I watched this as a fan of punk and a fan of rock documentaries. I was never completely sold on the Damned, more of a Pistols fan, but I was interested in the people behind the publicity photos, behind the rock image, the stories they had to tell. This film delivers all of that a little too powerfully at times, as while it makes its director look good, it makes the group look a little sorry. Brian James and Rat Scabies come across as broken old men, even if they have a great story to tell. Dave Vanian comes across as a good and loyal singer for the group who lacks the big personality to sell the group as well as Johnny Rotten and Joe Strummer. Only Captain Sensible really seems to have improved with age. We see him as cheerful, personable with fans, a better front man than Dave Vanian, a great guitarist. Again, you wonder at his loyalty to the group. As a viewer you want the film to have a happy ending, for the group to get their million dollar cheque, but it never arrives.

Having been in my late teens/early twenties when punk rock first took off you would think I would have been into the whole scene back when it was in its heyday. Truth be told I was one of the few that even listened to it having bought the first Ramones album after finding it in the bargain bin for $1. At the time I listened and thought it was one of the worst records I'd ever heard, laughing at its simplicity and ridiculous lyrics. Here I am 40 years later and a convert, enjoying everything they did.But it was my son that got me to actually listen to punk music over the past few years. I'm still not a fan of it all but I do enjoy some. But that's because punk music is meant for young people. It's intended for an angry youth unhappy with the way of the world, the politics, economics and the rest. The fast rhythms and percussive beats are intended as a release of energy, a big "F" you to the world and the regular music that most enjoy. But beneath all of this rage and protest there is a certain musicality to punk music as well. While some bands were promoted solely on their outrageous behavior (see The Sex Pistols) there were other bands who could actually play and play well, who wrapped themselves in the punk scene and yet still preformed as an actual band. Such is the case with The Damned.THE DAMNED: DON'T YOU WISH WE WERE DEAD is a documentary look at the band that takes us from their early beginnings through their latest incarnation in 2014 when the movie was shot. We get a look at the fact that the bad was actually made up of some very talented musicians who wanted to make music but who also felt the same pressures of the world that the punk scene gravitated towards at the same time. That combination of actual musical ability and punk energy combined to make a band that many pure rock and roll fans would find easy to access if they get around to giving the band a listen.The film makes clear that the band was the first major band to come out of the punk scene. They released the first album of the many major bands. They had the first large fan base. And their popularity caused managers from other bands (notably Malcolm McLaren as seen in the DVD's extras) to attempt to damage their career while promoting their own bands. That The Damned never achieved the same financial success of their counterparts was in part due to this as well as due to their own inner turmoil, the same behind the scene problems associated with nearly ever band ever formed. Personal and professional jealousies, claims to song rights, treating each other poorly and too many days on the road took their toll on the band. The end result was to see the band fall apart and reform time and time again. The original line up hasn't played together since 1999.At the same time while the band was together and apart and together again they adapted. They retained that same essence of punk, that same raw edge, but matured in their styling as well. The atmosphere was retained in each incarnation of the band and because of that the fans have remained loyal.The movie takes us from those early days through current times and talks with each member of the band from the original members through new members. Of course the main focus remains with those early members, the core group, some of whom remain with the band to this day. It's interesting to watch them change over the years, to see them still enjoying making music after all these years.The presentation here is well done with just enough extras to add to the story and yet not so many as to overshadow the film itself. The extra concerning McLaren feels more like it should have been included in the film as it presents an important part of the band's story. Thank goodness it was included here. Perhaps my only complaint with the film was the lack of subtitles, in part because there were moments when I was watching with the sound low here and then because at certain moments the accents of those being interviewed were so thick I had difficulty understanding. One other quick note is that while watching it is best to keep the remote handy since names of those being interviewed at times flash by the screen with such speed that you have to back up or freeze frame to see who they are.On the whole this is not just an entertaining documentary but a movie that captures the spirit of the band and its members as well as the punk sensibility of the time. Not the manufactured scene but the real one. There is a good chance that after watching you'll go out in search of some of the music that you hear from the band. I know I raided my son's collection after watching it to listen. This is a must have for punk fans, for music fans and for those who enjoy a well-made documentary about a culture that only now is being recognized for its influence.

