Onstage at Coachella during their weekend two set, Blur’s Damon Albarn revealed that the performance was “probably” the band’s “last gig.”
Continuing, Albarn alluded to the tension the band seemingly had with the crowd during their weekend two performance, assuring that their decision to call it quits was “no reflection of Coachella,” which he believes is “beautiful.”
Perhaps that’s the missing context we didn’t know about when Albarn told the weekend one crowd that they’d “never see us again, so [they] might as well f*cking sing” the chorus to “Girls & Boys.” In fact, contrary to some reports about their weekend one performance, Albarn seemed to be having good fun last night. “I love Coachella, I love you. Really,” he said at one point.
At other times, though, Albarn did demonstrate some of his frustration. Comparing the crowds from the first weekend to the second, he said “Yeah man,...
Continuing, Albarn alluded to the tension the band seemingly had with the crowd during their weekend two performance, assuring that their decision to call it quits was “no reflection of Coachella,” which he believes is “beautiful.”
Perhaps that’s the missing context we didn’t know about when Albarn told the weekend one crowd that they’d “never see us again, so [they] might as well f*cking sing” the chorus to “Girls & Boys.” In fact, contrary to some reports about their weekend one performance, Albarn seemed to be having good fun last night. “I love Coachella, I love you. Really,” he said at one point.
At other times, though, Albarn did demonstrate some of his frustration. Comparing the crowds from the first weekend to the second, he said “Yeah man,...
- 4/21/2024
- by Jo Vito
- Consequence - Music
Foals frontman and guitarist Yannis Philippakis has announced a new collaborative EP with Tony Allen, the late drummer who played heavily with Fela Kuti, under the name Yannis & the Yaw. He’s also shared the EP’s lead single, “Walk Through Fire.”
Landing on August 31st, the Lagos Paris London ft. Tony Allen EP has been in the works from the Foals frontman for over eight years. Philippakis first worked with Tony Allen in Paris in 2016, and began collaborating with the Nigerian Afrobeats pioneer as well as multi-instrumentalists Vincent Taeger, Vincent Taurelle, and Ludovic Bruni.
According to Philippakis, the two-day sessions culminated in an unfinished EP, and they occasionally regrouped to finish over the following four years until Covid isolated both him and Allen. Allen sadly passed in April 2020, and Philippakis felt a responsibility to carry the EP through to the finish line: “There was an imperative to finish it...
Landing on August 31st, the Lagos Paris London ft. Tony Allen EP has been in the works from the Foals frontman for over eight years. Philippakis first worked with Tony Allen in Paris in 2016, and began collaborating with the Nigerian Afrobeats pioneer as well as multi-instrumentalists Vincent Taeger, Vincent Taurelle, and Ludovic Bruni.
According to Philippakis, the two-day sessions culminated in an unfinished EP, and they occasionally regrouped to finish over the following four years until Covid isolated both him and Allen. Allen sadly passed in April 2020, and Philippakis felt a responsibility to carry the EP through to the finish line: “There was an imperative to finish it...
- 4/16/2024
- by Paolo Ragusa
- Consequence - Music
Coachella crowds are notoriously awful, but the response to Blur’s Saturday set was especially jarring.
By all accounts, the Britpop legends put on a phenomenal show. Their setlist contained several surprises, including rare performances of “Death of a Party,” “Out of Time,” “Trouble in the Message Centre,” and “Beetleblum,” as well as an on-stage collaboration with the indigenous Torres Martinez Cahuilla Bird Singers.
And yet, whether because the younger-skewing audience was unfamiliar with the band’s discography and/or because they had showed up early for Tyler, the Creator’s headlining set that was to follow, the crowd didn’t seem to vibe with Blur’s music. Video from the festival’s livestream (as seen below) captured a pretty lifeless crowd — even during performances of anthems like “Popscene,” “Girls & Boys” and “Song 2.”
It was during “Girls & Boys” that Blur frontman Damon Albarn finally had enough. After several...
By all accounts, the Britpop legends put on a phenomenal show. Their setlist contained several surprises, including rare performances of “Death of a Party,” “Out of Time,” “Trouble in the Message Centre,” and “Beetleblum,” as well as an on-stage collaboration with the indigenous Torres Martinez Cahuilla Bird Singers.
And yet, whether because the younger-skewing audience was unfamiliar with the band’s discography and/or because they had showed up early for Tyler, the Creator’s headlining set that was to follow, the crowd didn’t seem to vibe with Blur’s music. Video from the festival’s livestream (as seen below) captured a pretty lifeless crowd — even during performances of anthems like “Popscene,” “Girls & Boys” and “Song 2.”
It was during “Girls & Boys” that Blur frontman Damon Albarn finally had enough. After several...
- 4/15/2024
- by Scoop Harrison
- Consequence - Music
Blur took the stage at Coachella on Saturday, and to close out their portion of the night, they brought out performers from the Torres Martinez Cahuilla Bird Singers.
It was Blur’s first time at Coachella since 2013 (though Damon Albarn has made a few surprise appearances in recent years), and the band delivered renditions of some of their most beloved songs, like “Song 2,” “Girls & Boys,” “Beetlebum,” and more.
The Britpop legends first brought out a group of Bird Singers to perform a traditional piece titled “Bird Song,” honoring the culture and history of the indigenous tribes of the Coachella region. From there, the Bird Singers loaned their voices to Blur’s “Death of a Party,” and then returned at the end of the night to close out the set with “Tender.”
Elsewhere in Blur’s set, Albarn made an appeal for mutual understanding in a time of political polarization,...
It was Blur’s first time at Coachella since 2013 (though Damon Albarn has made a few surprise appearances in recent years), and the band delivered renditions of some of their most beloved songs, like “Song 2,” “Girls & Boys,” “Beetlebum,” and more.
The Britpop legends first brought out a group of Bird Singers to perform a traditional piece titled “Bird Song,” honoring the culture and history of the indigenous tribes of the Coachella region. From there, the Bird Singers loaned their voices to Blur’s “Death of a Party,” and then returned at the end of the night to close out the set with “Tender.”
Elsewhere in Blur’s set, Albarn made an appeal for mutual understanding in a time of political polarization,...
- 4/14/2024
- by Jo Vito
- Consequence - Music
After Day One of Coachella saw artists such as Sabrina Carpenter and Young Miko take inspiration from the Eighties, Day Two was a celebration of the Nineties thanks to reunion performances from No Doubt and Sublime, and the 2000s with Ice Spice’s Y2K aesthetic and the presence of Vampire Weekend.
Unlike in years past where the heat took over for the vast majority of the day, the cold took over the Coachella festival grounds early in the afternoon. By Tyler, the Creator and No Doubt’s set fans...
Unlike in years past where the heat took over for the vast majority of the day, the cold took over the Coachella festival grounds early in the afternoon. By Tyler, the Creator and No Doubt’s set fans...
- 4/14/2024
- by Tomás Mier and Ethan Millman
- Rollingstone.com
English singer-songwriter Liam Gallagher has lashed out at longtime rivals Blur as he claimed that their music is “for posh brats.”
The former Oasis star responded to the Britpop group’s frontman Damon Albarn, 56, who revealed several Americans have tried to claim songwriting credits for ‘Song 2’, reports ‘Female First UK’.
During Blur’s pre-Coachella warm-up gig at the Fox Theater Pomona in California, this week, Damon said: “Because of the nature of American law, if someone gets a lawyer … they can come quite a long way with absolutely no grounds. Someone else this year – not only is it that person who’s convinced they’d written it, but there was another person who was convinced. Firstly, I wonder why it’s only that song that they’re interested in.”
As per ‘Female First UK’, Liam then took to X to hit out at Damon for his comments.
He wrote, “Gotta...
The former Oasis star responded to the Britpop group’s frontman Damon Albarn, 56, who revealed several Americans have tried to claim songwriting credits for ‘Song 2’, reports ‘Female First UK’.
During Blur’s pre-Coachella warm-up gig at the Fox Theater Pomona in California, this week, Damon said: “Because of the nature of American law, if someone gets a lawyer … they can come quite a long way with absolutely no grounds. Someone else this year – not only is it that person who’s convinced they’d written it, but there was another person who was convinced. Firstly, I wonder why it’s only that song that they’re interested in.”
