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What’s up Sorry Staters?
Lemme tell ya, it’s been a busy week this week. Between trying to squeeze in a practice for my bands almost every night and getting together all the last-minute preparations for the Sorry State anniversary, now I am WIPED. I can’t wait to get home after working at the store tonight where I you’ll find me crushing a big ol’ tub of Chinese food. All that said, I think everyone who has gotten a weekend pass for the big event will be stoked on all the goodies we’ve been working hard to put together. Weekend passes are sold out by now, I think? If you still wanted to experience the event on the 20th and 21st and have still been debating getting tickets to the individual shows, you should just go for it at this point.
By pure coincidence of demonic bliss, Friday The 13th happens to fall in the month of October this year. It’s kind of a shame that we release the newsletter on Monday now, because it’s currently Thursday the 12th as I’m sitting here writing this. So all of you readers will be consuming my Friday-themed staff pick after the fact. Oh well. What more appropriate record could one talk about on a particularly spooky occurrence of this date than The Damned’s Friday 13th EP? It’s funny, the other day I was talking about how Poison Idea is probably my favorite band, and Angela called me out and said something like, “Oh really? I’ll inform The Damned.” Haha. Who actually declares a definitive favorite band? For me, it changes on a day-to-day basis. In actuality, The Damned is right up there and compete for the number 1 spot at any given moment.
Friday 13th feels like a transitional record for The Damned. It’s like the perfect in-between moment sandwiched right in the middle of the Black Album and Strawberries. I love this early 80s period of the band. They start incorporating some 60s-inspired psychedelic influences into their songwriting, but also begin to drift slowly more into the macabre with their aesthetic and presentation. Thankfully, they haven’t reached the melodramatic “Phantom of the Opera” goth vibes of Phantasmagoria quite yet (don’t get me wrong, I fuck with that on occasion as well, hehe). But this EP just feels like a perfect little moment. Over the years, “Disco Man” has become one of my favorite Damned tunes. A lot of the songs on the first Damned album are based around Stooges-esque bluesy riffing, and I would say a song like “Disco Man” is a pretty far cry from that sound in terms of songwriting. The melody writing and chord changes feel so refined and sophisticated by comparison. The meandering, haunting repetition of the refrain of “Are you ready?” that closes the song gives me chills.
The next song “Limit Club” opens with some straight up Transylvanian atmospheric organ and falls into this creepy, moody groove shrouded in a cloud of smoke. But then the smoke clears once you realize the gods are “la-la-laughing”. Then “Billy Bad Breaks” is possibly one of the Damned’s catchiest tunes they ever wrote with the SICKEST bassline from my man Paul Gray. In a way, this song feels like a sister song to “Smash It Up,” but maybe even more urgent and upbeat. Makes you wanna clap your hands with a group of people dancing all in a row like dorks. It’s some serious 80s movie school dance scene hours and I’m totally here for it. And to close out, they do a reworking of the Stones’ “Citadel” from their appropriately most psychy record, Their Satanic Majesties Request. The Damned do a great version, giving it a good kick in the ass and punching up the energy in the song. For a long time, I just assumed it was a Damned tune. Just sounds like a song they might actually write.
Anyway, I’ll take advantage of any opportunity to talk about The Damned. I’m gonna try to avoid walking under any ladders and steer clear of black cats this weekend. I’ll probably just stay safe at home and curl up with some films featuring Jason Voorhees.
Alright, that’s all I’ve got this week. As always, thanks for reading.
‘Til next week,
-Jeff