The Damned: “We never listened to much punk”

The Damned reveal how they created their classic 1979 single, “Smash It Up”, in the new issue of Uncut, dated May 2014 and out now.

The hippy-baiting powerpop hit was part inspired by the death of their friend and hero Marc Bolan, and was much more complex than those only familiar with their punk image would have imagined.

“Someone remarked to me once that the more interesting punk bands were the ones who didn’t necessarily listen to much punk music. We certainly didn’t,” said Captain Sensible, who played guitar and co-wrote the track.

“Much as I loved the punk attitude, I never understood the two-minute restriction in song length. The tune wasn’t finished until all avenues had been explored.”

The new Uncut, dated May 2014, is out now.