As per ‘Female First UK’, Liam then took to X to hit out at Damon for his comments.
He wrote, “Gotta...
- 4/12/2024
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
Blur fans, rejoice! There’s a concert film and a documentary heading to a cinema near you later this year. More details here.
Here’s a double whammy for your Thursday afternoon. Iconic band Blur are getting not only a documentary on their incredible career, but also a concert film.
Updated From Original Story: release date added at the bottom!
The documentary will follow the band during the year they made their surprise return with the album The Ballad of Darren. The film will portray the friends, bandmembers, some might even say soulmates, as they record ten new songs, culminating in their sold-out shows at Wembley Stadium.
The concert film will then showcase one of those shows at Wembley. Titled blur: Live At Wembley Stadium, it will give you a chance to experience (or relive) the concert from summer 2023.
Toby L. is in charge of directing both films.
Blur, hailing from London,...
Here’s a double whammy for your Thursday afternoon. Iconic band Blur are getting not only a documentary on their incredible career, but also a concert film.
Updated From Original Story: release date added at the bottom!
The documentary will follow the band during the year they made their surprise return with the album The Ballad of Darren. The film will portray the friends, bandmembers, some might even say soulmates, as they record ten new songs, culminating in their sold-out shows at Wembley Stadium.
The concert film will then showcase one of those shows at Wembley. Titled blur: Live At Wembley Stadium, it will give you a chance to experience (or relive) the concert from summer 2023.
Toby L. is in charge of directing both films.
Blur, hailing from London,...
- 4/12/2024
- by Maria Lattila
- Film Stories
This article appears in the SXSW 2024 issue of Den of Geek magazine. Check out all of our SXSW coverage here.
While South by Southwest often features megastar performers drawing music lovers to Texas’ cultural center, Austin, the festival excels at showcasing the next wave of musical pioneers.
SXSW‘s lineup defies categorization, transcending boundaries of genre, geography, and popularity, and with over 2,000 performers spanning 60+ countries, the festival transforms Austin into a global sonic bazaar, where every bar and stage teem with possibility. To help ease the discovery process, we’ve curated a roadmap spotlighting a constellation of rising stars.
From hyperpop firebrands to urbano changelings, there is truly something for everyone. Check out our unique picks below and make sure to check out their sets if you’re planning to visit The Live Music Capital of the World for SXSW.
And make sure to check out Den of Geek’s...
While South by Southwest often features megastar performers drawing music lovers to Texas’ cultural center, Austin, the festival excels at showcasing the next wave of musical pioneers.
SXSW‘s lineup defies categorization, transcending boundaries of genre, geography, and popularity, and with over 2,000 performers spanning 60+ countries, the festival transforms Austin into a global sonic bazaar, where every bar and stage teem with possibility. To help ease the discovery process, we’ve curated a roadmap spotlighting a constellation of rising stars.
From hyperpop firebrands to urbano changelings, there is truly something for everyone. Check out our unique picks below and make sure to check out their sets if you’re planning to visit The Live Music Capital of the World for SXSW.
And make sure to check out Den of Geek’s...
- 3/11/2024
- by John Saavedra
- Den of Geek
Blur drummer Dave Rowntree has taken the next big step in his political career by running for Parliament in the next UK general election.
After recently spending four years on the county council in Norwich, Rowntree will be running as a Labour candidate for the Conservative-held Mid Sussex seat in an attempt to turn it red for the first time.
“I’m delighted to have the opportunity to become Labour’s first Mid Sussex MP,” Rowntree said in a statement. “Residents have their best chance in a generation to make their vote count and return a Labour MP to parliament.”
He continued, “The Tories have run out of ideas, and the Lib Dems have run out of steam. I’m running for parliament to provide the energy and vision the area so desperately needs.”
Back in 2017, Rowntree was elected as a county councillor for the University ward in Norwich. He...
After recently spending four years on the county council in Norwich, Rowntree will be running as a Labour candidate for the Conservative-held Mid Sussex seat in an attempt to turn it red for the first time.
“I’m delighted to have the opportunity to become Labour’s first Mid Sussex MP,” Rowntree said in a statement. “Residents have their best chance in a generation to make their vote count and return a Labour MP to parliament.”
He continued, “The Tories have run out of ideas, and the Lib Dems have run out of steam. I’m running for parliament to provide the energy and vision the area so desperately needs.”
Back in 2017, Rowntree was elected as a county councillor for the University ward in Norwich. He...
- 3/6/2024
- by Eddie Fu
- Consequence - Music
Grammy-winning producer Jack Antonoff, who is a longtime collaborator with Taylor Swift said that questioning the pop star’s songwriting ability “is like challenging someone’s faith in God”. Talking about Swift’s songwriting ability, Antoff said it “is like challenging someone’s faith in God. You just don’t go there.”
“I’m a little… sometimes. But you come after my friend Taylor, you’re toast to me.”
Damon Albarn, the frontman of Blur and Gorillaz, had ignited outrage among Swift fans, fondly called Swifties, in 2022 after he said that the ‘Blank Space’ hitmaker “doesn’t write her own songs.”
“A really interesting songwriter is Billie Eilish and her brother,” Albarn said at the time, as reported by variety.com.
He added: “I’m more attracted to that than to Taylor Swift. It’s just darker — less endlessly upbeat. Way more minor and odd. I think she’s exceptional.
“I’m a little… sometimes. But you come after my friend Taylor, you’re toast to me.”
Damon Albarn, the frontman of Blur and Gorillaz, had ignited outrage among Swift fans, fondly called Swifties, in 2022 after he said that the ‘Blank Space’ hitmaker “doesn’t write her own songs.”
“A really interesting songwriter is Billie Eilish and her brother,” Albarn said at the time, as reported by variety.com.
He added: “I’m more attracted to that than to Taylor Swift. It’s just darker — less endlessly upbeat. Way more minor and odd. I think she’s exceptional.
- 3/1/2024
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
Jack Antonoff won’t suffer fools who question his friend Taylor Swift, whom he has been collaborating with since 2012. In a Los Angeles Times interview ahead of the release of Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department (out April 19), the musician-producer touted Swift’s songwriting and said anyone who didn’t see her chops is “toast” to him.
In January 2022, Damon Albarn suggested the pop star didn’t write her own songs, in an interview with Los Angeles Times, claiming that it isn’t really the same when there are cowriters.
In January 2022, Damon Albarn suggested the pop star didn’t write her own songs, in an interview with Los Angeles Times, claiming that it isn’t really the same when there are cowriters.
- 2/28/2024
- by Althea Legaspi
- Rollingstone.com
Omar Souleyman returns today to announce Erbil, his first album in five years. He’s also shared the album’s first single, “Rahat Al Chant Ymme.” Stream it below.
Named after the Iraqi city he now resides in, Erbil serves as Souleyman’s fifth album and his third release on Diplo’s Mad Decent label. Souleyman reprises his dabke-electronica style, bringing back his longtime keyboard player Hasan Jamo alo and keeping a celebratory, joyous mood throughout the album’s eight tracks.
Lead single “Rahat Al Chant Ymme” certainly offers joy, with a dizzying instrumental backdrop and a thumping, incessant groove. The song arrives with a music video featuring Souleyman in Erbil, Iraq and including psychedelic flourishes that ebb and flow with the song’s beat. Watch the official visualizer below.
Erbil is the Syrian singer’s first LP since 2019’s Shlon. After beginning his career as a prolific wedding singer,...
Named after the Iraqi city he now resides in, Erbil serves as Souleyman’s fifth album and his third release on Diplo’s Mad Decent label. Souleyman reprises his dabke-electronica style, bringing back his longtime keyboard player Hasan Jamo alo and keeping a celebratory, joyous mood throughout the album’s eight tracks.
Lead single “Rahat Al Chant Ymme” certainly offers joy, with a dizzying instrumental backdrop and a thumping, incessant groove. The song arrives with a music video featuring Souleyman in Erbil, Iraq and including psychedelic flourishes that ebb and flow with the song’s beat. Watch the official visualizer below.
Erbil is the Syrian singer’s first LP since 2019’s Shlon. After beginning his career as a prolific wedding singer,...
