“Brian’s vision of a music revolution had been absolutely spot on”: Punk icon Brian James, founder and former guitarist of the Damned, dies aged 70

An archive black-and-white live shot of The Damned's Brian James, who wears a floral-pattern shirt and plays a Gibson SG with vibrato as the UK punk pioneers play their farewell gig.

Brian James, the founding guitarist of UK punk pioneers the Damned, has died aged 70.

Punk rock has lost one of its original trailblazers. It was James’ electric guitar that lit the blue touch paper for punk, the Damned’s era-defining New Rose the first single to emerge from the UK scene.