance range with an enticing new generation of space-saving air fryer microwaves, bread makers, and ice cream machines. Blending innovative engineering with a clear eye on how people actually cook, bake and eat at home, these new kitchen gadgets are designed to simplify life,…
Ferrum Audio debuts premium modular head‑fi desktop audio music systems in UK
Ferrum Audio, a high-end audio manufacturer from Poland, has launched its range of digital-to-analogue converters, headphone amplifiers and power systems in the UK, bringing a new integrated audio ecosystem to British music fans in search of premium personal and lifestyle sound. The company, operating out of Warsaw, is positioning itself in the increasingly crowded ‘high-end…
Technics SL-1500CS hands-on: New direct drive turntable promises audiophile performance for less
High-end Technics turntable performance for less than you might expect. That’s the promise behind the SL-1500CS, a new direct-drive Hi-Fi turntable from the legendary Japanese brand, arriving March 2026. For decades, Technics has been synonymous with direct-drive turntables, from broadcast studios to DJ booths and audiophile listening rooms. Models such as the SL-1200 series helped…
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