17-09-2009 The Damned

Supports: The Stealers, The Generators; Venue: Watt, Rotterdam (The Netherlands)
By: Sabine van Gameren

Three bands that play in Watt Rotterdam this evening would bring you back to an era of punks. An evening where different generations meet and blend, all coming with the same purpose.

The Stealers were first. The venue was far from filled, but the guys were up for it anyway. The band has been around since 2007. The vocalist of The Stealers seem to carry a portion of aggression that won’t be found in any other of the band members. He takes the stage while the others just respect this and stay out of his domain. The audience was distance and stayed safely far from the stage, but that would not change a lot this evening anyway. Musically they did not do too bad. They have a raw edged way of performing, only the drums seem to be shadowed away by the other musicians. Those could have been more dominant which would make the band more like a reliable factor when it comes performance.

From Los Angeles The Generators were giving their version of punk. Way more clean than The Stealers. This band has been formed in 1997, so not exactly newbie’s anymore.
The band tried hard to get the audience going, but since it is a Thursday it seems like most of the people must have something responsible to do the next day as it stayed quite calm in the venue. The band seemed to get a bit frustrated about this especially towards the end. It was not that the band did not play well, the band members showed their skills well enough. They guitars got played very well controlled and the riffs and overall sound was original. Vocalist Doug Dagger puts emotion in his singing, so this must be why he was so frustrated about the minimum response he was getting.
Overall the band has played a nice set. Perhaps this Thursday was just a day for people in which they have to keep the last working day in mind, because when the band leaves the stage the talking about them in the audience while waiting for the last band seemed all quite positive.

The Damned started in 1976 and makes punk. They have been known for being forerunners of the gothic scene. There is lots to find in the music of The Damned.
The look of the members walking on the stage with great enthusiasm but a certain hold back on the age makes the feelings about this show a bit double. They surely aren’t the youngest no more and it is quite visible in their movements. The band speaks rough, but the question is: are they really that tough punk band as their reputation tells? It was surely pleasant to hear the songs that everyone knows, the attitude but it only seemed half alive. They audience has lived up compared to the support acts, but to say that the energy is floating widely… not exactly.
The aspect of nostalgia makes this show a topper for some, but for a honest heart there was something missing at their performance. It’s not that the band does not want to give it all, but it just doesn’t come out (anymore).