- 2/21/2024
- by Paolo Ragusa
- Consequence - Music
Sales
Altitude is launching international sales on two films featuring iconic British band Blur at the Berlin European Film Market. The band, consisting of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bass guitarist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree, was formed in 1988 and tasted considerable success until it went on hiatus in 2015.
The first film is an untitled feature-length documentary depicting the return of Blur, captured across a year in which the band made a surprise return with their first record in eight years, the #1 album “The Ballad of Darren.” It follows the relationship of the bandmates of over three decades as they come together to record 10 new songs ahead of their sold-out shows at London’s Wembley Stadium in 2023. The second film is “Blur: Live At Wembley Stadium,” a two-hour concert film of the Wembley show.
Both films are directed by Toby L. and produced by Josh Connolly, via production...
Altitude is launching international sales on two films featuring iconic British band Blur at the Berlin European Film Market. The band, consisting of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bass guitarist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree, was formed in 1988 and tasted considerable success until it went on hiatus in 2015.
The first film is an untitled feature-length documentary depicting the return of Blur, captured across a year in which the band made a surprise return with their first record in eight years, the #1 album “The Ballad of Darren.” It follows the relationship of the bandmates of over three decades as they come together to record 10 new songs ahead of their sold-out shows at London’s Wembley Stadium in 2023. The second film is “Blur: Live At Wembley Stadium,” a two-hour concert film of the Wembley show.
Both films are directed by Toby L. and produced by Josh Connolly, via production...
- 2/9/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
UK sales and distribution outfit Altitude has added a documentary and a separate concert film about iconic British band blur to its European Film Market (EFM) slate.
Altitude will also release both films theatrically in the UK and Ireland later this year.
The first film is a feature-length documentary depicting the band’s emotional return, captured across a year in which the foursome – Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James and Dave Rowntree – recorded their first album in eight years, ‘The Ballad of Darren’, ahead of their sold-out, first ever shows at London’s Wembley Stadium in 2023.
The second film, blur: Live At Wembley Stadium,...
Altitude will also release both films theatrically in the UK and Ireland later this year.
The first film is a feature-length documentary depicting the band’s emotional return, captured across a year in which the foursome – Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James and Dave Rowntree – recorded their first album in eight years, ‘The Ballad of Darren’, ahead of their sold-out, first ever shows at London’s Wembley Stadium in 2023.
The second film, blur: Live At Wembley Stadium,...
- 2/8/2024
- ScreenDaily
The Rolling Stones have released the music video for the song “Mess It Up,” from their latest album, Hackney Diamonds. Watch it below.
Starring actor Nicholas Hoult, the video arrived on Tuesday, December 19th — just a few weeks after the release of Hackney Diamonds itself.
First released as the seventh track on Hackney Diamonds, “Mess It Up” sees the Stones blend their classic, blues-rock style with a disco-esque, modern pop approach. The driving backbeat and distorted guitar chops on the verses give oomph to Mick Jagger’s snarling vocals, as the melodic sparkle of the catchy, hook-led chorus transforms the track into a Stones-ified “pop bop.”
“Mess It Up” is the second track from Hackney Diamonds to receive music video treatment. In September, The Rolling Stones shared the video for the single “Angry” starring Sydney Sweeney (which Damon Albarn called “horrible” and “objectifying” of Sweeney).
Hackney Diamonds is The Rolling...
Starring actor Nicholas Hoult, the video arrived on Tuesday, December 19th — just a few weeks after the release of Hackney Diamonds itself.
First released as the seventh track on Hackney Diamonds, “Mess It Up” sees the Stones blend their classic, blues-rock style with a disco-esque, modern pop approach. The driving backbeat and distorted guitar chops on the verses give oomph to Mick Jagger’s snarling vocals, as the melodic sparkle of the catchy, hook-led chorus transforms the track into a Stones-ified “pop bop.”
“Mess It Up” is the second track from Hackney Diamonds to receive music video treatment. In September, The Rolling Stones shared the video for the single “Angry” starring Sydney Sweeney (which Damon Albarn called “horrible” and “objectifying” of Sweeney).
Hackney Diamonds is The Rolling...
- 12/19/2023
- by Jo Vito
- Consequence - Music
Damon Albarn has a bone to pick with The Rolling Stones over their recent album Hackney Diamonds and the “objectification” of Sydney Sweeney in the band’s “Angry” music video.
The Blur/Gorillaz mastermind shared his thoughts on the Stones’ latest album cycle in a new interview with the French magazine Les Inrockuptibles (via NME). “This really annoyed me,” he said. “Because my family lives in Hackney and the way they showed up at the Hackney Empire venue [for an album release event] really pissed me off. They’ve never did a thing in Hackney, they’ve never played there, never contributed to anything. They just showed up. It’s all nonsense.”
Hackney is an inner-city area of London that’s historically been associated with a high crime rate, and “Hackney diamonds” is a slang term referring to shattered glass left behind after a robbery. However, Keith Richards said that in the context of their album title,...
The Blur/Gorillaz mastermind shared his thoughts on the Stones’ latest album cycle in a new interview with the French magazine Les Inrockuptibles (via NME). “This really annoyed me,” he said. “Because my family lives in Hackney and the way they showed up at the Hackney Empire venue [for an album release event] really pissed me off. They’ve never did a thing in Hackney, they’ve never played there, never contributed to anything. They just showed up. It’s all nonsense.”
Hackney is an inner-city area of London that’s historically been associated with a high crime rate, and “Hackney diamonds” is a slang term referring to shattered glass left behind after a robbery. However, Keith Richards said that in the context of their album title,...
- 12/11/2023
- by Abby Jones
- Consequence - Music
Blur is going on hiatus again following their recent reunion, which yielded their ninth studio album, The Ballad of Darren.
In a new interview with French magazine Les Inrockuptibles (via Far Out Magazine), Blur frontman Damon Albarn said, “It is time to wrap up this campaign. It’s too much for me. It was the right thing to do and an immense honor to play these songs again, spend time with these guys, make an album, blah-blah-blah.”
The band — comprising guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James, and drummer Dave Rowntree...
In a new interview with French magazine Les Inrockuptibles (via Far Out Magazine), Blur frontman Damon Albarn said, “It is time to wrap up this campaign. It’s too much for me. It was the right thing to do and an immense honor to play these songs again, spend time with these guys, make an album, blah-blah-blah.”
The band — comprising guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James, and drummer Dave Rowntree...
- 12/6/2023
- by Althea Legaspi
- Rollingstone.com
Blur’s comeback album, The Ballad of Darren, arrived this past summer, giving fans their first new release from the Britpop legends since they went on hiatus eight years prior. Now, frontman Damon Albarn has said that he’s done (for now) revisiting Blur, and is ready to get back to focusing on his other project, Gorillaz.
“It is time to wrap up this campaign,” Albarn told the French publication Les Inrockuptibles (via Far Out Magazine). “It’s too much for me. It was the right thing to do and an immense honor to play these songs again, spend time with these guys, make an album, blah-blah-blah… I’m not saying I won’t do it again, it was a beautiful success, but I’m not dwelling on the past.”
As for what he plans to do in lieu of further Blur work, Albarn expressed excitement for an “opera which...
“It is time to wrap up this campaign,” Albarn told the French publication Les Inrockuptibles (via Far Out Magazine). “It’s too much for me. It was the right thing to do and an immense honor to play these songs again, spend time with these guys, make an album, blah-blah-blah… I’m not saying I won’t do it again, it was a beautiful success, but I’m not dwelling on the past.”
As for what he plans to do in lieu of further Blur work, Albarn expressed excitement for an “opera which...
- 12/6/2023
- by Jo Vito
- Consequence - Music
For Franz Kafka, it was The Kid. For Stanley Kubrick, it was the trailer to Eyes Wide Shut. But what about Cobain, Presley and Kennedy? Artist Stanley Schtinter talks us through his revelatory new project
Clad in black and wearing a cheeky-chappie grin, the artist and author Stanley Schtinter resembles Damon Albarn dressed as an undertaker. That suits his new book, Last Movies, which refracts cultural history through the prism of films watched by notable figures soon before their deaths. Stocking-fillers such as 1,001 Movies You Must See Before You Die are 10 a penny, but this is a more profound proposition: 28 Movies They Saw Before They Died. Bette Davis, Charlie Parker and Steve Jobs are among the cinema-goers attending this last picture show, which mixes fact with scintillating speculation. What parallels might Kurt Cobain have drawn, for instance, between the life he was about to leave and The Piano, the last film he saw,...
