As showcased on yesterday’s Manic Monday, the late great Brian James (who recently passed away last week), could undoubtedly shred with the best of them, particularly when The Damned first burst onto the scene back in the 70s. But unlike many of his three-cord-centric punky contemporaries at the time, James had some legit range, perhaps best displayed in his multifaceted guitar-playing on songs like “Fan Club”. Granted you can hear a bit of influence from the likes of The Stooges and maybe The Yardbirds here, but James’s style was innovative and varied enough to give the song and The Damned’s sound at large its distinctive sound and swagger. Checkout this remarkable footage of the band performing the track live at The Roxy in London in 1977. Imagine hopping in a time machine and being in that room? Dig it:
