Damon Albarn

Damon Albarn (born 23 March 1968) is an English musician, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. He is the frontman of the Britpop/alternative rock band Blur as well as co-founder, vocalist and principal songwriter of virtual band Gorillaz. Raised in Leytonstone, East London and around Colchester, Essex, Albarn attended Stanway Comprehensive School, where he met Graham Coxon and eventually formed Blur whose debut album, Leisure, was released in 1991 to mixed reviews. After spending long periods of time touring the United States, Albarn's songwriting became increasingly influenced by British bands from the 1960s. The result of these influences came in the form of Modern Life Is Rubbish (1993), Parklife (1994) and The Great Escape (1995). All three albums received widespread critical acclaim while Blur gained mass popularity in the UK, aided by a rivalry shared with Oasis. (read more on wikipedia)
==Links To Peel==
:"I quite like the fact that despite his position, he's prepared to set himself up to have the piss taken, essentially. I don't think he will do, because I think it's a good record. But at the same time, taking a bit of a chance. And that's always good." (03 December 2003)
Peel wasn't much of a fan of Blur (including publicly apologising to singer Damon Albarn in 1995 on What The Magazines Say after Peel's son, William, claimed that his father was obnoxious to Albarn at the Phoenix Festival) until the late 90's, when the band displayed a lo-fi American rock influence with their self-titled album, released in 1997. Following the group's initial split in 2002, he took an interest in the musical pursuits of the former members. Peel wasn't that keen on Damon Albarn's Gorillaz project, but did give airplay to Albarn's 2003 demo LP 'Democrazy', which was a compilation of 14 original solo demos recorded in hotel rooms during a tour with Blur. The track "I Need A Gun" from the 'Democrazy' LP was later reworked into the Gorillaz track 'Dirty Harry', a top 10 UK hit in December 2005. After Peel's death, Albarn paid tribute to the man on John Peel's Record Box, broadcast on Channel 4 in 2005.
==Shows Played==
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;2003
*03 December 2003: I Need A Gun (LP - Democrazy) Honest Jon's 
*16 December 2003: 'Reedz (LP- DemoCrazy)' (Honest Jon's)
*18 December 2003 (Radio Eins): Five Star Life (LP - Democrazy) Honest Jon's
*24 December 2003: 'Half A Song (10 inch LP-Democrazy)' (Honest Jon's)
*26 December 2003 (BBC World Service): Five Star Life (LP - Democrazy) Honest Jon's
;2004
*28 January 2004: A Rappy Song (Album: Democrazy) Honest Jon's Records
*16 December 2004: Behind The Sun / Strange News From Another Star  
==External Links==
*Wikipedia
*Discogs
*Official Website
Category:Artists