The Damned - Machine Gun Etiquette

Decade - 1970's

The Damned - Machine Gun Etiquette


The Damned are a punk and gothic rock band formed in the late 70's and this is their third album.
The Damned's first gig was as support for the Sex Pistols and they were the first out of that crop of English punk bands to release a single and tour the US. Their line up appears to have changed about a million times and their last release was 2001.

I'm not a huge punk fan but this is a pretty solid album. Some of the lyrics are so infantile though that it lets down the actual music (See the Anti-pope which made me roll my eyeballs so much I got a headache). Musically I thought most of the tracks were pretty strong, especially
Plan 9, Channel 7 which is a great song and offers some of the album's better lyrics (though weirdly, is based on a 50's horror actress). Melody Lee is also excellent. The album certainly doesn't lack for some great hooks, but it felt a bit too long for me. It also seems over-produced sometimes for a punk album.

Score - 7/10

Genre - Punk, punk rock

Best Tracks - Melody Lee, Plan 9 Channel 7, Looking at You

Recommended - Yes