Singer-songwriter and guitarist of The Damned, Captain Sensible, real name Raymond Burns, has discussed his crucial friendship with the late Motörhead founder and frontman Lemmy Kilmister. The punk icon revealed that Kilmister had once “saved” the band when they were on the verge of calling it quits.
Elsewhere in the interview, the Damned singer fondly reflected on his friendship with the metal innovator with several anecdotes from their time collaborating on music together. The pair first collaborated after Captain Sensible, Lemmy, and former Damned member Rat Scabies performed a gig as Les Punks in 1976. Three years later, The Damned reformed with Kilmister for a run of demos and live performances under the new handle, The Doomed.
Although this period was brief, Captain Sensible remembers Kilmister as the man who kept The Damned on the rails for so many years. He just wishes his old friend was still around to perform with again. “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.”
“Without Lemmy and his encouragement, I don’t think we would have gone on,” he continued. “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 sadly passed away in 2015. He was beloved by fans as the bassist and frontman of both Motörhead and Hawkwind over an illustrious 40-year career in which he trailblazed a distinctive brand of heavy rock music.
In February, The Damned announced that they would return for a new album, Darkadelic, in April, sharing their latest preview single, ‘The Invisible Man’. Following 2018’s Evil Spirits, April’s release will mark the band’s 12th studio LP.
The Damned are set to begin their UK tour next Friday, with a show at Cardiff’s Great Hall. The dates will see the band perform in major cities, including Newcastle, Manchester and Birmingham, before concluding the run at London’s Alexandra Palace Theatre on April 20th.
