Damon Albarn Piano Tour, Live Review: bring back Blur!

The Empire, Coventry, December 7 2021

Damon Albarn is one of the seminal British musicians alive today. Once the frontman of Blur back in the 1990s, at the head of the Britpop revolution, and then founder of Gorillaz, seeing him today it is clear that neither his stamina nor skill have ebbed, despite his countenance now resembling Elton John more than the skinny oik of ‘Parklife’. 

In his recent solo album, The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows, Albarn also shows that, despite the overblown epithet, he can turn his hand to sounds most wouldn’t associate with his projects. As with all artists who seek to establish a solo career though, Albarn will always be shadowed by what he has done before. This gig was no different; the audience was there for Blur, or at least what Albarn can now pass off as Blur on piano, and we were not left disappointed. 

Instead of a celebration of Albarn’s latest solo album, this gig was a Blur memorial.

Accompanied by an impressive string section, Albarn began the set with the piano ballads of his recent album, straining initially to reach some high notes but settling into them well in his recognisable timbre. With no familiarity with these pieces before the gig I was going in somewhat blind, but in lyrics if not sound these tracks still retain that to-the-point style so discernible in Blur’s own tracks. 

It was when the cello burst into the opening riff of ‘Beetlebum’ that things really got exciting though, we’d all been waiting for it and with the seven Blur tracks Albarn played in the second half of the set, the energy of the entire audience changed. In quick pursuit of ‘Beetlebum’ came ‘Under the Westway’, ‘My Terracotta Heart’ and to the ecstasy of the crowd, ‘Girls & Boys’, finished off with ‘The Universal’. 

With the Blur songs, out came the phone screens. Everyone strained to capture those moments to the detriment of both their and other audience members’ experiences. To be surrounded by those screens, whilst attempting to simply view Albarn, was incredibly jarring. I’d like to blame it on the more millennial/Gen-X crowd who so enthusiastically sung along to the Blur tunes, but all of us are guilty of it at some point, unable to realise in the moment how our pithy handheld technology can barely do justice to the performance before us. 

Clearly, if Albarn had only played songs from his solo project the crowd would have been disappointed

When those Blur tracks were performed the set came to life in a way Albarn’s solo pieces just couldn’t inspire. Undoubtedly they are well written, and in live rendition have the capacity to lull the audience into something resembling interest, but the HMV Empire was not the venue for such works. Loud rock gigs? Yes! More toned-down piano and orchestral arrangements? No. More often than not I could hear the shouts of the audience over Albarn’s piano playing and it was clear that the repeated shouts of “I love you Damon” were not inspired by the songs from The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows. 

As ‘intimate’ gigs go this one would have been better suited to a more refined venue, ideally with seats, although perhaps I am only saying that because after standing for 90 minutes before Albarn even came on I was ready to fall asleep. 

Instead of a celebration of Albarn’s latest solo album this gig was a Blur memorial, although luckily Albarn’s enthusiasm for playing the Blur tracks meant no tears were shed. 

Clearly, if Albarn had only played songs from his solo project the crowd would have been disappointed. The prominence of Blur songs in the set does perhaps evidence the fact that, as with so many artists seeking to propel solo careers after initially hitting it big in a band, Albarn’s previous success will always outshine his current projects. 

Albarn escaped this with Gorillaz, but that’s a different ballgame. He is talented enough on the piano that, with the strings included, the Blur songs take on a new edge more suited to his age and that of many of his fans. Alone, his solo songs don’t really hold up. But singers grow old too, and things must change. In this tour, Albarn is proving that he is doing so not only in style but with enough zeal that we can certainly expect more shows in the future.