The Damned release new single “Summer in The City” before brand-new covers album “Not Like Everybody Else” is out next week.
- Rock Metal Machine
- Jan 17
- 3 min read
With the final single from their upcoming covers-album, “Not Like Everybody Else," Punk legends The Damned deliver a vibrant reinterpretation of The Lovin’ Spoonful’s classic “Summer in the City”. With driving guitars and raw, energetic delivery, the cover heightens the song’s gritty urban edge and captures the heat and restless pulse of the city life through a distinctly Damned lens.
Recorded in a blistering five days of emotion and creative fire at Revolver Studio, Los Angeles, the album finds The Damned – Dave Vanian on vocals, Captain Sensible on guitar, Rat Scabies on drums, Paul Gray on bass and joined by longtime keyboardist Monty Oxymoron – reconnecting with the raw energy that started it all. “Not Like Everybody Else” marks the first time in 40 years that Rat Scabies has returned to the studio with the band.
Every song on the album has been carefully curated by the band and is a personal and celebratory tribute to the band’s late guitarist Brian James and his influences, who passed away last year.
Kicking off with R. Dean Taylor’s “There’s A Ghost In My House” and moving through classics like Pink Floyd’s “See Emily Play” and The Animals’ “When I Was Young”, the album closes with a powerful farewell: “The Last Time” by The Rolling Stones, featuring Brian James himself, recorded at the last shows he played with The Damned, including the last performance at the O₂ Academy in Birmingham and lovingly remixed for this release.
To celebrate the album, The Damned will play one-off covers shows at Albert Hall, Manchester on 28th January 2026, Bataclan, Paris on 1st February 2026 and Essigfabrik, Cologne on 3rd February 2026 performing songs from “Not Like Everybody Else” alongside fan-favourite covers that have marked their career. It will be an unforgettable night honouring Brian James and the band’s shared history.
Set to coincide with The Damned’s 50th anniversary celebrations, “Not Like Everybody Else” is a heartfelt homage, and a testament to the enduring spirit of one of punk’s most pioneering bands. The band will also be performing songs from the album exclusively live on BBC Radio 6.
50 years of The Damned also means 50 years of punk, with the explosion of 1976 hitting a half century. The band jump started the revolution, releasing the first UK punk single in “New Rose” and album “Damned, Damned, Damned”. Brian James wrote that debut single and was lead songwriter on the album. He left the group after the release of their second album, “Music For Pleasure” in 1977.
The band have since earned an ever-expanding fan base fueled by legendary live shows, while their dark lyrics and Dave Vanian's rich baritone vocals catapulted them to the forefront of the Goth-Rock genre.
Not Like Everybody Else
Album Release: 23rd January 2026
Tracklisting CD/LP:
Side A:
1. There’s A Ghost In My House
2. Summer In The City
3. Making Time
4. Gimme Danger
5. See Emily Play
Side B:
6. I’m Not Like Everybody Else
7. Heart Full Of Soul
8. You Must Be A Witch
9. When I Was Young
10. The Last Time
Pre-save the album “Not Like Everybody Else” HERE
Formats:
CD Digipak
1LP Gatefold (black, 180g)
Ltd. Rainbow Sparkle 1LP Gatefold (180g)
To celebrate the album, The Damned will play one-off covers shows at Albert Hall, Manchester on 28th January 2026, Bataclan, Paris on 1st February 2026 and Essigfabrik, Cologne on 3rd February 2026 performing songs from “Not Like Everybody Else” alongside fan-favourite covers that have marked their career. It will be an unforgettable night honouring Brian James and the band’s shared history.
Tickets to the covers shows HERE
The Damned have also announced a special 50th anniversary show at OVO Arena Wembley on Saturday 11th April 2026, marking five decades since the band first exploded onto the scene as one of the founders of British punk rock. The milestone celebration will also feature special guests The Loveless featuring Marc Almond, Peter Hook And The Light and The Courettes.
Tickets to the 50th anniversary show at OVO Arena Wembley HERE
THE DAMNED online:
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