The BGN News Archive

Captain Sensible and Miss Lyn

When I heard the Damned doc, The Damned-Don't You Wish We Were Dead was premiering at SXSW earlier this year I was super interested in seeing it but it didn't seem like it would be coming to the Boston area...lo and behold it DID! It made its way to the Regent Theater - awesome!

We saw the Damned when they first came to the U.S. for somewhat of a surprise gig at The Rat in April 1977. We got to interview them too and it's our most well known and infamous interview! It certainly was a, ahem, memorable event. (you can read it here). We've seen the Damned in various incarnations throughout the years and always loved them.

   The film covered the whole Damned career and there are lots of ups and downs and twists along the way. There's also lots of live concert footage which is a real highlight throughout. You have to love the early years with the crazy antics and the music from that first LP. No matter what the problems, and boy are there problems, they are always delivering the goods on stage.

   You get lots of backstage conversations where lots of grievances are aired. Guitarist Brian James, who wrote everything on the first album except one song, quits. Then Captain Sensible goes off on his own doing his solo Happy Talk material. Rat Scabies seems to come and go a few times till finally he's gone for good. Meanwhile the Captain is back and the Damned roll on. Lemmy was even playing bass for a while. David Vanian is the one constant.

Captain Sensible at the Paradise

   This films sweeps through the earliest of the Damned history to the current. Shown in later years some of the guys look beaten down with ruddy faces and the famous English bad, and very prominently missing, teeth. This is not a light feel good promo for the Damned but there's laughs as well as the serious notes....and the bickering and infighting and complaining......and of course there's the money problems. I want to see all of that though, it's interesting, and I do feel like I have a grasp of their situation now.

   Another note of interest is that there's a short bit of footage of Erin from Rocker magazine interviewing The Captain at The Middle East Restaurant was a short interview with the Captain in the Middle East restaurant bar. that they must have done on their last tour through

   Before the Damned film The Regent started with a trailer for Cheryl Eagan Donovan's film about the Real Kids: All Kindsa Girls. It's playing there on September 17th!! Don't miss that one, its great!! Here's our write up You can buy tix here.

And in other news.......

We have a new David Minehan Interview posted. David Minehan Interview.

Here's a great doc about Marc Bolan...Marc Bolan Ride On - it was made in 2005 but I just found out about it. T. Rex had The Damned tour with them in 1977! Captain Sensible is interviewed in the film.

Here 's a cool book you can download for free! Punk Rock So What? -The Cultural Legacy of Punk

The Boston Tattoo Convention is coming up in August 21 & 22 and lots of local bands like Diablogato, OC45, The Sprained Ankles and The Beantown Boozehounds are playing, you can buy tix and check the skedge here.

Boston Fuzztival is happening this week- Thursday through Saturday, at the Middle East. See each days listings below. Their 3 day passes aree sold out but individual day tix are still available. Here's the FB page. Listings are below

CLICK for review and photos by John Keegan of The Mekons, Slayer, Chandler Travis Philharmonette, The Figgs, Sidewalk Driver and Jenny Dee and The Deelinquents

Here are some shows that are happening this week....

August 3 (Monday) Tsunami of Sound and The Vista Cruisers are at Opus Underground, Salem.

August 6 (Thursday) Boston Fuzzstival 2015 at The Middle East Up- starts at 6PM!! Ghost Box Orchestra, The Migs, Beware the Dangers of a Ghost Scorpion!, The Mystery Lights, Herbcraft, Mini Dresses, Bong Wish and Soft Eyes

August 7 (Friday) Boston Fuzzstival 2015 at The Middle East Up- Starts at 6PM! The Monsieurs, The New Highway Hymnal,
The Barbazons, Bloodshot Bill, Littlefoot, Blinders, Boom Said Thunder and Secret Lover

August 8 (Saturday) - Head over to Store 54 to help Bob Colby celebrate his birthday (two days early) with The Rationales and My Own Worst Enemy!

August 8 (Saturday) Boston Fuzzstival 2015 at The Middle East Down- Early show- doors at 3PM! - DrugRug, Quilt, Creaturos, Doug Tuttle, Vundabar, The TeleVibes, Adveta, Earthquake Party!, Nice Guys, Black Beach, Atlantic Thrills, Zip-Tie Handcuffs, Gymshorts, Magic Shoppe, Wakes, Fleabite, Midriffs, and Feral Jenny.

