4. The DamnedStrawberries

The Damned were the first music that I felt I owned. The band you found on your own. The group that your friends don’t know. ‘Hayman likes punk music! Ha-ha, what an idiot.’ But the Damned were a terrible punk band; they were too silly, too stupid. I don’t like debut albums, all that mindless, directionless energy. I don’t like bands at the end of their careers either; the Damned especially do not seem to be able to grow old gracefully. I like bands when they’re in transition. When they try and escape what made them and start to grow into what they always should have been. The Damned were a pop band, and this is their Revolver, not as obvious as their more significant record ‘Phantasmagoria’. They haven’t quite ironed out the kinks, and they all hate Captain Sensible who is about to leave them to become a failed star. Strawberries has more tunes than an Elephant Six album. They never play any songs from it now.