Biography
Emerging from the earliest surge of British punk, Rat Scabies carried one of its most striking stage names while serving as a founding member of the Damned and establishing himself among the scene’s strongest, quickest, and most forceful drummers. His hard-hitting style remained adaptable once the band’s sound grew more ambitious and wide-ranging. Following his departure from the Damned, he collaborated across an array of projects, from sessions with U.K. goth rockers Nosferatu to touring duties behind psych-folk legend Donovan. He launched his solo career with the 2018 release P.H.D. (Prison, Hospital, Debt), an album reflecting his leanings toward psychedelia, ambient textures, jazz, and robust punk, while also maintaining ongoing work with the Sinclairs, One Thousand Motels, and Professor and the Madman.
Born Christopher Millar on July 30, 1957, in Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, England, he took up drums at the age of eight. After leaving school at fourteen, he devoted increasing hours to music. In 1975 he played in the art rock band Rot, whose members insisted he muffle his drumheads with towels to reduce volume. Around that period he also spent time in London SS, a short-lived London outfit that never performed live yet counted several pivotal early U.K. punk figures among its rotating members.
Through London SS, Millar encountered guitarist Brian James and vocalist Dave Vanian; while employed at Croydon Fairfield Hall he met multi-instrumentalist Ray Burns. The four formed a group, with Burns adopting the name Captain Sensible and Millar becoming Rat Scabies; their first performance as the Damned took place in July 1976. After several shows they attracted the attention of Stiff Records, leading to a debut single, “New Rose” b/w “Help,” recorded with Nick Lowe and issued in October 1976—preceding the Sex Pistols’ “Anarchy in the U.K.” as the initial British punk 45. Their first album, Damned Damned Damned, appeared in February 1977. Within the next twelve months the lineup expanded to include second guitarist Lu Edmonds, the follow-up Music For Pleasure proved unsatisfying, and the band dissolved.
Immediately afterward Scabies performed with his new outfit Rat Scabies’ Runners, then briefly joined Drunk & Disorderly and White Cats. In late 1978 he reunited with Sensible and Vanian to revive the Damned; when Brian James declined, Algy Ward, formerly of the Saints, joined on bass while Captain Sensible switched to guitar. Their return album Machine Gun Etiquette arrived at the close of 1979. Despite ongoing personnel shifts, the group endured, and Scabies remained until 1995, when creative and financial disagreements during the making of Not of This Earth (also released as I’m Alright Jack & the Beanstalk) prompted his exit.
Thereafter he maintained a full schedule of projects. He drummed for the British goth band Nosferatu on 1997’s Lord of the Flies and the 1999 remix collection Re-Vamped. In 1999 he contributed to Gang Bang, a solo album by Herman Brood associate and former Hanoi Rocks bassist René Berg. He played on Slipper’s 2002 release Zoon Sandwich, a jazz-tinged dance project led by Loop Guru’s Sam Dodson, and appeared on Loop Guru’s Bathtime with Loop Guru the following year. An abiding fascination with the mysteries surrounding Rennes-le-Château in southern France led him and neighbor Christopher Dawes to investigate the village; their experiences formed the basis of Dawes’ 2005 book Rat Scabies and the Holy Grail. In 2004 he supported ex-Specials singer Neville Staple on The Rude Boy Returns, and he produced and guested on Flipron’s 2008 album Gravity Calling.
Musical activity intensified in the mid-2010s. Scabies co-founded the Mutants in 2014 alongside Chris Constantinou, previously of Adam Ant and the Wolfmen, and Paul Frazer, a veteran of Sunsource and Black Futures; each album served as a thematic exploration of a specific musical style featuring numerous guest contributors. Rhythm & Punk Review (2014) examined first-wave U.K. punk, Tokyo Nights (2015) spotlighted Japanese rock, and Your Desert My Mind (2016) honored California desert rock. That same year he joined Professor and the Madman, a band also featuring Alfie Agnew and Sean Elliott of D.I. plus ex-Damned bassist Paul Gray, releasing four albums between 2016 and 2020: Elixir 1: Good Evening Sir!, Elixir 2: Election, Disintegrate Me, and Séance. After the Mutants ended, Constantinou and Scabies formed One Thousand Motels, issuing 2% Out of Sync in 2020 and Get In Where You Fit In in 2021.
