Damon Albarn‘s supergroup The Good, The Bad and the Queen are working on an album inspired by Brexit, it has been revealed.
The band, which consists of Gorillaz and Blur frontman Albarn, The Clash’s Paul Simonon, The Verve’s Simon Tong and Afrobeat’s Tony Allen, released their first and only album back in 2007 and haven’t played live together since 2011. But while many thought the side-project was defunct, Albarn has revealed that he is resurrecting the band and has been working on a new album with them since 2014.
In an interview with Q magazine (via Consequence of Sound), Albarn said that “Brexit has obviously given [The Good, The Bad and the Queen] a wonderful starting point.” The band’s self-titled debut release was a concept album based on life in London, though it’s imaginable that its optimistic tone won’t be echoed by its follow-up. Albarn has been outspoken against Britain’s decision to leave the EU in 2016’s referendum, saying “democracy has failed us” on Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage last year.
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Speaking before his performance alongside the Orchestra of Syrian Musicians, Albarn said: “I have a very heavy heart today. To my mind democracy has failed us because it was ill informed. I want you to know, when we leave here, we can change that decision.”
Damon Albarn is currently preparing for the release of the fifth Gorillaz album, ‘Humanz’.
It’s not yet known when The Good, The Bad and the Queen plan to release their second album, with Albarn currently busy with the upcoming release of Humanz, the fifth album from his band Gorillaz alongside artist Jamie Hewlett. In the same interview, Albarn said that the LP was a “party record about the world going fucking nuts” inspired by the election of Donald Trump. “I told everyone to imagine you’re in America after the inauguration and it’s the worst-case scenario”, he said. “How would you feel that night?”
Hewlett has said that the record is not overtly political, but has instead been inspired by “the world in which [Donald Trump] could get elected”. Humanz is due for release on April 28, with it marking Gorillaz’s first major release since 2010’s The Fall.