Clad in black and wearing a cheeky-chappie grin, the artist and author Stanley Schtinter resembles Damon Albarn dressed as an undertaker. That suits his new book, Last Movies, which refracts cultural history through the prism of films watched by notable figures soon before their deaths. Stocking-fillers such as 1,001 Movies You Must See Before You Die are 10 a penny, but this is a more profound proposition: 28 Movies They Saw Before They Died. Bette Davis, Charlie Parker and Steve Jobs are among the cinema-goers attending this last picture show, which mixes fact with scintillating speculation. What parallels might Kurt Cobain have drawn, for instance, between the life he was about to leave and The Piano, the last film he saw,...
- 11/28/2023
- by Ryan Gilbey
- The Guardian - Film News
Fresh off the release of their new studio album, My Big Day, Bombay Bicycle Club have unveiled the details for a 2024 tour which will take them to Europe, the US, Canada, and Mexico.
Bombay Bicycle Club will spend the rest of November wrapping up a 2023 European tour, which will conclude with a final performance in Amsterdam on November 27th. Then, they’ll take the rest of the year off, returning to the road for a run of UK and Ireland shows in January. In March, they’ll head stateside for the North American jaunt, which’ll wrap with two final shows in Mexico in May.
Tickets go on sale via Ticketmaster on Friday, November 10th at 10:00 a.m. local time. Once tickets are on sale, you can look for deals via StubHub, where orders are 100% guaranteed through StubHub’s FanProtect program. For their international dates, you can secure your tickets here.
Bombay Bicycle Club will spend the rest of November wrapping up a 2023 European tour, which will conclude with a final performance in Amsterdam on November 27th. Then, they’ll take the rest of the year off, returning to the road for a run of UK and Ireland shows in January. In March, they’ll head stateside for the North American jaunt, which’ll wrap with two final shows in Mexico in May.
Tickets go on sale via Ticketmaster on Friday, November 10th at 10:00 a.m. local time. Once tickets are on sale, you can look for deals via StubHub, where orders are 100% guaranteed through StubHub’s FanProtect program. For their international dates, you can secure your tickets here.
- 11/8/2023
- by Jo Vito
- Consequence - Music
Los Angeles, Nov 5 (Ians) After slamming ‘Hello’ singer Adele, chart topping singer James Blunt has now turned his anger and condemnation on fellow singers Noel Gallagher and Damon Albarn.
The 49-year-old ‘You’re Beautiful’ hitmaker stunned fans this week when he hit out at 35-year-old Adele to blast her for cancelling live performance dates at the last minute – particularly taking aim at the fact that she cancelled her Las Vegas residency dates when fans were on planes and flying in from all over the world to see her, reports ‘Mirror.co.uk’.
Now James has turned his ire on Oasis star Noel, 56, and Blur frontman Damon, 55.
As per ‘Mirror.co.uk’, taking aim at Noel, James said he was unimpressed when the ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’ singer lashed out at him in 2006 when he was planning to buy a house in Ibiza next to him – and Noel announced he...
The 49-year-old ‘You’re Beautiful’ hitmaker stunned fans this week when he hit out at 35-year-old Adele to blast her for cancelling live performance dates at the last minute – particularly taking aim at the fact that she cancelled her Las Vegas residency dates when fans were on planes and flying in from all over the world to see her, reports ‘Mirror.co.uk’.
Now James has turned his ire on Oasis star Noel, 56, and Blur frontman Damon, 55.
As per ‘Mirror.co.uk’, taking aim at Noel, James said he was unimpressed when the ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’ singer lashed out at him in 2006 when he was planning to buy a house in Ibiza next to him – and Noel announced he...
- 11/5/2023
- by Agency News Desk
Los Angeles, Nov 5 (Ians) After slamming ‘Hello’ singer Adele, chart topping singer James Blunt has now turned his anger and condemnation on fellow singers Noel Gallagher and Damon Albarn.
The 49-year-old ‘You’re Beautiful’ hitmaker stunned fans this week when he hit out at 35-year-old Adele to blast her for cancelling live performance dates at the last minute – particularly taking aim at the fact that she cancelled her Las Vegas residency dates when fans were on planes and flying in from all over the world to see her, reports ‘Mirror.co.uk’.
Now James has turned his ire on Oasis star Noel, 56, and Blur frontman Damon, 55.
As per ‘Mirror.co.uk’, taking aim at Noel, James said he was unimpressed when the ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’ singer lashed out at him in 2006 when he was planning to buy a house in Ibiza next to him – and Noel announced he...
The 49-year-old ‘You’re Beautiful’ hitmaker stunned fans this week when he hit out at 35-year-old Adele to blast her for cancelling live performance dates at the last minute – particularly taking aim at the fact that she cancelled her Las Vegas residency dates when fans were on planes and flying in from all over the world to see her, reports ‘Mirror.co.uk’.
Now James has turned his ire on Oasis star Noel, 56, and Blur frontman Damon, 55.
As per ‘Mirror.co.uk’, taking aim at Noel, James said he was unimpressed when the ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’ singer lashed out at him in 2006 when he was planning to buy a house in Ibiza next to him – and Noel announced he...
- 11/5/2023
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
Laika, the groundbreaking Portland, Oregon-based animation studio, has brought in new filmmakers in the form of director Pete Candeland and Victor Maldonado and Alfredo Torres, the duo known as Headless, TheWrap has confirmed.
Candeland and Headless will be developing new animated features, although details on those features have yet to be revealed.
Maldonado and Torres won an Annie for an episode of the Guillermo del Toro DreamWorks Animation series “Trollhunters” and have also directed three episodes of Netflix’s adult animated series “Love, Death & Robots.” Maldonado also directed and co-wrote “Nocturna,” a 2007 animated feature. Torres also worked on “Nocturna” as production designer, which won the Best Animated Feature at the Goya Awards. They also worked on the animated sequences from J.A. Bayona’s “A Monster Calls” and were in development at Skydance Animation, which recently moved its feature output from Apple TV+ to Netflix.
Candeland is best known for directing music videos for Gorillaz,...
Candeland and Headless will be developing new animated features, although details on those features have yet to be revealed.
Maldonado and Torres won an Annie for an episode of the Guillermo del Toro DreamWorks Animation series “Trollhunters” and have also directed three episodes of Netflix’s adult animated series “Love, Death & Robots.” Maldonado also directed and co-wrote “Nocturna,” a 2007 animated feature. Torres also worked on “Nocturna” as production designer, which won the Best Animated Feature at the Goya Awards. They also worked on the animated sequences from J.A. Bayona’s “A Monster Calls” and were in development at Skydance Animation, which recently moved its feature output from Apple TV+ to Netflix.
Candeland is best known for directing music videos for Gorillaz,...
- 10/26/2023
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
Exclusive: Oregon studio Laika has brought in new talent, hiring director Pete Candeland, along with Victor Maldonado & Alfredo Torres, the Annie Award-winning duo together known as Headless, to develop new animated features.
The appointments are effective immediately, though there’s no word yet on what the projects are.
Maldonado and Torres are an L.A.-based team that landed their Annie for the helming of “Win, Lose or Draal,” an episode of the Guillermo del Toro series Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia, produced by DreamWorks Animation and Double Dare You Productions. The duo also directed three episodes of the Emmy-winning Netflix animated series Love, Death & Robots, additionally partnering on the 2007 fantasy Nocturna which won Best Animated Feature at the Goya Awards, Spain’s equivalent of the Oscars. Maldonado directed that title alongside Adrià García, with Torres serving as production designer and tackling numerous other creative responsibilities.
Maldonado and Torres also...
The appointments are effective immediately, though there’s no word yet on what the projects are.
Maldonado and Torres are an L.A.-based team that landed their Annie for the helming of “Win, Lose or Draal,” an episode of the Guillermo del Toro series Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia, produced by DreamWorks Animation and Double Dare You Productions. The duo also directed three episodes of the Emmy-winning Netflix animated series Love, Death & Robots, additionally partnering on the 2007 fantasy Nocturna which won Best Animated Feature at the Goya Awards, Spain’s equivalent of the Oscars. Maldonado directed that title alongside Adrià García, with Torres serving as production designer and tackling numerous other creative responsibilities.
