The Damned have begun their final Australian and New Zealand dates with a 20-song Auckland set spanning their punk beginnings, gothic period, later recordings and their 2026 album Not Like Everybody Else.
by Paul Cashmere
The Damned began their final Australian and New Zealand tour at Auckland’s Powerstation on 8 September, opening a four-date run that will take the British band to Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. The Auckland performance drew from across the group’s 50-year catalogue, with Rat Scabies previously telling Noise11 that selecting the set had been one of the most difficult tasks facing the band after five decades of recordings.
The Auckland set moved chronologically and stylistically through The Damned’s history, beginning with “Street of Dreams” from 1985’s Phantasmagoria and “Wake The Dead” from 2023’s Darkadelic before moving through songs from Strawberries, The Black Album, Machine Gun Etiquette and the group’s 1977 debut album Damned Damned Damned.
For Scabies, the problem was not a shortage of material but the opposite.
In his Noise11 interview, the drummer said the band had to balance the songs audiences expected to hear with tracks that had performed well, songs the members enjoyed playing and material that represented different periods of the group’s career.
“It was just so difficult to put a set list together because after 50 years you just got so many tunes,” Scabies told Noise11.
He explained that the band had spent several days reducing its repertoire to a two-hour performance, acknowledging that familiar songs had to be included while also considering less obvious choices that had developed their own following.
The Auckland performance reflected that approach. “Love Song”, “I Just Can’t Be Happy Today”, “Is It A Dream”, “Eloise”, “Neat Neat Neat”, “New Rose” and “Smash It Up” were among the established songs represented, while “Wake The Dead” brought the set into the 2020s.
The performance also included “Making Time”, the Creation song recorded by The Damned for the 2026 album Not Like Everybody Else. Scabies said the new record was not intended to dictate the Australian set, despite its connection to the band’s history.
“We might chuck something in there, but the aim isn’t really to go out and promote that record,” Scabies said when asked whether songs from the album would be played.
That decision is significant because Not Like Everybody Else was made as a tribute to the late Brian James, The Damned’s founding guitarist and a key figure in the band’s original formation. Scabies said the recording sessions were particularly meaningful because they marked the first time he and the other musicians had been together in a studio for roughly three decades.
The album’s purpose was also different from a conventional new-record campaign. Scabies said the musicians selected songs connected to Brian James, either because they came from artists who had influenced him or because they reflected music that had shaped The Damned’s approach when the group began in 1976.
The Auckland set nevertheless remained firmly rooted in The Damned’s established catalogue.
The band’s history stretches back to October 1976, when “New Rose” became the first UK punk single. The group followed with Damned Damned Damned in 1977, establishing a template that combined speed, melody and theatricality. “Fan Club” and “Neat Neat Neat” remain central to that early period, while “Love Song” and “I Just Can’t Be Happy Today” demonstrate the broader musical palette that developed around Machine Gun Etiquette.
The Black Album brought another shift in 1980, represented in Auckland by “The History Of The World (Part 1)”, “Second Time Around” and “Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde”. Phantasmagoria then moved The Damned further into gothic territory, producing “Street Of Dreams”, “Is It A Dream” and “Shadow Of Love”. Their recording of Barry Ryan’s “Eloise” subsequently became one of their most recognisable songs.
Scabies also reflected on The Damned’s place in the emergence of punk during the Noise11 interview. He noted that when “New Rose” was released, the term punk had not yet fully become the established description for the movement. He recalled an emerging scene connected by aesthetics, independent publishing and shared musical influences, with American acts including The Ramones providing an important reference point.
The drummer remains conscious that The Damned’s longevity has created a different relationship with the audience. “You never really want to say goodbye,” he told Noise11, comparing the experience with reading a good book and wanting to continue turning the pages even while knowing the story must eventually end.
Scabies said the continuing response from audiences has helped sustain The Damned, with promoters still able to justify putting the band on and audiences continuing to attend.
Tour Dates
Tuesday 8 September, Auckland, Powerstation
Thursday 10 September, Sydney, The Opera House
Friday 11 September, Brisbane, The Tivoli
Sunday 13 September, Melbourne, The Forum
Setlist Auckland 8 September 2026
Street of Dreams (from Phantasmagoria, 1985)
Wake the Dead (from Darkadelic, 2023)
Ignite (from Strawberries, 1982)
The History of the World (Part 1) (from The Black Album, 1980)
Love Song (from Machine Gun Etiquette, 1979)
I Just Can’t Be Happy Today (from Machine Gun Etiquette, 1979)
Is It a Dream (from Phantasmagoria, 1985)
Eloise (Barry Ryan cover)(single 1986)
Fan Club (from Damned, Damned, Damned, 1979)
Shadow of Love (from Phantasmagoria, 1985)
Stranger on the Town (from Strawberries, 1982)
Neat Neat Neat (from Damned, Damned, Damned, 1979)
Making Time (Creation cover)(from Not Like Everybody Else, 2026)
Second Time Around (from The Black Album, 1980)
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (from The Black Album, 1980
New Rose (from Damned, Damned, Damned, 1979)
White Rabbit (Jefferson Airplane cover)(single 1980)
Drum Solo
Smash It Up (Part 1) (from Machine Gun Etiquette, 1979)
Smash It Up (Part 2) (from Machine Gun Etiquette, 1979)
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