Who said goths don’t have a sense of humour? Strawberries, The Damned‘s fifth studio album, is a fun ride.Drawing upon sixties psychedelia, as with Generals, Dozen Girls and Stranger On The Town, it’s got some gleefully silly lyrics, due in no small part to trickster Capture Sensible and his playful subversion. Indeed, Don’t Bother Me and Life Goes On have his lead vocals.
But, apart from a nod to early Pink Floyd and The Stones during their Satanic Majesties pomp, there’s also one of Dave Vanian’s all-time favourites, The Dog, a creepy masterpiece, which draws upon Claudia, the doomed child from Anne Rice’s Interview With the Vampire. This pointed the way to the gothic direction they’d increasingly stalk along in the mid-late eighties. There was a new dark undercurrent of menace beside the jangly pop. It was a transitional era for the band. Roman Jugg also joined around this time.
I love this record- it captures a creative crossroads with style, sly English wit and energy. “Light the fuse, I must ignite, goes the opener Ignite. “I’m gonna set the world alight”. Start as you mean to go on.
Hit The North 