Rat Scabies Releases Debut Solo Album P.H.D. (Prison, Hospital, Debt) On May 18, 2018
The Damned’s Rat Scabies Teases ‘Chew On You’ from Debut Solo Album P.H.D. (Prison, Hospital, Debt)
“Rat Scabies has the future on his mind… the future looks pretty bleak. But at least the music we’re getting on our slow slide into oblivion is freakin’ great… a grinding rocker that sounds as filthy and dangerous as that title would suggest” – Paste Magazine
Rat Scabies of legendary co-founder of punk rock icons The Damned has announced his forthcoming debut solo album ‘P.H.D. (Prison, Hospital, Debt)’. Ahead of this release, he is previewing the album’s lead track ‘Chew on You’. Written by Rat Scabies, who also plays drums, guitar, keyboards and cigar box guitar here, Jesse Budd of Flipron contributes lyrics and vocals, with Nick Oblivion on bass guitar.
Rat Scabies (born Christopher Millar in Surrey, England) is a self-described “drummer, grailhunter and cigar box guitar maker”. He was also a founding member of The Damned, one of modern rock’s most influential and important bands. In 1976, Rat teamed up with guitarist Brian James, bassist Ray ‘Captain Sensible’ Burns and vocalist Dave Vanian to form this iconic group. Along with the Sex Pistols and The Clash, they helped to spearhead the punk movement in the UK and are also well known as one of the first gothic rock bands, having a major influence on the goth subculture.
After relentlessly nagging his parents for a drum set, Rat Scabies began playing music at the tender age of eight years old. Once he’d picked up the sticks, he never wanted to do anything else, noting “I would never have been anything but a drummer, no matter what I did”.
Over the past forty years, Rat has played countless live shows and recorded numerous studio albums. He has collaborated with many top musicians, such as Robert Fripp, Lemmy, Donovan and Neville Staple, as well as Joe Strummer, Jimmy Page, and The Eagles Of Death Metal.
‘P.H.D. (Prison, Hospital, Debt)’ will be available through online stores and streaming platforms as of May 18, but ‘Chew on You’ will be released as a standalone single well prior to that. Listeners can already pre-order the album on vinyl or else on CD via Cleopatra Records or digitally via Bandcamp.
Rat Scabies will be holding two events to mark this album’s release. On Sunday, May 20 in Southsea (Portsmouth), Tales & Tea with Rat Scabies includes a Q&A session and album signing (TeaTray Cafe, Osbourne Road, Southsea – Doors 5pm, Show 5.45pm). On Monday, May 21 in Lewes (East Sussex), Talking & Tales with Rat Scabies follows the same format at the Lewes Con Club (139 High Street, BN7 1XS Lewes, East Sussex).