The ferocious gig that gave Captain Sensible his nickname
Ever since their formation in 1976, The Damned have remained one of the strongest forces in punk history, and their guitarist, Captain Sensible, may be one of the most notable names of the genre, but anyone familiar with the veteran’s antics knows that his name isn’t to be taken literally.
Aside from never breaking up, they have consistently made impactful music and performed around the world as a reminder of their cross-generational brilliance, and while each member adds a unique touch to the group, Raymond Burns, AKA Captain Sensible, encapsulates their collective dynamism, with his presence essential to the allure, even though his stint with the band has been fragmented due to two departures and three returns.
In 2016, 40 years after their debut single ‘New Rose’, the group joined Uncut to reflect on their career and all the moments that made them one of the greatest units in rock history. Just as they were starting out in 1976, The Damned were booked to perform in France at what was dubbed the ‘first European punk rock festival’, and with the Sex Pistols and The Clash both pulling out of the event, they were tasked with carrying the still-young culture of punk forward. Given the negative reputation it had back then, the group leaned further into it and stirred up a ruckus as part of a widely successful attempt at energising the genre’s appeal.
From the time they got to Mont-de-Marsan, all the way to the stage, The Damned were on a mission to create trouble, making it known that they weren’t going to be easy to deal with. Drummer Rat Scabies did note that none of what they did was malicious, just mischievous, which involved pouring buckets of water over the hotel manager’s head and covering the toilet in cling film; although, they never hurt anyone in the process.
“We were destructively bad in France and made a point of trashing everything we could,” he recalled, adding that Captain Sensible in particular was being a complete nuisance on that trip, “It went from the Captain pissing in the monitors to destroying entire hotels. We were horrible English hooligans, and the French weren’t impressed.”
After a weekend of getting into fights and throwing eggs at adversaries as well as strangers, they made their way back to England. Seeing the group bruised and cut while reeking of stale beer and raw eggs, Sean Tyla of Tyla Gang apparently saw yolk clinging to Burns’ hair and said, “You’ve got a right bloody captain sensible there”.
The rest, as they say, is history; Ray Burns became Captain Sensible right then, and has remained such even all these years later. Over time, he even developed a costume of sorts, distinguished largely by his trademark red beret, and with that, he became a punk superhero or supervillain (it doesn’t really make a difference).
Trashing hotels and being maniacs on stage was quite common among those embracing the rock and roll lifestyle during the 20th century, with stars like Keith Moon all the way up to Noel Gallagher taking a great deal of pride in smashing television sets in the endless pursuit of rattling peace. Captain Sensible has managed to hold on to that naughty demeanour even past the age of 70, although he does behave with greater restraint nowadays.
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