Day 378: The Damned – Phantasmagoria

I haven’t been reading as much as usual this year, so I’ve compiled myself a list of classic gothic novels – I’ve been really into gothic literature and little projects with lists and tick-boxes, so this should be a treat for me this autumn. I’ll obviously need to build a repertoire of goth rock to listen to while I’m working away at it, so I thought I’d listen to an essential album of the genre: Phantasmagoria by the Damned.

Album cover courtesy of MCA

The Damned was formed in London in 1976 after the members of the band had been in a group called Masters of the Backside with Chrissie Hynde, who later became the frontwoman of the Pretenders. They got together with former members of a group called London SS (yikes) and decided to form a band of their own. The group invited Sid Vicious to audition to be the singer, but he didn’t show up, so they went with the other person who actually came to the audition: former gravedigger Dave Vanian.

The group made music history by becoming the first UK punk group to release a single and a studio album, as well as being the first UK punk group to tour the US. But by the time they released their sixth studio album Phantasmagoria in 1986, they had pivoted to gothic rock away from their punk rock roots. It was also their first album without original member Captain Sensible on the guitar.

This was a fun one to listen to, it was very much up my street. It’s more of the atmospheric and melodic gothic variety, rather than something that’s so dark that it’s actually just bad for my nervous system – give me something like “Sanctum Sanctorum” with its organs and poetically lusty lyrics and I’m 100% sold. It’s kind of reminiscent of the elements of gothic literature that I like so much, it builds atmosphere and has the general mood of darkness, castles and yearning, which I obviously enjoy.

I also think there’s something camp about the theatrical elements of music like this, especially when paired with the vampiric look and demeanour of Vanian, which really tickles me, I love a bit of camp. Strangely I think my love of disco kind of intersects with why I enjoy this, there’s an innate goofiness to both that is really the sticking point of what makes it so fun, and the Damned don’t seem like a band who take themselves too seriously.

Sure, I’ll put this into rotation when the mood strikes me, I enjoyed it. I’m giving Phantasmagoria a respectable 8/10.