Following extended private recording sessions at his son’s studio, Scabies issued his first solo album, P.H.D. (Prison, Hospital, Debt), in 2018, balancing energetic and introspective material. In 2020 he launched another ensemble, the retro-rock Sinclairs, drumming alongside guitarist Billy Shinbone, whose prior collaborations included Flipron and Neville Staple; their debut Sparkle appeared in June 2020. Also in 2020 the Damned announced a reunion of the original lineup—Dave Vanian, Brian James, Captain Sensible, and Rat Scabies—for a brief U.K. tour initially slated for 2021 but postponed until February 2022 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Born Christopher Millar on July 30, 1957, in Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, England, he took up drums at the age of eight. After leaving school at fourteen, he devoted increasing hours to music. In 1975 he played in the art rock band Rot, whose members insisted he muffle his drumheads with towels to reduce volume. Around that period he also spent time in London SS, a short-lived London outfit that never performed live yet counted several pivotal early U.K. punk figures among its rotating members.
Through London SS, Millar encountered guitarist Brian James and vocalist Dave Vanian; while employed at Croydon Fairfield Hall he met multi-instrumentalist Ray Burns. The four formed a group, with Burns adopting the name Captain Sensible and Millar becoming Rat Scabies; their first performance as the Damned took place in July 1976. After several shows they attracted the attention of Stiff Records, leading to a debut single, “New Rose” b/w “Help,” recorded with Nick Lowe and issued in October 1976—preceding the Sex Pistols’ “Anarchy in the U.K.” as the initial British punk 45. Their first album, Damned Damned Damned, appeared in February 1977. Within the next twelve months the lineup expanded to include second guitarist Lu Edmonds, the follow-up Music For Pleasure proved unsatisfying, and the band dissolved.
Immediately afterward Scabies performed with his new outfit Rat Scabies’ Runners, then briefly joined Drunk & Disorderly and White Cats. In late 1978 he reunited with Sensible and Vanian to revive the Damned; when Brian James declined, Algy Ward, formerly of the Saints, joined on bass while Captain Sensible switched to guitar. Their return album Machine Gun Etiquette arrived at the close of 1979. Despite ongoing personnel shifts, the group endured, and Scabies remained until 1995, when creative and financial disagreements during the making of Not of This Earth (also released as I’m Alright Jack & the Beanstalk) prompted his exit.
Thereafter he maintained a full schedule of projects. He drummed for the British goth band Nosferatu on 1997’s Lord of the Flies and the 1999 remix collection Re-Vamped. In 1999 he contributed to Gang Bang, a solo album by Herman Brood associate and former Hanoi Rocks bassist René Berg. He played on Slipper’s 2002 release Zoon Sandwich, a jazz-tinged dance project led by Loop Guru’s Sam Dodson, and appeared on Loop Guru’s Bathtime with Loop Guru the following year. An abiding fascination with the mysteries surrounding Rennes-le-Château in southern France led him and neighbor Christopher Dawes to investigate the village; their experiences formed the basis of Dawes’ 2005 book Rat Scabies and the Holy Grail. In 2004 he supported ex-Specials singer Neville Staple on The Rude Boy Returns, and he produced and guested on Flipron’s 2008 album Gravity Calling.
Musical activity intensified in the mid-2010s. Scabies co-founded the Mutants in 2014 alongside Chris Constantinou, previously of Adam Ant and the Wolfmen, and Paul Frazer, a veteran of Sunsource and Black Futures; each album served as a thematic exploration of a specific musical style featuring numerous guest contributors. Rhythm & Punk Review (2014) examined first-wave U.K. punk, Tokyo Nights (2015) spotlighted Japanese rock, and Your Desert My Mind (2016) honored California desert rock. That same year he joined Professor and the Madman, a band also featuring Alfie Agnew and Sean Elliott of D.I. plus ex-Damned bassist Paul Gray, releasing four albums between 2016 and 2020: Elixir 1: Good Evening Sir!, Elixir 2: Election, Disintegrate Me, and Séance. After the Mutants ended, Constantinou and Scabies formed One Thousand Motels, issuing 2% Out of Sync in 2020 and Get In Where You Fit In in 2021.
Following extended private recording sessions at his son’s studio, Scabies issued his first solo album, P.H.D. (Prison, Hospital, Debt), in 2018, balancing energetic and introspective material. In 2020 he launched another ensemble, the retro-rock Sinclairs, drumming alongside guitarist Billy Shinbone, whose prior collaborations included Flipron and Neville Staple; their debut Sparkle appeared in June 2020. Also in 2020 the Damned announced a reunion of the original lineup—Dave Vanian, Brian James, Captain Sensible, and Rat Scabies—for a brief U.K. tour initially slated for 2021 but postponed until February 2022 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Albums
Singles
