THE DAMNED Releases New Single 'Summer In The City' From Upcoming Covers Album 'Not Like Everybody Else'

With the final single from their upcoming covers album "Not Like Everybody Else", punk legends THE DAMNED deliver a vibrant reinterpretation of THE LOVIN' SPOONFUL's classic "Summer In The City". With driving guitars and raw, energetic delivery, the cover heightens the song's gritty urban edge and captures the heat and restless pulse of the city life through a distinctly DAMNED lens.

Recorded in a blistering five days of emotion and creative fire at Revolver Studio in Los Angeles, the album finds THE DAMNED — Dave Vanian on vocals, Captain Sensible on guitar, Rat Scabies on drums, Paul Gray on bass and joined by longtime keyboardist Monty Oxymoron — reconnecting with the raw energy that started it all. "Not Like Everybody Else" marks the first time in 40 years that Rat Scabies has returned to the studio with the band. Every song on the album has been carefully curated by the band and is a personal and celebratory tribute to the band's late guitarist Brian James and his influences, who passed away last year.

Kicking off with R. Dean Taylor's "There's A Ghost In My House" and moving through classics like PINK FLOYD's "See Emily Play" and THE ANIMALS' "When I Was Young", the album closes with a powerful farewell: "The Last Time" by THE ROLLING STONES, featuring Brian James himself, recorded at the last shows he played with THE DAMNED, including the last performance at the O2 Academy in Birmingham and lovingly remixed for this release.

To celebrate the album, THE DAMNED will play one-off covers shows at Albert Hall, Manchester on January 28, 2026, Bataclan, Paris on February 1, 2026 and Essigfabrik, Cologne on February 3, 2026, performing songs from "Not Like Everybody Else" alongside fan-favorite covers that have marked their career. It will be an unforgettable night honoring Brian James and the band's shared history.

Set to coincide with THE DAMNED's 50th anniversary celebrations, "Not Like Everybody Else" is a heartfelt homage, and a testament to the enduring spirit of one of punk's most pioneering bands. The band will also perform songs from the album exclusively live on BBC Radio 6.

50 years of THE DAMNED also means 50 years of punk, with the explosion of 1976 hitting a half century. The band jumpstarted the revolution, releasing the first U.K. punk single in "New Rose" and album "Damned, Damned, Damned". Brian James wrote that debut single and was lead songwriter on the album. He left the group after the release of their second album, "Music For Pleasure" in 1977.

THE DAMNED has since earned an ever-expanding fan base fueled by legendary live shows, while their dark lyrics and Dave Vanian's rich baritone vocals catapulted them to the forefront of the goth-rock genre.

THE DAMNED has also announced a special 50th-anniversary show at OVO Arena Wembley on Saturday, April 11, 2026, marking five decades since the band first exploded on to the scene as one of the founders of British punk rock. The milestone celebration will also feature special guests THE LOVELESS featuring Marc Almond, PETER HOOK AND THE LIGHT and THE COURETTES.

"Not Like Everybody Else" track listing:

01. There's A Ghost In My House
02. Summer In The City
03. Making Time
04. Gimme Danger
05. See Emily Play
06. I'm Not Like Everybody Else
07. Heart Full Of Soul
08. You Must Be A Witch
09. When I Was Young
10. The Last Time

Press photo courtesy of The Outside Organisation