The Damned members list explored as founding member and guitarist Brian James passes away at 70

Founding member of the iconic band The Damned, Brian James, unexpectedly passed away from unknown causes on March 6, 2025, at the age of 70. The guitarist’s family shared a heartfelt tribute on his Facebook page with a photo, recalling Brian’s contributions to the music industry over the years.

The post described James as “one of the true pioneers of music”, adding that he was also a “true gentleman.” The family even addressed Brian’s work with different bands and the albums and singles he worked on throughout his career.

Musician Michael Monroe also expressed his grief on Facebook after the news of Brian James’ death went viral, writing that they had a close friendship. Monroe mentioned that the latter was the “sweetest” person he met in his life and continued:

“An elite Rock guitar player, who wrote the 1st ever Punk song “New Rose”. I’m glad we did the Lords Of The New Church reunion show in 2023 with the original line-up (in the photo) with me in Stiv’s place. I feel honoured & privileged to have known Brian as a friend & to have worked with him.”

As a part of The Damned, Brian James contributed to various albums of the band including The Peel Sessions and Final Damnation. James also appeared for an interview with Peek-a-Boo magazine in 2019, he addressed his work in the current times, saying that it has been the same since the time he worked with The Damned around 40 years ago.

“Luckily, I go to the studio. I just go there playing tonight with the drummer, messing around with some things. On my solo-albums, I usually use more than one drummer.”

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The Damned members: Current lineup, past members, and more

The London, England-based group was established back in 1976, as per Metal Storm. The band has explored various genres over the years such as garage rock and cabaret. The group’s dresses and makeup have also grabbed a lot of attention, specifically during their stage performances.

The Damned played their first show in Croydon the same year they formed. Alongside a successful career, they also opened for T. Rex and pursued solo projects. According to NME, Brian James founded the band with Dave Vanian, Raymond Burns, and Christopher Millar. Though they released multiple projects, the lineup changed over time.

Among the current members, the other three have continued playing except Brian. They are accompanied by two more musicians, Monty Oxymoron and Paul Gray. While Dave is the main vocalist, Raymond plays the guitar alongside Monty on the keyboard, Paul on bass, and Christopher on drums.

On the other hand, there is a long list of members who played with The Damned in the past. Although James left the band in 1978, he returned to play for three more years. There was Roman Jugg for almost seven years alongside Bryn Merrick who played for six years. A few musicians also played for three years, including Jason Harris, Kris Dollimore, Alan Lee Shaw, and Garrie Dreadful.

During the ’70s, Robert Edmonds and Jon Moss were also an important part of the group. For the bass and backing vocals, Alasdair Ward played for almost two years. Patricia Morrison was another musician who was associated with The Damned for the longest time between 1996 and 2004. Other members included Spike Smith, Andrew Pinching, Stu West, and Will Taylor.

The list of touring members includes Dave Berk, Lemmy, Henry Badowski, Gary Holton, Paul Scott, Pete Saunders, Tosh, Steve McGuire, Paul Shepley, and many others.