August 8 (Saturday) - The Bush Tetras and headlining at The Sinclair and also on the bill are E, Gene Dante & The Future Starlets and DJ Gang of One (Gang of Four's Hugo Burnham) get tix here.

August 8 (Saturday) The Memphis Rockabilly Band are doing an early show at Johnny D's (FB page) 7-9PM

August 8 (Saturday) at Firebrand Saints there The Bent Shapes, Hard Left, Didi and Fleabite. FB Page

August 8 (Saturday) at The Spotlight Tavern in Beverly The Charms, The Knock Ups, and Mary Lou Lord (FB event page )

August 9 (Sunday) The Billy Borgioli Tribute Memorial Show at Cuisine en Locale. Doors are at 2:30 PM. Oedipus will be DJ extraordinaire for the event. Also playing will be The Nervous Eaters doing an All Star Jam, Classic Ruins with Pete Taylor on drums , GLiDER , Richie Parsons Band, The New Frustrations and Fox Pass and Cheryl Eagan-Donovan film - interview with Billy. For times and updating info as more bands are added see the FB page

And after that we have.....

August 14 (Friday) at The Midway are The Connection, The Above, Fireking & Special guest to be announced...watch for updates on the FB event page

August 22 (Saturday) Memphis Rockabilly Band is at the Marshfield Fair. check out the particulars here

August 22 (Saturday) White Pages, Far Corners, TRiPLE THiCK Life Partners and Andy California are at The Midway

August 23 (Sunday) Night Slice is having a party at The Midway 4-8 PM...It's a CD Release, Moving and Birthday party all rolled into one great afternoon! Check the FB event page here.

August 29 (Saturday) The Ten Foot Polecats are gonna be on A Crash Course for the Ravers with Brian Young and Mike Stewart on WMFO 91.5 - that's 1PM- 4PM.

August 31 (Monday) The Fake Boys, Petty Morals, BDSX, Spectre Hawk and The broken glass kids at Opus Underground Salem.

and of course The New England Shake-Up! September 25,26,27 2015! Keep yourself updated at their FB page

September 3 (Thursday) Wormwood (mem of Doomriders), Mountain God (NY), Conclave (ex Warhorse), and Livver are at O'Briens

September 12 (Saturday) Real Kids at The Midway along with State of the Union and Stop Calling Me Frank.

September 12 (Saturday) Lyres are at The Middle East up along with Little War Twins and Hudson K

September 12 (Saturday) Barrence Whitfield & The Savages are at the Brighton Music Hall

September 17 (Thursday) at The Oberon this should be an amazing experience: Endation has put together a special show "The Chimera" explores musical and artistic dichotomies. Act I features the raw, intense, melodic force of two-piece Endation accompanied by movement and dance. Act II brings the audience into the dreamy, experimental world of Bent Knee as visual artists create pieces inspired by the band in real time. The Chimera invites the audience to seek their own interpretations in the disparate pieces that form one singular evening of performance. Buy tix here. Get more info on the FB event page.

September 12 (Saturday) Sham 69 and The Welsh Boys are at Middle East up.

September 18 (Friday) Livver, Tenafly Vipers, Dead Cats Dead Rats and Profit Margin are at Koto in Salem, MA

September 18 (Friday)- 21 (Sunday) Mark Lind has his annual Boston's Burning shows lined up at The Midway for these days so far they have Duck & Cover The Drax, The Warning Shots, Warn The Duke, The Skeleton Beats, Iron Chin ....more to come!!

September 19 (Saturday) Pop Gun along with Fireking, Classic Ruins and 138 are at Koto in Salem, MA

September 26 (Saturday) Continental (ft. Rick Barton), The Nervous Eaters, and The Charms are doing a Matinee show (doors at 1) at the Middle east Up.

October 17 (Saturday) As part of Crash Safely 2015 a Benefit for MS at The Midway are The Sprained Ankles, The Dents, Muck & the Mires, Phil Aiken Army, Gymnasium

CONTACT US AT…….misslynbgn @ yahoo.con Send us your gig listings, your news and anything else ya got!!