Not Like Everybody Else

The Damned

Ashley Sudeta

After 50 years, English punk-rock band The Damned are still up and kicking—continuing to release music, perform live, and even wear the same outfits. Their latest release, “Not Like Everybody Else,” is a compilation of covers and a tribute to their late guitarist Brian James, who passed away in March 2025.

I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this album, since I previously hadn’t listened to anything more recent than The Damned’s 1987 compilation album “The Light At The End Of The Tunnel.” Dave Vanian’s voice sounds older, which I appreciate hearing in a society that loathes aging. However, the songs also felt milder than I expected. They lacked both the punchiness and the melodramatic, almost goth sound I’ve heard since further exploring The Damned’s original works.

Covers can be controversial, but I believe a good cover uses the artist’s personal sound to transform the original song into something new and exciting. That’s the difference between a cover and karaoke night. Unfortunately, I feel The Damned fell short in “Not Like Everybody Else.” The songs seemed flat. I expected them to come out swinging, like they did with their 1977 cover of The Beatles’ “Help.” However, each track felt like a generic rock song. In the case of “Heart Full of Soul,” this meant stripping the song of The Yardbirds’ delightful jangle.

Overall, “Not Like Everybody Else” is an easy listen. There are days I dig that, but today I was hoping for something a little more exciting. It’s not a bad album, The Damned just set a high bar for themselves. I know they’re capable of producing electric covers. It’s days like this that being a music geek stabs you in the back.