The Damned have released See Emily Play, the second single from their upcoming covers album Not Like Everybody Else. The track captures a vivid new reading of the Pink Floyd classic, blending psychedelic colour with the band’s sharp punk character. Guitarist Captain Sensible takes lead vocals on the single, which channels a playful but urgent energy. The band shaped each song on the album as a tribute to their late founding guitarist Brian James, whose influence remains central to their history.
Brian James passed away on 6 March 2025. His raw guitar style helped define the sound of British punk during its first wave. Not Like Everybody Else serves as a celebration of his legacy and the musical foundations that shaped him as an artist and songwriter.
The album was recorded at Revolver Studio in Los Angeles across five intense days. The Damned worked with the same fire that fuelled their early years. The sessions also marked the first studio reunion in forty years with drummer Rat Scabies. He joins vocalist Dave Vanian, guitarist Captain Sensible, bassist Paul Gray and keyboardist Monty Oxymoron. The band focused on reconnecting with the atmosphere of their earliest recordings, which shaped the beginning of their long career.
Not Like Everybody Else opens with R. Dean Taylor’s There’s A Ghost In My House, a track that sets the mood with rapid pacing and a dark undertone. The album moves through covers that reflect the music that surrounded the band during the 1960s and early 1970s. Their interpretation of The Animals’ When I Was Young brings a gritty edge to the song’s reflection on ageing and memory. Their reading of Pink Floyd’s See Emily Play reimagines the song’s psychedelic innocence with focused guitar work and a tight rhythmic structure.
The album closes with The Last Time by The Rolling Stones. The track features Brian James himself, captured during his final shows with The Damned. These performances included the last dates at the O₂ Academy in Birmingham. The recordings have been remixed with care for this release. The closing track provides a fitting salute to the guitarist who helped define the band’s earliest direction.
The album ties together the band’s past and present while reflecting on personal loss. It also reconnects with the musical environment that inspired the first generation of punk musicians. The Damned emerged in 1976 with their debut single New Rose, which became the first UK punk single. The group released Damned Damned Damned in the same year. Brian James wrote the majority of the album and established the sonic identity that shaped the group’s influence on future generations.
To mark the release of Not Like Everybody Else, The Damned will perform one-off covers shows. The band will appear at Albert Hall, Manchester on 28 January 2026. They will then play Bataclan, Paris on 1 February 2026 and Essigfabrik, Cologne on 3 February 2026. The concerts will feature songs from the new album alongside selected covers that have appeared throughout their career. Each show will honour the band’s shared history and the legacy of Brian James.
Tracklisting Not Like Everybody Else
Side A
There’s A Ghost In My House (R. Dean Taylor)
Summer In The City (Loving Spoonful)
Making Time (The Creation)
Gimme Danger (Iggy & The Stooges)
See Emily Play (Pink Floyd)
Side B
I’m Not Like Everybody Else (The Kinks)
Heart Full Of Soul (The Yardbirds)
You Must Be A Witch (The Lollipop Shoppe)
When I Was Young (Eric Burdon and The Animals)
The Last Time (The Rolling Stones)
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