After The Lights Go Out

In 1989, David Vanian - vocalist with UK Punk band The Damned quit to form a new band, taking with him fellow band members Roman Jugg and Bryn Merrick. The Phantom Chords was born. Playing a mix of covers and original music co-written by Vanian and Jugg, the music was inspired by a shared love of '30s, '40s and '50s film music, merged with '60s seven-piece, twangy guitar bands and jazzy rock 'n' roll instrumentals. For the first time, this book tells the fascinating story of Dave Vanian's beloved project The Phantom Chords. The story begins in 1983 with Vanian's solo career, and covers the Naz Nomad & The Night-mares side-project and his involvement in The Damned. From 1990 to 2003 The Phantom Chords recorded three full-length albums and two singles, toured up and down the UK and found audiences in Europe and the USA. Ultimately, they were doomed to fail and finally disbanded. This biography stands as a testimony to The Phantom Chords, and is written by one of the band's most avid fans.