The Damned Stays True to Its Spirit

The Damned may not have been the best or most innovative of the English punk groups, but in 1977 this messy goon squad was the first British punk outfit to issue a single and an album. And, most influentially, it was the first to play Los Angeles, serving as the catalyst for a revolutionary style of music and fashion whose ramifications still roar through the Southland’s rock scene.

It’s fitting that the group ended the recent L.A. stop at the Hollywood Palladium on what is billed as its farewell tour in the same rowdy manner as its debut more than a decade ago at the Starwood: Drummer Rat Scabies demolished his drums while bassist-guitarist Captain Sensible (definitely not a contender for any health club endorsements) ran around nude.

Like the title of one of its most ferocious rave-ups, the Damned, which plays Anaheim’s Celebrity Theatre tonight, is still pretty “Neat Neat Neat.” Running through a career retrospective at the Palladium, the quartet concentrated on the dark fury of its first and best album before adding a fifth player for later “hits,” while a sold-out throng of kids took songs like “Smash It Up” to heart (and body) in the slam pit.

This show also confirmed that underneath the obnoxious behavior and often sloppy, haphazard playing is a band of faithful believers in the liberating spirit of outrageous rock ‘n’ roll.

Paying tribute to that spirit with crash-and-burn versions of Beatles, Stones and Iggy Pop classics mixed in with its own tunes, the Damned proved that it deserves a place alongside the musical company it kept.

The Damned and Celebrity Skins play at 7:30 tonight at the Celebrity Theatre, 201 E. Broadway, Anaheim. Tickets: $18.50. Information: (714) 999-9536.