Punk lives on with The Damned

Punk is not dead as The Damned showed the Black Country last night.

Dave Vanian and Captain Sensible proved to the enthralled crowd at JB's in Castle Hill, Dudley, that they still have what it takes to rock.

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Leaping on to stage clad in tight leopard-print jeans, satin Western-style sleeveless shirt and white studded belt complete with kooky white-rimmed sunglasses, the captain was clearly on form.

Lead singer Vanian cut a more stylish dash in Mod-style sunglasses and sharp black suit.

Love Song got the audience fired up, along with a whole host of old favourites from the punk years.

The noticeably older male crowd made up the majority but women were well represented too in the more than respectable turn-out.

The band were full of energy as were the diehard fans at the front.

Captain Sensible asked the crowd if they wanted to hear "some new-fangled, modern music or something from 1976".

After almost an hour of punk the band performed their classic of '86, Eloise, in a surprise twist as the song does not normally get an airing at their gigs.

Stamping their feet for an encore, fans could not resist singing along to the inevitable few chords of Happy Talk played merrily by Captain Sensible with his more reserved lead singer looking on in amusement.

The band quickly followed up this interlude with a rousing version of Wait for the Blackout.

"We love you, Dudley," the Captain shouted to his adoring fans after claiming the town was the "capital of rock and roll".

Dedicated fans Mandy Gibbons and partner Woody have followed The Damned for years and have already seen them twice this year.

The couple, from Heathrow, London, who are in their 40s, travelled up to see their heroes. Mandy said: "Dudley's a really nice venue." Josh Hill, aged 18, from Cumbria, brought his dad along for the gig. He said: "I'm a big fan and my dad, who's 45, was up for it and gave me a lift here."

Birmingham fans Louise Hayes and Ruth Wainwright agreed JB's was the best venue in the region for live music. Louise said: "It's a great place with good sound and really nice staff." Kalina Goddard, who has just been appointed to work in the maternity ward at Russells Hall Hospital, was attending the concert with friend Emma Girvan from Dudley. The 22-year-old from Stourbridge said her boyfriend was playing in the support band Elle Diablo along with Emma's cousin.

But the pair decided to stay for The Damned too. Kalina added: "I'm a big punk fan and they were right at the start of it."