Heavily backlit and through a peasoup of smoke, The Damned took to the stage at the Brighton Centre. “Let’s go back to 1977” opened Captain Sensible, to a cheering crowd.

As the audience erupted into a pogoing mass, the decades melted away and it soon became clear this was a gig the audience had been waiting 35 years for.

For most (audience and band) it was an opportunity to relive their own youth, captured in the choruses of anthems from the past. For others it was a chance to hurtle back in time and sample a moment of musical history that eluded them first time around.

As the band ploughed through Damned Damned Damned (1977) and The Black Album (1980), it was amazing how - with hindsight - their music resonated and influenced later generations.

There was Vanian’s majestic vibrato that heralded the goth bands of the 1980s; the primal drumbeats that helped spawn psychobilly; and then there was Captain Sensible whose onstage bonhomie and confident rapport - framed by iconic beret and shades - helped squeeze the fun out of his home crowd.

While retrospectives are de-rigeur right now, there’s no doubt The Damned delivered straight from the heart and the fans absolutely loved it.

“Thirty five years… who would have thought it?” mused the Captain. But with such innovative musicianship coupled with drive and showmanship, the real question is, “Who would ever doubt it?”