R.I.P. – Co-Founding The Damned Guitarist Brian James Has Died at 70

Brian James, co-founding guitarist with The Damned, died at the age of 70 on Mar. 6, his family confirmed.He was the lead songwriter for the band in their early years and wrote their 1977 track “New Rose,” widely regarded as the first-ever British punk single. Guns N’ Roses covered the song on 1993’s “The Spaghetti Incident?” album.James left after the release of second album Music for Pleasure, which was released in November 1977, 10 months after debut LP Damned Damned Damned. He returned to the band for a time during the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, and again in 2022.“It is with great sadness that we announce the death of one of the true pioneers of music,” his family said in a statement. “Incessantly creative and a musical tour de force, over a career which spanned more than six decades… Brian worked with a plethora of punk and rock ’n’ roll’s finest, from Iggy Pop to Wayne Kramer, Stewart Copeland to Cheetah Chrome.“Most recently, more than four decades after the release of the epoch-making ‘New Rose,’ the original members of The Damned reformed for a series of very special and emotional UK shows in 2022. With his wife Minna, son Charlie, and daughter-in-law Alicia by his side, Brian passed peacefully.”READ MORE: 25 Legendary Punk + Hardcore Albums With No Weak SongsAfter The Damned he formed Tanz Der Youth, before connecting with American vocalist Stiv Bators to create the Lords of the New Church, who delivered five acclaimed albums during the early ‘80s. He also released five solo records from 1990 to 2015.“I count myself lucky to have been in the right place at the right time in the company of people with a similar attitude,” James told In Your Eyes in a 2023 interview. “It’s lucky it sounds great and stands up four decades later, and I ain’t been stuck with something that sounds shitty and I hate.”He reflected: “I’ve always enjoyed working with different musicians…The Damned was great and a lot of fun for me… we had a passion and attitude.”And he noted: “It’s a weird and wonderful thing that musicians and artists in general should feel inspired over the last 40 years by a handful of trouble-makers with an abundance of attitude. That’s worth celebrating!”Captain Sensible Recalls Magical Damned Reunion with Brian JamesCaptain Sensible – the Damned’s co-founding bassist before taking over James’ position – said in a tribute: “The riffmeister, Brian has gone… while it’s truly awful our mate has been taken, I prefer to celebrate the life. And what a life Brian James had!”He went on to say that he’d never have considered moving from his usual guitar to bass for anyone, until he met James. “BJ had a blistering technique and a collection of adrenaline-fuelled songs ready to go,” he explained. “[B]oy, do I feel lucky that he chose me ‘cos I had no plan B if the music game failed.”He continued: “[W]hat an absolute gent Brian was. despite having to occasionally endure some pretty appalling behavior by yours truly, he never once lost it with me – and whenever we met over the following decades we would have a drink and a bloody good laugh.”Sensible recalled the recent reunion as “magical in all sorts of ways –that we were chums again, of course; but also the way we managed to recreate our ’76 garage punk sound right from the first chord in rehearsals. We were all up for doing it again too; but that’ll never happen now, sadly.”He confirmed that the band’s show in Sao Paulo, Brazil tonight (Mar. 7) would be dedicated to James and his music, “without whom the Damned would never ever have happened.”The Damned, “New Rose”Rockers We’ve Lost in 2025There’s some amazing talent that’s no longer with us, but what a legacy they left behind.Gallery Credit: Chad Childers, Loudwire