Brian James, The Damned Founder and Punk Rock Pioneer, Dead at 70

Damned,Damned,Damned/StiffRecords

Brian James, The Damned punk rock pioneer has died at age 70.

The news was announced on a statement through James's official Facebook page with a heartfelt goodbye message.

"GOODBYE TO A PIONEER &TRUE GENTLEMAN

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of one of the true pioneers of music, guitarist,

songwriter, and true gentleman, Brian James.

Founding member of The Damned, writer of the first ever UK punk single, New Rose, Brian was the

principal songwriter of the band’s debut album, Damned Damned Damned, which was released in

February 1977. Parting ways with the Damned following the release of their second album, the Nick

Mason-produced Music for Pleasure, Brian created the short-lived Tanz Der Youth, before he formed

The Lords of the New Church with his friend and fellow rocker Stiv Bators.

In a wave of excitement, headed by the twin powers of Brian James and Stiv Bators, three successful

studio albums followed for The Lord of the New Church, spawning singles such as Open Your Eyes,

Dance with Me, and Method to My Madness. Always looking for new challenges and keen to work

with different musicians, over the years that followed, Brian formed The Dripping Lips and guested

on different records, while creating the Brian James Gang and working on his solo albums.

Incessantly creative and a musical tour de force, over a career which spanned more than six

decades, with his music also gracing film and television soundtracks, in addition to The Damned and

The Lords of the New Church, 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 on

Thursday 6th March 2025."

Brian James was an English guitarist and songwriter best known as the founding member of The Damned, one of the pioneering bands of the punk rock movement. Born Brian Robertson in 1955, he formed The Damned in 1976, writing most of the songs on their groundbreaking debut album, Damned Damned Damned (1977), including the iconic single “New Rose,” often credited as the first punk rock single released in the UK.

James’ raw, aggressive guitar style helped define the sound of early British punk, drawing influence from proto-punk acts like The Stooges and MC5. After leaving The Damned in 1977, he went on to play with bands such as Tanz Der Youth, The Lords of the New Church (alongside Stiv Bators), and his own Brian James Gang. Though his tenure with The Damned was brief, his influence on punk rock remains undeniable, cementing his place as one of the genre’s key architects.