A DIEHARD punk fan is on a mission to bring his favourite band The Damned to Greenock.

Graeme Muir (37), of 117 Drumfrochar Road, has surprised his friends by continuing to follow the band - made famous by the antics of Captain Sensible and Dracula-like Dave Vanian - more than 20 years after they appeared on the music scene as part of the punk explosion.

Graeme, who has been to no fewer than 30 gigs throughout Britain, said: "Friends don't understand. They think I'm crazy. The Damned have a special place in my heart." He was attracted to punk as a teenager because of the fashion and and anarchic lyrics.

He said: "Punk bands sang about what was happening in the world, the monarchy and the government. I thought that's for me." And in his heyday he sported spiky hair, which ranged from bright yellow to pillar box-red.

Graeme's finest moment came in 1982 when he threw his jumper on stage at a Damned gig at Tiffany's Ballroom, Glasgow, and Captain Sensible picked it up and was later seen wearing it on the cover of the Record Mirror.

Said Graeme: "I couldn't believe it! I said that's my jumper. My sister knitted it for me!" He has also been to many back-stage parties and has heaps of memorabilia.

More recently he went to see the band at a gig in London - and that's what prompted him to try to get the guys to come to Inverclyde.

He's convinced music fans here will appreciate their new sounds as well as old favourites, such as Eloise.

Graeme is currently looking for a suitable venue and is appealing for like-minded fans to help bring the punk legends to Greenock by writing to Jed at Curious Records, P0 Box 1570, Ilford, IG3 9NF.