Vintage 1977–1979 The Damned “Stretcher Case” Trashed Punk Muscle T-Shirt

Label: the Damned

Era: Late 1970s — Circa 1977–1979

Composition: 100% Cotton, Worn to an Ultra-Soft Faded-Charcoal Finish.

Condition: Heavily distressed and modified vintage punk condition. The sleeves have been raw-cut into a sleeveless muscle silhouette, leaving deliberately shredded armholes. Extensive natural wear appears throughout, including fading, multiple pinholes and small punctures. Sold strictly as found and as-is. Please study the photographs carefully for a complete assessment.

Size: Estimated Men’s Small / Women’s Medium, with a tight, cropped 1970s rock fit. Please consult the exact measurements below to ensure a precise fit.

Measurements:

Shoulder Width: 37cm

Armpit to Armpit: 40cm

Total Length: 50cm

Made in the UK

Dating from approximately 1977–1979, this original The Damned “Stretcher Case” T-shirt captures the raw, unfiltered spirit of London’s first-wave punk scene. Emerging from the band’s seminal early period - following their place in history as the first British punk group to release both a single and a full-length album - the graphic reflects the dark, anarchic energy associated with Dave Vanian, Brian James, Captain Sensible and Rat Scabies.

The front carries the band’s dramatic dive-bombing dead bird motif in stark white, set against a deep-red Gothic logo and scrolling underline ornamentation. The image combines punk aggression with the macabre theatricality that distinguished The Damned from their contemporaries and anticipated the darker visual identity they would later develop.

This shirt is defined as much by its physical history as by its graphic. Long before manufactured distressing became a fashion convention, an earlier owner aggressively removed the sleeves to create a raw-edged muscle tank. Decades of wear have softened the cotton to an exceptionally fluid handle, while holes, punctures and cracking record the garment’s continued life. Across the lower front, the hand-inked “TU IS A WANKER” inscription introduces a singular element of personal punk defiance, the modification turns it into a one-of-one object.