This was like a gift from the gods. A comprehensive documentary focusing on one of the most under-exposed and under-appreciated bands of all time. And, by the way, one of my all-time favourites. I have been a fan since the seventies and even today I continue to love them to bits. Add to the mix that the movie is a self-confessed labour of love by director Wes Orshoski (who helmed the superb LEMMY) and it means I was always going to be first in line for the pre-order of the DVD/Blu-Ray combo pack.The Damned were nuts from the start. Not just happily eccentric, not merely fun-loving pseudo anarchists, not just a touch out there, you know, but outright, dyed-in-the-wool, full blown, completely, irresponsibly, barking mad, dog raving nuts. Jerry Lee Lewis once summed up his entire life and career in a single psychopathic sentence: "I did what I wanted." The Damned lived this philosophy in the absolute. Orshoski's film demonstrates it clearly and without apology. Forty years down the line, and the band are still going with two founder members from the original four remaining – vocalist Dave Vanian and guitarist Captain Sensible. What lies behind them in their bizarre and erratic wake is a random trajectory of physical, emotional and psychological anarchy, chaos and destruction. From which a lot of people never recovered.And there's the music, of course. The first British punk band to release a single (New Rose); the first British punk band to tour America and play CBGBs; the first British punk band to release an album (Damned, Damned, Damned); and oft credited with being the originators of the goth movement. Musically they ricocheted all over the place, from two chord speed punk (Neat, Neat, Neat) to seventeen minute prog-rock epics (Curtain Call) to sixties psychedelia (Naz Nomad and the Nightmares/White Rabbit), goth rock (Phantasmagoria), pop (Grimly Fiendish), synth rock (History of the World Part 1), apocalyptic ballad covers (Eloise), and so on and on and on. "Machine Gun Etiquette" remains a true musical milestone, the purest UK punk album ever made.They've been on more record labels than the Queen's had corgi cremations, had more bass players and line-up changes than Taylor Swift's had boyfriends, been through more arguments, splits and acrimony than every British political party put together. Yet they keep on keeping on. Vanian puts it down to "sheer bloody-mindedness." This year, to mark their fortieth anniversary, they have toured relentlessly. At the Isle of Wight Festival they were as loud, fast, dynamic, lean, mean and smack bang on target with their set as ever. They somehow sounded fresh and propulsive, like they're still chasing something. Meanwhile contemporaries like Adam Ant and the Buzzcocks came across as old, lazy, bloated and tired-out relics going through the motions.Sensible disparages miserable guitarists, says it's the best job in the world and he smiles a lot. He's sixty. He plays guitar like a cross between Jimi Hendrix and a vaudeville comedian. Vanian (the only band member to front and appear in every incarnation of the band) remains a force of nature, seemingly oblivious to any ravages of time, his vocals noticeably undiminished. He's fifty-nine.Attitude. They just do what they do and they live it whilst doing it. Maybe that's the difference, a sense of enduring authenticity. In June 2016 they sold out a one night three hour concert at the Royal Albert Hall (six thousand tickets) a venue that ironically banned them in 1977. So there's something going on still, some draw. They've never lasted for long on a major label, never sold millions, never hit it really big. They never played the game. By rights they shouldn't exist. But they do and an audience always shows up.Orshoski's film is a thing of great beauty and wonder to behold. The "do what you will" attitude permeates nearly every frame. The sheer hedonistic madness and frankly ludicrous dysfunction of the personalities involved is jaw-droppingly uncensored. Even the diatribes and sound-bites from bitter and damaged people who feel they have somehow been touched adversely by "the curse of The Damned" all resonate with something meaningful and positive as a result of their connection with the band. Long time drummer Rat Scabies – and still the best the band ever had (in the context of the band gestalt) – is sometimes aggressive, vitriolic, angry and "damning" about his experiences. Yet, there are flashes of affection, nostalgia and maybe even love and pride that filter through his dour missives.It is, however, poignant and quite sad to see Scabies and Brian James, along with a wholly inappropriate female American vocalist in tow, trying to eke out a living playing live the songs from the first two Damned albums to practically empty venues. Sad fact is, you can always get another drummer and despite James having written most of the songs for "Damned, Damned, Damned" and "Music For Pleasure" the wealth of material in the band's diverse back catalogue was composed and recorded after his departure. You will never get another Captain Sensible or Dave Vanian. They are the essential core elements. Lose either of them and it's like Oasis without the Gallagher brothers. It's not Oasis.Orshoski has delivered one of the most honest, heartfelt and powerful rock band chronicles yet compiled. I would suggest that for sheer entertainment value alone this holds appeal not just for fans (who will love it) but for those who are not fans and those who have never even heard of the band. So long as you have some interest in rock music, this movie will connect with you in some way. I'm going out on a limb and declaring it to be that essential. Watch it and be Damned.

As my username suggests I am probably slightly biased towards the band and any material they put out. However here comes a short, biased review.In the 40th celebrations since punk broke in 1976, The Damned are the only ones still touring and recording (occasionally) from the original Top 3 (Pistols, Clash and Damned). This documentary incorporates clips from 1976 and onwards alongside new performances and interviews with band members current and old. It's a good mesh and poignant at times with Rat, Captain, Bryn and Paul showing some emotion. The enigma that is DV is explored and I'm still not sure we see the real him even with cameras just left to record.The film is a 2 hour skip through of 40 years and, by necessity, but sadly some era's are left behind such as Strawberries and the latest recordings. Curtain Call does rightly get some time though.It was only fitting that this film and the following Blu Ray/DVD was produced and it will appeal to all Damned fans. Even those who are thinking of going into the music business should watch it and learn how not to run a band.As my summary line points out (quoted from the film) that's probably not the right way to do it. In the meantime, after the Royal Albert Hall gig, the British Library interview on DDD and numerous guest spots on the radio maybe they have finally earned some real money this year but don't retire yet!