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.
Samsung is teaming up with Star Trek for a 60th anniversary celebration that will turn parts of London into a holodeck for fans. Six decades after Star Trek: The Original Series first transported audiences into the final frontier, Samsung is joining the anniversary celebrations with a UK partnership spanning London, Paramount+, and retail. Samsung’s flagship…
Japan House London is set to turn heads this autumn with Tradition/Rebellion: Coming‑of‑Age Style in Kitakyushu, Japan, a new exhibition celebrating one of Japan’s most flamboyant fashion subcultures. Opening November 11 2026, the show brings the extraordinary style of Kitakyushu’s Coming‑of‑Age Ceremony to Kensington High Street, where platform sandals, fur‑trimmed kimono and gravity‑defying hair will…
Six decades after Vince Guaraldi Trio’s gentle piano and brushed percussion first accompanied Charlie Brown’s Christmas troubles, A Charlie Brown Christmas has become the best-selling jazz album of all time, certified 6X Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The achievement marks six million album sales and streaming equivalents in the US. The milestone…
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.
Samsung turns flagship King’s Cross store into Star Trek central as franchise celebrates 60 Years
Samsung is teaming up with Star Trek for a 60th anniversary celebration that will turn parts of London into a holodeck for fans. Six decades after Star Trek: The Original Series first transported audiences into the final frontier, Samsung is joining the anniversary celebrations with a UK partnership spanning London, Paramount+, and retail. Samsung’s flagship…
Wild Coming‑of‑Age Japanese fashion exhibition heads to Japan House London
Japan House London is set to turn heads this autumn with Tradition/Rebellion: Coming‑of‑Age Style in Kitakyushu, Japan, a new exhibition celebrating one of Japan’s most flamboyant fashion subcultures. Opening November 11 2026, the show brings the extraordinary style of Kitakyushu’s Coming‑of‑Age Ceremony to Kensington High Street, where platform sandals, fur‑trimmed kimono and gravity‑defying hair will…
How A Charlie Brown Christmas became the best-selling jazz album of all time
Six decades after Vince Guaraldi Trio’s gentle piano and brushed percussion first accompanied Charlie Brown’s Christmas troubles, A Charlie Brown Christmas has become the best-selling jazz album of all time, certified 6X Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The achievement marks six million album sales and streaming equivalents in the US. The milestone…
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