Brian James, guitarist historian and founding member of the Damneds and Lords of the New Church, two fundamental formations of the British new wave, died at 70 years. James passed away on Thursday 6 March, surrounded by his wife Minna, his son Charlie and daughter -in -law Alicia. “It is with great sadness that we announce the disappearance of one of the true pioneers of music, guitarist, songwriter and true gentleman, Brian James”, reads his Facebook account.
The guitarist, born in London in 1955, had turned 70 on February 18.
Before the Damned, James had played in the Proto-Punk London SS bands, The Subterraneans and Bastard. He had formed the Damneds in 1976 with the singer Dave Vanian, the bassist Captain Sensible and the drummer Rat Scabies. James wrote most of the songs of the band's first two albums, “Damned Damned Damned” and “Music for Pleasure”, including “New Rose”, which is considered the first single punk of the United Kingdom (preceding any release of Clash or sex pistols). However, he left the Damnneds at the end of 1977, the same year in which both albums were released, to devote themselves to new projects. Among these, the brief experience with the Tanz der Youth, followed by the training of the Lords of the New Church together with his friend and colleague Bators.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tuxfq5qbiyk
The Lords of the New Church released three studio albums, from which some formidable successful singles were extracted such as “Open Your Eyes”, “Dance with me” and “Method to My Madness”. The project, a sort of supergroup made up of Bators boots – former proto -punk hero of the CBGB era at the head of the Dead Boys – Brian James (The Damned), Nick Turner (The Barracudas) and Dave Tregunna (Sham 69) was a dazzling comet in the starry sky of the Eighties. With a percal sound, which threw the depraved impetuosity of Stooges and New York Dolls into a vortex of Wave suggestions, marrying rough instinct and sumptuous melodic openings. The Lords of the New Church is a spell: the Fun House of the Stooges, the CBGB and the English Punk cellars reincarnate in the deconsecrated church of Bators and his companions, the ideal temple for new, outrageous rituals.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cyn14ki5o8
Later, always looking for new challenges and collaborations, James later founded The Dripping Lips, participated in several musical projects and created the Brian James Gang, as well as working on solo albums.
During a career more than six decades long, his music has also found space in soundtracks for cinema and television. In addition to work with The Damned and The Lords of the New Church, James has collaborated with numerous punk and rock'n'roll icons, including Iggy Pop, Wayne Kramer, Stewart Copeland and Cheetah Chrome.
He has also released several solo albums over the years, the most recent of which has been “The Guitar That Dripped Blood” of 2015.
More recently, in 2022, the historic members of the Damneds gathered for a series of special concerts in the United Kingdom, celebrating more than four decades from the publication of “New Rose”, with a training that includes Dave Vanian, Captain Sensible, Rat Scabies, Paul Gray and Monty Oxymoron.
Antonio Santini for SANREMO.FM
