THE DAMNED revisit their wildest Australian memories | This Week’s FINAL DAMNATION Tour – Spotlight Report

Like the pioneers of British punk Damned As they prepare to return to Australia for the final time for their 50th Anniversary Tour, which will bring the sold-out 22-song Wembley show to Australia, frontman Dave Vanian and drummer Rat Scabies have shared vivid memories of their time touring the country, including vast outlying regions. Memories that became part of the group’s mythology.

“It was always a really good time. We always had great audiences in Australia,” says Vanian, whose affection for Australia runs deeper than the usual socializing in the capital. What he remembered most about the outback was its scale, its silence and the strange feeling of being watched by invisible eyes.

This outback would define the band’s history when a sudden change of plans brought The Damned to Broken Hill, New South Wales to film the video for Alone Again Or. Originally intended to be set in California, the clip was instead filmed on the hot red soil of the Mundi Mundi Plains, the same apocalyptic landscape immortalized in Mad Max 2.

The group suddenly found themselves on a pre-dawn flight to Broken Hill to catch golden hour for the video shoot. Both Vanian and legendary drummer Rat Scabies recall flying through the Australian interior in a tiny Cessna plane, the isolation leaving a lasting impression, not to mention the pilot passing out mid-flight.

“It was in the ’80s (I think ’87) when we found ourselves in the outback,” Scabies said, recalling the Phantasmagoria era when their hit single “Eloise” catapulted them to a new level of fame.

“We played a show in town, slept for an hour and then found ourselves on a small plane heading to Broken Hill at 3am,” recalls Scabies. “I think I was dozing for about an hour when Roman woke me up. He asked me if the pilot should be asleep. I told him he should be on autopilot and not worry. But Roman didn’t buy it.”

Vanyan recalls how panic began among the group when the ship began to move chaotically. “We were throwing things at the pilot to wake him up. He was beside himself. Finally he winced, said, ‘She’ll be right, mate,’ and asked for coffee. That was almost the end of Cursed.”

The band survived the flight and were rewarded with one of the wildest concerts of their career. “We ended up playing a show in the middle of nowhere, filming all day in the heat and walking across the stage from the desert to play for a bush audience. I found red dust in my clothes for years after that!”

“Man, the show that night was wild,” Scabies says.

Rat Scabies’ memories of that time in Australia are equally chaotic and cherished. In particular, how they became friends with Melbourne cowboy-punk band The Johnnys, who introduced them to late-night drinking spots and places where cowboy shirts were worn.

From filming videos in the desert to near-disastrous flights over land and now the Sydney Opera House, The Damned’s history in Australia extends far beyond major cities. Their memories, some dusty, dangerous and sometimes absurd, became part of the group’s lore.

As they return for the last time on their 50th anniversary tour, these stories highlight a simple truth: Australia didn’t just host The Damned, it shaped them.

“You Aussies definitely know how to have fun and have given us some of the best shows we’ve ever played. We’re looking forward to throwing a huge farewell party and giving you the shows of our lives. Thank you. It’s great to be back one last time.”

Tour dates:

Thursday 10 September SYDNEY, Opera House.

Friday 11 September BRISBANE, Tivoli

Sunday 13 September MELBOURNE, Forum