Maldonado and Torres also...
- 10/25/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
The 16th century literary classic Journey to the West is the mother of all Chinese fantasy. The mythological saga has spawned countless adaptations in various media across Asia and beyond, from the cult late ‘70s Japanese TV series to Peking Opera, videogames, graphic novels and a stage spectacle with a score by Blur frontman Damon Albarn and design elements by Gorillaz illustrator Jamie Hewlett.
Prominent among the innumerable film versions is the 2013 blockbuster Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons, directed by Stephen Chow. A similar livewire action-comedy energy infuses Netflix’s The Monkey King, a children’s animated feature based on the sprawling novel’s most popular strand, on which Chow serves as executive producer.
Following well-received originals like Klaus, Over the Moon, My Father’s Dragon, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio and Richard Linklater’s Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Childhood — plus such smart acquisitions as The Mitchells vs. the Machines...
Prominent among the innumerable film versions is the 2013 blockbuster Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons, directed by Stephen Chow. A similar livewire action-comedy energy infuses Netflix’s The Monkey King, a children’s animated feature based on the sprawling novel’s most popular strand, on which Chow serves as executive producer.
Following well-received originals like Klaus, Over the Moon, My Father’s Dragon, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio and Richard Linklater’s Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Childhood — plus such smart acquisitions as The Mitchells vs. the Machines...
- 8/15/2023
- by David Rooney
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Punchdrunk has released new images of The Burnt City as the show enters its final eight weeks. Following a record-breaking eighteen months in London, the final performance of Punchdrunk’s The Burnt City will be held on 24 September 2023.
Punchdrunk’s The Burnt City. Photo by Julian Abrams
Opening in March 2022, the production has sold over 200,000 tickets. By the time it closes, the show will be the longest running mask show that the company has presented in London.
Over 600 people have worked on the show, making it the largest project in Punchdrunk’s history. The epic retelling of the end of the Trojan war, set between the neon-drenched backstreets of downtown Troy and the menacing but opulent shadow of Greece, is played out across two vast warehouse buildings. Part of the old Woolwich Arsenal, these buildings provide Punchdrunk with its first permanent home in London.
Punchdrunk’s The Burnt City. Photo...
Punchdrunk’s The Burnt City. Photo by Julian Abrams
Opening in March 2022, the production has sold over 200,000 tickets. By the time it closes, the show will be the longest running mask show that the company has presented in London.
Over 600 people have worked on the show, making it the largest project in Punchdrunk’s history. The epic retelling of the end of the Trojan war, set between the neon-drenched backstreets of downtown Troy and the menacing but opulent shadow of Greece, is played out across two vast warehouse buildings. Part of the old Woolwich Arsenal, these buildings provide Punchdrunk with its first permanent home in London.
Punchdrunk’s The Burnt City. Photo...
- 8/1/2023
- by Theater Martin Cid Magazine
- Martin Cid Music
Blur have shared a pair of bonus tracks from their comeback album, The Ballad of Darren, titled “The Rabbi” and “The Swan.” The songs appear on the deluxe edition of their first LP in eight years, which arrived just a few days ago.
Whereas “The Rabbi” speaks of being lost and wonders about “tomorrow’s heroes,” “The Swan” is more personal. On the latter track, Damon Albarn sings about always being there for someone even after a relationship is over with lyrics like, “Do you miss me now I’ve gone?/ Know that I will always be here/ Even though I have to let you go.” Stream both songs below.
Albarn spoke with Consequence about the making of The Ballad of Darren for our latest cover story. He called the project “the first legit [Blur] album since [1999’s] 13” due to the collaboration with guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James, and drummer Dave Rowntree...
Whereas “The Rabbi” speaks of being lost and wonders about “tomorrow’s heroes,” “The Swan” is more personal. On the latter track, Damon Albarn sings about always being there for someone even after a relationship is over with lyrics like, “Do you miss me now I’ve gone?/ Know that I will always be here/ Even though I have to let you go.” Stream both songs below.
Albarn spoke with Consequence about the making of The Ballad of Darren for our latest cover story. He called the project “the first legit [Blur] album since [1999’s] 13” due to the collaboration with guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James, and drummer Dave Rowntree...
- 7/24/2023
- by Eddie Fu
- Consequence - Music
Noel Gallagher Calls Adele’s Singing ‘Offensive’ & ‘Awful,’ Says Sam Smith Is ‘Biggest Idiot Around’
Former Oasis founder Noel Gallagher slammed Adele’s singing, comparing her to 60s singer Cilla Black while describing her music as “offensive” and “f—ing awful.”
Gallagher has been known to sound off on other singers, including Harry Styles, Sam Smith and Damon Albarn.
When Gallagher was asked if he was a fan of Adele and her songs, he replied, “F— off, f—ing hell. Name one? They’re f—ing s—. It’s f—ing awful. It’s f—ing Cilla Black. I find it and that whole thing offensive.”
Noel admitted that he believes the only way Adele will improve is if she performs one of the songs he’s written.
“If I fall out of love with touring, I could see myself just sitting at home writing songs and sending them to my publishers. I might in the future,” Gallagher said on the Matt Morgan podcast. “I’ll be saying,...
Gallagher has been known to sound off on other singers, including Harry Styles, Sam Smith and Damon Albarn.
When Gallagher was asked if he was a fan of Adele and her songs, he replied, “F— off, f—ing hell. Name one? They’re f—ing s—. It’s f—ing awful. It’s f—ing Cilla Black. I find it and that whole thing offensive.”
Noel admitted that he believes the only way Adele will improve is if she performs one of the songs he’s written.
“If I fall out of love with touring, I could see myself just sitting at home writing songs and sending them to my publishers. I might in the future,” Gallagher said on the Matt Morgan podcast. “I’ll be saying,...
- 7/24/2023
- by Nina Hauswirth
- Uinterview
Blur are officially back with The Ballad of Darren, their first album in eight years. Listen to the complete project below via Apple Music and Spotify.
Featuring singles “St. Charles Square” and “The Narcissist” — the latter of which we named Song of the Week — The Ballad of Darren was produced by James Ford. In a statement, Damon Albarn described it as “an aftershock record, reflection and comment on where we find ourselves now.”
Albarn spoke more extensively about the project in our recent cover story on Blur. The LP marked the band’s most collaborative project in years, with bassist Alex James and guitarist Graham Coxon insisting on working out its 10 songs with Albarn. As a result, the singer called The Ballad of Darren “the first legit [Blur] album since [1999’s] 13.”
In his review of the album for Consequence, Associate Editor Paolo Ragusa called The Ballad of Darren an “enjoyable, heartfelt, and contemplative record.
Featuring singles “St. Charles Square” and “The Narcissist” — the latter of which we named Song of the Week — The Ballad of Darren was produced by James Ford. In a statement, Damon Albarn described it as “an aftershock record, reflection and comment on where we find ourselves now.”
Albarn spoke more extensively about the project in our recent cover story on Blur. The LP marked the band’s most collaborative project in years, with bassist Alex James and guitarist Graham Coxon insisting on working out its 10 songs with Albarn. As a result, the singer called The Ballad of Darren “the first legit [Blur] album since [1999’s] 13.”
In his review of the album for Consequence, Associate Editor Paolo Ragusa called The Ballad of Darren an “enjoyable, heartfelt, and contemplative record.
- 7/21/2023
- by Carys Anderson
- Consequence - Music
Blur performed an intimate concert for BBC Radio 2 yesterday at the New Broadcasting House in London. The 13-song performance is available in full to listen to on the BBC website and the British channel has also unveiled videos of several songs.
In one clip, Blur showcase their 1994 hit single “Parklife,” which appeared on the rock band’s LP of the same name. The song has become of the group’s most notable tracks, especially in the U.K. where it has frequently been used as a soccer anthem.
Blur also performed “The Narcissist,...
In one clip, Blur showcase their 1994 hit single “Parklife,” which appeared on the rock band’s LP of the same name. The song has become of the group’s most notable tracks, especially in the U.K. where it has frequently been used as a soccer anthem.
