★★★★

It would have taken a heart of stone not to have enjoyed The Damned’s performance in Brighton. The seminal group played an expansive set that incorporated blistering punk, glam-rock and the occasional mass singalong from the adoring audience.

There was a notable buzz around the Dome beforehand as fans exchanged stories of seeing the band back in their heyday. The seminal group’s debut album Damned Damned Damned, released in February 1977, has gone down in history as the first ever British punk album.

It pipped The Sex Pistols’ Never Mind the B****** by six months, as Brighton-based guitarist Captain Sensible gleefully announced from the stage.

The beret-clad guitarist was in fine form all night, whether he was encouraging local residents to approach him in Brighton pubs – where he can often be found, apparently – or thrashing out another impeccable solo. His playing was exemplary throughout.

Entering the stage to an accompaniment of Emerson, Lake and Palmer’s Fanfare for the Common Man, Sensible joked that this was the kind of music The Damned had formed as a reaction against.

40 years on, Neat Neat Neat and Fan Club, the first two songs on Damned Damned Damned, still have the capacity to thrill. The Damned played their debut record in full, modern production values amplifying riffs that, while visceral on record, were positively rabid here.

Feel the Pain, with its slow, elongated spoken word intro, provided a welcome change of pace before the familiar thrash of New Rose – The Damned’s first single – turned crowd bopping into moshing.

The second half of the set saw the band span out, playing songs from throughout their career and showcasing various styles, but they were never far away from punk – Disco Man and main set closer Smash It Up were chaotic highlights.

This was an evening to remind us all, if a reminder was needed, of The Damned’s enduring influence.