The Damned’s Captain Sensible has spoken about his relationship with Motörhead’s Lemmy Kilmister, and how the late bassist “saved” the band.
The singer-songwriter was speaking in a new interview when he shared anecdotes about his time working with metal veteran, and explained that he credits him with preventing the The Damned from disbanding.
The musicians first collaborated after Captain Sensible, Lemmy and former Damned member Rat Scabies performed a gig under the name Les Punks in 1976. Three years later, The Damned reformed with the Les Punks line-up for a series of demos and live performances – performing under the monikier The Doomed.
Although the stint was brief, the band’s frontman credits Lemmy with encouraging the members to go on, and wishes that they had done more shows with the late bassist.
Captain Sensible. Credit Marc Broussely/Getty Images
“That would have been good,” he told Uncut. “In fact, we did offer him the job permanently, because he saved the band, really… I think we were considered to be pretty washed up.”
He continued: “Without Lemmy and his encouragement, I don’t think we would have gone on. But he had another band to do, so he couldn’t do it full-time. Lemmy was a great man – a real charmer, an absolute gentleman. But he always reserved the right to be as fucking rude as necessary if the occasion demanded it!”
Kilmister acted as bassist and a founding member of both Motörhead and Hawkwind throughout his 40-year career. He died in December 2015, aged 70.
Last month, The Damned announced that they would be releasing their new album ‘Darkadelic’ in April and shared their latest single ‘The Invisible Man’. The album marks the band’s 12th studio album, following on from their 2018 release, ‘Evil Spirits’.
Additionally, the band announced a UK tour back in November. Kicking off at Cardiff’s Great Hall next Friday, the stint will see the band perform in cities including Newcastle, Manchester and Birmingham, before ending at London’s Alexandra Palace Theatre on April 20.
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