Blur also performed “The Narcissist,...
- 7/19/2023
- by Emily Zemler
- Rollingstone.com
Damon Albarn has characterized Blur’s The Ballad of Darren as “an aftershock record, a reflection and comment on where we find ourselves now.” Indeed, the group’s ninth album embodies just that. At its core, it mourns the heartaches, perils of fame, and drug use that the band has grappled with throughout their illustrious 32-year career.
It would be easy, then, for Albarn and company to succumb to creating another typical Blur album that dwells in the past without pushing their music forward in any meaningful way. If not for Alex James’s enchanting basslines, Albarn’s incessant lyrical vulnerability, or the dreamlike orchestration embedded within these songs, it very well could have been just that. Regardless, the album affirms that Blur isn’t ready to get comfortable quite yet.
The Ballad of Darren is Blur’s first album since 2015’s The Magic Whip, and it proves that absence...
It would be easy, then, for Albarn and company to succumb to creating another typical Blur album that dwells in the past without pushing their music forward in any meaningful way. If not for Alex James’s enchanting basslines, Albarn’s incessant lyrical vulnerability, or the dreamlike orchestration embedded within these songs, it very well could have been just that. Regardless, the album affirms that Blur isn’t ready to get comfortable quite yet.
The Ballad of Darren is Blur’s first album since 2015’s The Magic Whip, and it proves that absence...
- 7/18/2023
- by Dana Poland
- Slant Magazine
Count The Hives among Arctic Monkeys’ legions of fans. In a new interview with NME, singer Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist shouted out the English rockers as “the only good really popular band” around these days.
“I think the Arctic Monkeys are fucking amazing,” Almqvist said. “Like, that’s the only good really popular band, and that’s not easy to do.”
The singer’s praise comes after The Hives supported Arctic Monkeys on a recent tour of the UK, marking a full circle moment for the bands; Almqvist revealed that the English rockers were inspired by his band and The Strokes in their early days as a group, and the two previously toured together a decade ago, before the Hives went on hiatus. “It’s a really great tour to be on,” he said. Watch the band’s new NME interview below; their comments regarding Arctic Monkeys begin around the 2:30 mark.
“I think the Arctic Monkeys are fucking amazing,” Almqvist said. “Like, that’s the only good really popular band, and that’s not easy to do.”
The singer’s praise comes after The Hives supported Arctic Monkeys on a recent tour of the UK, marking a full circle moment for the bands; Almqvist revealed that the English rockers were inspired by his band and The Strokes in their early days as a group, and the two previously toured together a decade ago, before the Hives went on hiatus. “It’s a really great tour to be on,” he said. Watch the band’s new NME interview below; their comments regarding Arctic Monkeys begin around the 2:30 mark.
- 7/16/2023
- by Carys Anderson
- Consequence - Music
Damon Albarn’s rock-centric outfit Blur are preparing to release The Ballad of Darren, their first album in eight years, yet the frontman recently revealed that he believes the title of “the last great guitar band” belongs to Arctic Monkeys.
In an interview on the music podcast Broken Record, Albarn shared, “I feel like there’s a bit more excitement about guitar music again, that can’t be a bad thing because it got so sterile. For me, the last great guitar band would have been Arctic Monkeys and I don’t really know if there’s anything as good as that since.”
Although his observation of rock’s recent past reads like a death knell, he appeared more optimistic for its future, noting that “there are bands with a huge amount of potential. It’s really dismantled itself — guitar music — and put itself back together again in a different form.
In an interview on the music podcast Broken Record, Albarn shared, “I feel like there’s a bit more excitement about guitar music again, that can’t be a bad thing because it got so sterile. For me, the last great guitar band would have been Arctic Monkeys and I don’t really know if there’s anything as good as that since.”
Although his observation of rock’s recent past reads like a death knell, he appeared more optimistic for its future, noting that “there are bands with a huge amount of potential. It’s really dismantled itself — guitar music — and put itself back together again in a different form.
- 7/14/2023
- by Bryan Kress
- Consequence - Music
The perpetually busy Damon Albarn has revealed he is working on another opera. As part of our latest cover story, the Blur and Gorillaz frontman tells Consequence he is putting German playwright Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s The Magic Flute Part Two to music for the first time.
“I got offered this amazing opportunity to set Goethe’s Magic Flute Part Two to music and song,” says Albarn, who previously created an opera based on Elizabethan scientist John Dee in 2011. “I’m kind of teaching myself Goethe, which is not as great a task as it would have been if I hadn’t done a lot of study about, you know, other Renaissance men like Dr. John Dee. I’ve got a lot of the bases because I had to go a long way back to even vaguely understand what that was about. So, I did a lot of that 10 years ago.
“I got offered this amazing opportunity to set Goethe’s Magic Flute Part Two to music and song,” says Albarn, who previously created an opera based on Elizabethan scientist John Dee in 2011. “I’m kind of teaching myself Goethe, which is not as great a task as it would have been if I hadn’t done a lot of study about, you know, other Renaissance men like Dr. John Dee. I’ve got a lot of the bases because I had to go a long way back to even vaguely understand what that was about. So, I did a lot of that 10 years ago.
- 7/13/2023
- by Eddie Fu
- Consequence - Music
Blur continued the march toward their reunion album, The Ballad of Darren, Thursday with the LP’s latest single, the Britpop throwback “St. Charles Square.”
“I was just really relieved it went this way in the studio,” Damon Albarn told Apple Music Radio of the track following its premiere Thursday. “It’s got that chug to it. But Graham [Coxon] really went with that. And yeah, it’s got an amazing atmosphere. Everybody’s playing really well on that thing.”
Albarn also discussed the vibes around The Ballad of Darren, the...
“I was just really relieved it went this way in the studio,” Damon Albarn told Apple Music Radio of the track following its premiere Thursday. “It’s got that chug to it. But Graham [Coxon] really went with that. And yeah, it’s got an amazing atmosphere. Everybody’s playing really well on that thing.”
Albarn also discussed the vibes around The Ballad of Darren, the...
- 6/29/2023
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
Blur are back with “St. Charles Square,” the second look at their upcoming album The Ballad of Darren. Listen to the single below.
“St. Charles Square is a place where the ghosts of monsters can be found,” says Damon Albarn of the song, which infuses Blur’s classic Britpop with a bit of a garagey, post-punk revivalist slant.
“‘Cause there is something down here/ And it’s living under the floorboards/ It’s grabbed me ’round the neck with its long and slender claws,” Albarn sings in a brooding drawl.
Out in full July 14th, The Ballad of Darren marks Blur’s first album since 2015’s The Magic Whip. The band announced the project last month with “The Narcissist,” which we named Song of the Week. Pre-orders for the LP are ongoing.
Blur are in the midst of a global reunion tour. Check out videos from their first show in eight years,...
“St. Charles Square is a place where the ghosts of monsters can be found,” says Damon Albarn of the song, which infuses Blur’s classic Britpop with a bit of a garagey, post-punk revivalist slant.
“‘Cause there is something down here/ And it’s living under the floorboards/ It’s grabbed me ’round the neck with its long and slender claws,” Albarn sings in a brooding drawl.
Out in full July 14th, The Ballad of Darren marks Blur’s first album since 2015’s The Magic Whip. The band announced the project last month with “The Narcissist,” which we named Song of the Week. Pre-orders for the LP are ongoing.
Blur are in the midst of a global reunion tour. Check out videos from their first show in eight years,...
- 6/29/2023
- by Carys Anderson
- Consequence - Music
Gorillaz have canceled the US tour they were scheduled to play this September due to “scheduling conflicts and circumstances beyond our control.”
“We are gutted not to be able to perform for you this year,” the group said in a statement. “We were really looking forward to it and we hope to get back to you again as soon as we can. We love our Gorillaz family and we can’t wait to see you again.”
Refunds for the shows will be issued automatically at your point of purchase; allow up to 30 days for processing.
“The Getaway Shows” were slated to take place at stadiums and amphitheaters in Los Angeles, Austin, Chicago, and Boston with support from Kaytranada, Lil Yachty, and Remi Wolf.
At the time, a press release noted the shows were the final US dates in support of Gorillaz’s latest album, Cracker Island. In April, the band brought out Bad Bunny,...
