OK, let’s start with a quiz question. Who recorded what is generally regarded as the first “punk” single?

The Sex Pistols? The Stranglers? No . . . wrong. It was a band made up of David Letts, Brian Robertson, Chris Millar and Ray Burns.

OK, what if I say Dave Vanian, Brian James, Rat Scabies and Captain Sensible? That’s better — better known to us all as The Damned!

The band, who are touring in May and June, have had a long and eventful career, including an early catalogue of firsts.

They had the first “punk” single (New Ros) in 1976, first “punk” album (Damned Damned Damned) and were the first “punk” band to play the US.

The goth-like Vanian, who loved to dress up as Dracula, had, and still has, a crooner’s voice, which he used to add menace to the songs, which were usually written by Brian James.

Their gigs were frenetic affairs and as a live band they had a great following, but it wasn’t until 1979 that they first made the charts with Love Song, although their albums fared better.

Strangely, the band had split in 1978, but reformed without Brian James, and Sensible switched from bass to guitar and keyboards.

Sensible says: “Our first album was very raw and underproduced, although I’m very proud of it now. Damned Damned Damned has such an exciting sound.

“We were ahead of the game and were much faster than others.

"I remember when we did a John Peel session for Radio One, the control room was full of people wanting to listen in. We had a manic energy that shocked people.”

In the 1980s, with goth at the fore they began to show that, unlike many of their “new wave” contemporaries, they could play, and play well.

Sensible also had a solo contract and scored a surprise Number One with Happy Talk from the musical South Pacific.

Finally, the strain of two careers led to the Captain leaving The Damned.

The group then had eight consecutive chart singles, starting with Grimly Fiendish in 1985 and ending 18 months later with In Dulce Decorum.

Included were a cover of Barry Ryan’s 1968 hit Eloise, which made number three, and the magnificent Alone Again Or — a cover of the Love classic.

After various splits they are back again with Vanian on vocals and theremin, Sensible on guitar, Monty Oxy Moron on keyboards, bassist Stu West and Pinch on drums.

The recent So Who’s Paranoid album was particularly well received. Sensible said: “Everyone’s really liked the album — well, nobody asked for their money back anyway. The same went for the tours.

“We’re actually shaking the set-list up a bit and in the emails we’ve been sending each other to thrash it out have been headed The Adventurous Set List.

“There’ll be old favourites and some revived songs like Thrill Kill, Bad Time For Bonzo and Thanks For The Night, which I think will be the first time for 20 years.”

* The Damned will be playing The Manchester Academy 2 on Saturday, June 5.