Part of the fun of Riot Fest every year is the associated “Riot Fest Late Night” shows that take place on the evenings surrounding the big fest. This year we got a real treat two days prior to the fest when The Damned headlined a show at The Vic to kick off the extended Riot Fest weekend.
The Bellrays were up first. Formed in 1990, this band is a really unique blend of rock, garage, and soul music. Lead singer Lisa Kekaula has an amazing soulful voice. Think of those great gospel singers and how great their voices are, but remove the religious lyrics and you’ll understand what I mean. She commanded the stage as the band blazed through an enjoyable set. I’ve never heard anything like them, they really stood out as really unique and kind of special and they were well worth showing up early for Wednesday night.
One of the greatest punk rock bands of all time, and downright legends, The Damned, were up next. The crowd, which was a mix of lots of old-timers along with younger generations, were excited to see these punk rock groundbreakers play. They took the stage one by one, the Captain gave his usual entertaining hello, and then Dave Vanian said to the crowd, “Ladies and gentlemen, how do” and the people were pumped because that meant they were opening with, “Love Song”, the opening track from their best album, Machine Gun Etiquette! That is the most perfect way to open a Damned show!
Just like on the album, they immediately went into “Second Time Around’ (aka: “Machine Gun Etiquette)” and it was awesome. From there the band played a set mostly of songs from The Black Album, Strawberries, and Machine Gun Etiquette. They threw in some other beloved songs like “Eloise”, “New Rose”, and “Neat Neat Neat”. They even played “Is It A Dream”! Despite the flawless setlist, the band did seem a little off this night. They weren’t bad by any stretch of the imagination, but there seemed to be less energy than usual for them.
Even at 3/4 strength though, The Damned do it better than most and the show was still incredibly enjoyable and a great way to spend a school night. Didn’t they have a compilation called “Skip Off School And Go See The Damned”? This is sound advice and you should go see them any time you get a chance, and we were lucky enough to get to see them one more time in the same week a few days later at Riot Fest!