“We are gutted not to be able to perform for you this year,” the group said in a statement. “We were really looking forward to it and we hope to get back to you again as soon as we can. We love our Gorillaz family and we can’t wait to see you again.”
Refunds for the shows will be issued automatically at your point of purchase; allow up to 30 days for processing.
“The Getaway Shows” were slated to take place at stadiums and amphitheaters in Los Angeles, Austin, Chicago, and Boston with support from Kaytranada, Lil Yachty, and Remi Wolf.
At the time, a press release noted the shows were the final US dates in support of Gorillaz’s latest album, Cracker Island. In April, the band brought out Bad Bunny,...
- 6/22/2023
- by Eddie Fu
- Consequence - Music
Bombay Bicycle Club have announced a new album titled My Big Day, out October 20th via Awal. As a preview, they’ve shared the title track, which you can check out below.
My Big Day was produced by Bombay Bicycle Club vocalist/guitarist Jack Steadman at The Church Studios in North London and the band’s own studio. The LP boasts an impressive list of features including Damon Albarn, Jay Som, Nilüfer Yanya, and Holly Humberstone, as well as a fifth guest that will be revealed this summer.
Though the title track doesn’t feature any special guests, it’s filled with upbeat melodies and guitar riffs. “My Big Day” comes with an accompanying video directed by Everything Everything’s Jon Higgs and Foals percussionist Kit Monteith, in which members of the band spoof the evening news. Watch it below.
My Big Day follows 2020’s Everything Else Has Gone Wrong.
My Big Day was produced by Bombay Bicycle Club vocalist/guitarist Jack Steadman at The Church Studios in North London and the band’s own studio. The LP boasts an impressive list of features including Damon Albarn, Jay Som, Nilüfer Yanya, and Holly Humberstone, as well as a fifth guest that will be revealed this summer.
Though the title track doesn’t feature any special guests, it’s filled with upbeat melodies and guitar riffs. “My Big Day” comes with an accompanying video directed by Everything Everything’s Jon Higgs and Foals percussionist Kit Monteith, in which members of the band spoof the evening news. Watch it below.
My Big Day follows 2020’s Everything Else Has Gone Wrong.
- 6/14/2023
- by Eddie Fu
- Consequence - Music
Gorillaz have announced a short run of shows in the U.S., which will take place in September. Kaytranada, Lil Yachty, and Remi Wolf will support all dates. Per a statement, the trek will mark the group’s final run of U.S. dates in support of Cracker Island, the band’s most recent album featuring Stevie Nicks, Bad Bunny, Beck and more that arrived in February.
Dubbed “The Getaway Shows,” the band will perform at amphitheaters and stadiums in four cities: Los Angeles, Austin, Chicago, and Boston, during the dog days of summer.
Dubbed “The Getaway Shows,” the band will perform at amphitheaters and stadiums in four cities: Los Angeles, Austin, Chicago, and Boston, during the dog days of summer.
- 5/30/2023
- by Althea Legaspi
- Rollingstone.com
Noel Gallagher has opened up about his 2017 collaboration with longtime Oasis rival and Blur frontman Damon Albarn, speculating that a younger version of himself would have responded to news that they had worked together by knifing “[me] in the bollocks.”
Speaking to The Big Issue for their “Letter to My Younger Self” feature, the now-55-year-old Britpop star reflected on singing backing vocals on Gorillaz’s “We Got the Power,” saying, “What would my younger self think of me working with Damon Albarn? It would depend entirely on what side of the bed I got out of that day. If you caught me on a good day I’d be like, ‘Yeah, I could see that happening.’ On a bad day, I’d fucking knife myself in the bollocks.”
Gallagher also reflected on the time he met David Bowie, saying that he has “no recollection whatsoever” of the encounter. “I went...
Speaking to The Big Issue for their “Letter to My Younger Self” feature, the now-55-year-old Britpop star reflected on singing backing vocals on Gorillaz’s “We Got the Power,” saying, “What would my younger self think of me working with Damon Albarn? It would depend entirely on what side of the bed I got out of that day. If you caught me on a good day I’d be like, ‘Yeah, I could see that happening.’ On a bad day, I’d fucking knife myself in the bollocks.”
Gallagher also reflected on the time he met David Bowie, saying that he has “no recollection whatsoever” of the encounter. “I went...
- 5/22/2023
- by Jo Vito
- Consequence - Music
On “The Narcissist,” Blur’s first new song in eight years, Damon Albarn sings about looking in the mirror and seeing a Pierrot (a commedia dell’arte clown) looking back at him as he attempts to rebuild his ego. “If you see darkness look away,” he sings at one point, before the upbeat chorus kicks in: “I’m going to shine a light in your eyes/You will probably shine it back on me/But I won’t fall this time.” The track is the first taste of the band’s upcoming album,...
- 5/18/2023
- by Kory Grow
- Rollingstone.com
Blur have announced The Ballad of Darren, their first album in eight years. The project arrives in full July 14th, while lead single “The Narcissist” is out now.
Produced by James Ford, The Ballad of Darren is described by frontman Damon Albarn as, “an aftershock record, reflection and comment on where we find ourselves now.”
Pre-orders for The Ballad of Darren are ongoing, and the album’s artwork and tracklist are available to view below. Blur’s ninth LP follows 2015’s The Magic Whip. Despite the gap, Albarn’s stayed busy with Gorillaz; everyone’s favorite animated band released their latest record, Cracker Island, earlier this year.
In addition to new music, the freshly reunited Blur are about to embark on their first tour since 2015 with shows in the UK, Europe, Japan, and South America. Tickets are available through Viagogo.
The Ballad of Darren Artwork:
The Ballad of Darren Tracklist:...
Produced by James Ford, The Ballad of Darren is described by frontman Damon Albarn as, “an aftershock record, reflection and comment on where we find ourselves now.”
Pre-orders for The Ballad of Darren are ongoing, and the album’s artwork and tracklist are available to view below. Blur’s ninth LP follows 2015’s The Magic Whip. Despite the gap, Albarn’s stayed busy with Gorillaz; everyone’s favorite animated band released their latest record, Cracker Island, earlier this year.
In addition to new music, the freshly reunited Blur are about to embark on their first tour since 2015 with shows in the UK, Europe, Japan, and South America. Tickets are available through Viagogo.
The Ballad of Darren Artwork:
The Ballad of Darren Tracklist:...
- 5/18/2023
- by Carys Anderson
- Consequence - Music
Henry Rollins thought he had it rough when, on Black Flag’s 1984 album Slip It In, he sang about “drinking black coffee, black coffee, drinking black coffee, staring at the wall.” But, hey, at least he got coffee.
That’s more than Jane, the protagonist of The Yellow Wallpaper, has.
Played by Alexandra Loreth (who also co-wrote the script with director K Pontuti), Jane is a woman in America during the 1800s, which means she’s basically a second-class citizen. She has, however, fulfilled her sole purpose in life, at least according to the patriarchal attitudes of the time: she’s given birth to a child.
Now, as a treatment for postpartum depression (once believed to be a byproduct of “female hysteria”), Jane is taken to a remote country manor to “rest.” In other words, she’s confined to a small bedroom with bars on the windows and furniture nailed to the floor.
That’s more than Jane, the protagonist of The Yellow Wallpaper, has.
Played by Alexandra Loreth (who also co-wrote the script with director K Pontuti), Jane is a woman in America during the 1800s, which means she’s basically a second-class citizen. She has, however, fulfilled her sole purpose in life, at least according to the patriarchal attitudes of the time: she’s given birth to a child.
Now, as a treatment for postpartum depression (once believed to be a byproduct of “female hysteria”), Jane is taken to a remote country manor to “rest.” In other words, she’s confined to a small bedroom with bars on the windows and furniture nailed to the floor.
- 5/8/2023
- by Dr. Dobermind
- Horror Asylum
Little Dragon have announced their new album Slugs of Love, out July 7th via Ninja Tune. The Swedish electronic band has also shared the latest preview, “Kenneth,” and its accompanying video.
Recorded at Little Dragon’s Gothenburg Studio, the 11-track album blends soulful pop, electronics, and R&b. It includes features from their prior collaborator Damon Albarn (“Glow”) and Dreamville rapper Jid (“Stay”).
