He announced in 2020 alongside lead singer Dave Vanian, drummer Christopher “Rat Scabies” Millar, and Burns that The Damned would be reformed more than four decades after the band began in 1976.

Also featuring singer Dave Vanian, Captain Sensible on bass and Rat Scabies on drums, The Damned first hit the UK charts in March 1977 with its album Damned Damned Damned on Stiff Records.

As the guitarist and main songwriter for the Damned, he helped spark an explosion on the British music scene in the 1970s.

In 2020 he and The Damned lead singer Dave Vanian, drummer Christopher "Rat Scabies" Millar and Burns announced the band would reform more than four decades after it began in 1976. James performed ...