Keeping Original Punk Alive: The Damned, and The Buzzcocks Issuing New Music in January 2026

Punk started climbing the totem pole of rock 50 years ago but two of the original punk bands from England that led the scene, The Damned, and The Buzzcocks are issuing new albums to begin 2026.  Both bands have remained active much of the decade with live shows and recent releases, but both were dealt heavy blows with major band members passing.  Now they’re both releasing music in memory of those who have left us. 

When Pete Shelley died in 2018, it seemed like the end of The Buzzcocks, a band he fronted for almost his entire tenure with the punk legends after taking over for original vocalist, Howard Devoto who went on to form Magazine.  The Buzzcocks didn’t stop then as Shelley took over lead vocals, and it didn’t stop after Shelley passed. Steve Diggle, on vocals and guitar, now leads the current crew of The Buzzcocks, which includes bassist Chris Remington, and drummer Danny Farrant. 

‘Attitude Adjustment’ from Cherry Red Records will be released on January 30^th, their follow up to 2022’s ‘Sonics in the Soul’. Two singles are already out, “Queen of the Scene” and “Poetic Machine Gun”.

The Damned has been even more active as they have consistently toured and released either new or archive material in recent years.  But their original guitarist Brian James passed away in 2024.  To tribute him, The Damned are taking a step back into their childhoods with a covers album of famous 1960s rock music.  

Today, January 23^rd, The Damned’s ‘I’m Not Like Everybody Else’ album is being issued through the earMUSIC label, their first album since 2023.  It’s named after a Kinks song. Dave Vanian, Captain Sensible, Rat Scabies, Paul Gray, and Monty Oxymoron all put on their 1960s rock n’ roll shoes for covers of Pink Floyd’s psychedelic “See Emily Play”, The Animals’ “When I Was Young”, one of The Lovin’ Spoonful’s biggest hits, “Summer in the City”, along with other garage and psych hits.   They’ve covered 1960s songs in the past like Love’s “Alone Again Or” since they’ve been fans of that era for a long time now. 

They’ll celebrate the new album live with a show at the Albert Hall on January 28^th in Manchester, England.

With these new releases, it appears that punk never dies, even original punk.