“We’ve been exploring different ways to collaborate and communicate. Dissolving patterns and making new ones,” the band said in a statement about the project. “Nurturing our ability to curiously press down keys, to bang — sometimes hard sometimes gently — on different things, strumming strings, recording sounds and investigating the limits for how much or little a sound can be tweaked.”
The new single “Kenneth” is about “getting caught in bitterness and taking the wrong turn mentally,” the band explained in a statement. Over a grooving bassline, vocalist Yukimi Nagano sings,...
Recorded at Little Dragon’s Gothenburg Studio, the 11-track album blends soulful pop, electronics, and R&b. It includes features from their prior collaborator Damon Albarn (“Glow”) and Dreamville rapper Jid (“Stay”).
“We’ve been exploring different ways to collaborate and communicate. Dissolving patterns and making new ones,” the band said in a statement about the project. “Nurturing our ability to curiously press down keys, to bang — sometimes hard sometimes gently — on different things, strumming strings, recording sounds and investigating the limits for how much or little a sound can be tweaked.”
The new single “Kenneth” is about “getting caught in bitterness and taking the wrong turn mentally,” the band explained in a statement. Over a grooving bassline, vocalist Yukimi Nagano sings,...
- 5/3/2023
- by Eddie Fu
- Consequence - Music
Next month, Blur is set to return to the road for her first live shows in eight years. Since confirming their initial comeback, the band has added to her upcoming itinerary with newly announced dates in the UK, Europe, Japan, and South America.
Beginning next month, Blur will play a string of UK warmup shows ahead of festival appearances at Primavera Sound in Barcelona and Madrid. The band’s upcoming itinerary also includes headlining dates in Ireland and The Netherlands, as well as appearances at Denmark’s Roskilde Festival, Norway’s Øya Festival, and Finland’s Flow Festival. They’re also set to visit South America in November. Check out the band’s updated tour itinerary below.
Tickets to Blur’s upcoming tour dates can be purchased here.
Blur last embarked on a tour in 2015 in support of their album, The Magic Whip. In 2019, they reunited for a brief three-song...
Beginning next month, Blur will play a string of UK warmup shows ahead of festival appearances at Primavera Sound in Barcelona and Madrid. The band’s upcoming itinerary also includes headlining dates in Ireland and The Netherlands, as well as appearances at Denmark’s Roskilde Festival, Norway’s Øya Festival, and Finland’s Flow Festival. They’re also set to visit South America in November. Check out the band’s updated tour itinerary below.
Tickets to Blur’s upcoming tour dates can be purchased here.
Blur last embarked on a tour in 2015 in support of their album, The Magic Whip. In 2019, they reunited for a brief three-song...
- 4/27/2023
- by Alex Young
- Consequence - Music
Chat with Jelani Blackman and it’s easy to understand why a person might want to confide in him. Warm and enigmatic, the musician is the kind of guy you feel comfortable opening up to. Just ask comedian Seann Walsh, who apparently stumbled across the south-London artist at a tapas bar on Portobello Road in 2018, immediately after photos emerged of him kissing his married Strictly Come Dancing partner, Katya Jones.
“It was so mad,” the 29-year-old recalls, taking a sip of his pint. “I didn’t really know who he was, but he was crying. We had a long heart-to-heart, just standing outside the restaurant after it all came out...”
The Walsh encounter is, arguably, a rare example of Blackman being in the right place at the right time. Despite his unique voice – a baritone growl so deep it resonates in the pit of your stomach – he has flown under...
“It was so mad,” the 29-year-old recalls, taking a sip of his pint. “I didn’t really know who he was, but he was crying. We had a long heart-to-heart, just standing outside the restaurant after it all came out...”
The Walsh encounter is, arguably, a rare example of Blackman being in the right place at the right time. Despite his unique voice – a baritone growl so deep it resonates in the pit of your stomach – he has flown under...
- 4/23/2023
- by Roisin O'Connor
- The Independent - Music
Bad Bunny was his own opening act — in a way — before his Friday night headlining gig at Coachella as the singer made a surprise appearance during Gorillaz’ set to perform their collaboration “Tormenta” together for the first time.
Damon Albarn and Gorillaz — who for the past two Fridays had the slot before Bad Bunny on the main stage — also played “Tormenta” during Weekend One, but they were accompanied by Bad Bunny’s prerecorded vocals for that rendition. This time around, the masked Puerto Rican star himself joined in for the...
Damon Albarn and Gorillaz — who for the past two Fridays had the slot before Bad Bunny on the main stage — also played “Tormenta” during Weekend One, but they were accompanied by Bad Bunny’s prerecorded vocals for that rendition. This time around, the masked Puerto Rican star himself joined in for the...
- 4/22/2023
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
“I’m sorry, but weekend two is better than weekend one,” said Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn prior to closing out the band’s Friday night set at Coachella. He wasn’t kidding, as over the course of the hour-plus performance Gorillaz were joined by a star-studded ensemble that included the likes of Bad Bunny, Beck, De La Soul, Yassiin Bey (a.k.a. Mos Def), Del the Funky Homosapien, Little Simz, Thundercat, and more.
Bad Bunny joined Gorillaz for the first live performance of “Tormenta” from the band’s latest album, Cracker Island. Following their late-night performance on Kimmel, Beck teamed up with Gorillaz on “The Valley of the Pagans.” Other collaborators included Yasiin Bey (“Sweepstakes”), Little Simz (“Garage Palace”), Del the Funky Homosapien, and De La Soul (“Feel Good Inc.”).
See the full setlist and watch fan-captured footage below. You can check out all of our Coachella 2023 coverage here.
Bad Bunny joined Gorillaz for the first live performance of “Tormenta” from the band’s latest album, Cracker Island. Following their late-night performance on Kimmel, Beck teamed up with Gorillaz on “The Valley of the Pagans.” Other collaborators included Yasiin Bey (“Sweepstakes”), Little Simz (“Garage Palace”), Del the Funky Homosapien, and De La Soul (“Feel Good Inc.”).
See the full setlist and watch fan-captured footage below. You can check out all of our Coachella 2023 coverage here.
- 4/22/2023
- by Alex Young
- Consequence - Music
Gorillaz stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live to perform their recent single “Possession Island,” which features Beck. Accompanied by a video of the animated Gorillaz characters, the group gave the song an emotive rendition complete with a horn section. At the end, Beck joined Damon Albarn at his piano for a final duet.
Gorillaz and Beck originally debuted “Possession Island” in September during a star-studded show at the Forum in Los Angeles. The song appears on the group’s eighth album, Cracker Island, which dropped in February via Warner Records.
The...
Gorillaz and Beck originally debuted “Possession Island” in September during a star-studded show at the Forum in Los Angeles. The song appears on the group’s eighth album, Cracker Island, which dropped in February via Warner Records.
The...
- 4/20/2023
- by Emily Zemler
- Rollingstone.com
De La Soul have been close collaborators with Gorillaz dating back to their appearance on the 2005 hit “Feel Good Inc.,” but it turns out they were originally supposed to guest on a completely different song. During a recent episode of Kyle Meredith With…, De La Soul co-founder Maseo revealed that Damon Albarn initially suggested they appear on a different Demon Days single: “Kids with Guns.”
“When we went to do ‘Feel Good Inc.’, the initial song was ‘Kids with Guns,'” Maseo recalls. “When we were having a conversation about ‘Kids with Guns,’ I honestly came out and said, ‘Hey man, I think we forcing it.’ I said, ‘I don’t think this is the record. I think we’re not really collaborating, we’re just featuring on the record. It’s like Gorillaz featuring De La. We really need to do like a collaboration, where we both artistically show our flavor.
“When we went to do ‘Feel Good Inc.’, the initial song was ‘Kids with Guns,'” Maseo recalls. “When we were having a conversation about ‘Kids with Guns,’ I honestly came out and said, ‘Hey man, I think we forcing it.’ I said, ‘I don’t think this is the record. I think we’re not really collaborating, we’re just featuring on the record. It’s like Gorillaz featuring De La. We really need to do like a collaboration, where we both artistically show our flavor.
- 4/10/2023
- by Eddie Fu
- Consequence - Music
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