Today’s throwback takes us back to 1995, when a 24-year-old Damian Lewis made his Broadway debut as Laertes opposite Ralph Fiennes’ Hamlet. What followed was a true coming-of-age adventure: rave reviews, famous faces at the Belasco Theatre, late nights in New York, intense sword fights—and even the real-life inspiration for one of Damian’s songs. Let’s revisit the unforgettable production that turned New York into Damian’s playground!
“I was riding home one night on my motorbike. I was in North London. I was on Caledonian Road. I was outside Pentonville Prison. Next thing I knew was I was flying through the air and going straight to the windscreen of a car. This is called Pentonville Prison.” – Damian Lewis
Damian Lewis performing “Pentonville Prison” at St John’s Church in Kingston, UK
Damian Lewis’ second album, Sweet Chaos, is finally here, and with it comes one of the songs fans have been waiting years to hear officially: Pentonville Prison. After making its live debut as “Fate” at Union Chapel in 2023 and becoming a regular highlight of Damian’s concerts, the song has finally found its home on the album.
You can stream or buy Sweet Chaoshere. If you want to hear Pentonville Prison and the rest of the album performed live, Damian heads out on his UK tour this October. Tour dates and tickets are available here. And before we dive into the remarkable true story behind the song, if you missed any of our previous Song of the Week features, you can catch up with them all here.
Now, Pentonville is an actual prison on Caledonian Road in Barnsbury, North London. But don’t worry—the track isn’t about Damian doing time there. Instead, it’s inspired by a motorbike accident he had right outside the prison many years ago. Continue reading “Damian Lewis’ Song of the Week: Pentonville Prison”
Two years ago, during the second leg of the Mission Creep UK tour, I had the chance to sit down with Damian Lewis for a conversation about his music.
We spoke backstage at Epic Studios in Norwich after the gig, with a glass of the band’s signature “D Lew” drink in hand. It was the first time I had been able to arrange a proper interview in advance — a real sit-down conversation instead of the quick chats we had managed in the past between rehearsals, interviews, and sound checks. Continue reading “Two Years Before Album Two: My Backstage Interview with Damian Lewis”
Damian took a long break from stage – 6 years – after he did The Misanthrope with Keira Knightley and Tara Fitzgerald at Comedy Theatre in 2009. And three seasons of Homeland, a season of Wolf Hall, three movies, an Emmy and a Golden Globe later, in 2015, he made a wonderful comeback to West End as Walter “Teach Cole” in David Mamet’s American Buffalo which went into history as the first (and second) time I saw my favorite actor on stage. Continue reading “Throwback Thursday to Damian Lewis in American Buffalo”
“I was riding home one night on my motorbike. I was in North London. I was on Caledonian Road. I was outside Pentonville Prison. Next thing I knew was I was flying through the air and going straight to the windscreen of a car. This is called Pentonville Prison.” – Damian Lewis
We can’t wait for Damian Lewis’ second album sometime this spring, and one of the songs we’re really rooting to see on the album is Pentonville Prison. We’ll be diving into that track this week in Damian Lewis’ Song of the Week series.
And before we get into it, if you missed any of the previous Song of the Week posts, you can find them all here.
Now, Pentonville is an actual prison on Caledonian Road in Barnsbury, North London. But don’t worry—the track isn’t about Damian doing time. Instead, it’s inspired by a motorbike accident he had right outside the prison many years ago. Continue reading “Damian Lewis’ Song of the Week: Pentonville Prison”
