Dave Vanian

Best of the Year: Top 10 Photos of 2018 by Jason

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johnny_marr_19_DSC00205_20181017Johnny Marr slings his guitar at The Fillmore Silver Spring on Oct. 17, 2018. Jason Nicholson chose a picture from this show (but not this one) as one of his Top 10 of 2018. (Photo by Jason Nicholson)

Editor’s Note: This year, we asked our bloggers to name their Top 10 shows of 2018 or choose their Top 10 photos of the year. We will run them over the course of mid-December as our Best of the Year posts.

While sitting back in my chair and listening to a vinyl record is a favorite pastime of mine, there is nothing like going out and experiencing a performance live. For me as a concert photographer, the challenge is trying to capture the image of an artist you have spent a lifetime getting to know or at least your representation of what they mean to you. Here’s my Top 10 favorite photos of 2018 I had the pleasure of shooting for Parklife DC this year with a little commentary. Hope you enjoy seeing them again and best wishes for a great 2019!

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Music Park: The Damned @ Black Cat — 10/20/18

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the_damned-3_DS300388_20181020- Dave Vanian sings in The Damned at Black Cat on Oct. 20, 2018. (Photos by Jason Nicolson; Words by Mickey McCarter)

“I had a little freakout when my guitar broke last night,” said Captain Sensible during a sold-out show at Black Cat.

“Don’t you freakout now,” The Captain said to the audience. “Unless you want to freakout a little.” He paused. “Monty, dig me out of this hole, will you?”

Keyboardist Monty Oxymoron smiled and asked, “What’s a little freakout in the entire History of the World?” And without missing a beat, The Damned launched into “The History of the World (Part 1),” a single dating to The Black Album in 1980.

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Ticket Giveaway: The Damned @ Black Cat, 10/20/18

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The Damned (Photo by Steve Gullick)

The Damned, “the greatest surviving British punk band,” have a hot new album, Evil Spirits, and they are coming to perform at the Black Cat on Saturday, Oct. 20. You can win a meet and greet with The Damned, along with tickets to the show, with Parklife DC!

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Interview: Monty Oxymoron (of The Damned @ Black Cat, 10/20/18)

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The Damned (Photo by Steve Gullick)

In 1976, Dave Vanian and Captain Sensible formed The Damned, the innovative post-punk band that has rocked England now for decades. The Damned released Evil Spirits, their 11th studio album, in April via Search and Destroy and Spinefarm. The record was a smash, hitting #7 on the UK Albums chart and catapulting the always vital band back into the public eye.

While Dave and Captain Sensible have worked with a number of musicians over the years, Monty Oxymoron has been the keyboardist for The Damned since 1996, recording on their last three albums and touring globally with the band. And he will play with The Damned again in DC at Black Cat on Saturday, Oct. 20. Parklife DC chatted with Monty about the new album, his history with The Damned, and what makes the band so unique and well loved for more than 40 years.

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Music Park: The Damned @ Baltimore Soundstage — 5/9/17

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The Damned perform at Baltimore Soundstage on Tuesday, May 9, 2017.

Inside Baltimore Soundstage on Tuesday night, people would randomly shout out to Captain Sensible, mimicking the call of his 1982 solo single “Wot.”

“He said Captain!” random members of the audience interjected at various points throughout a very crowded performance by The Damned, on tour to celebrate the group’s 40th anniversary. While The Damned did not indulge the audience with the catchy earworm from Sensible, the UK punks did however smash through more than 90 minutes of great highlights.

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