“I felt bizarrely, in my own insignificant way, partly responsible for it”

Albarn spoke about the result of the 2016 referendum during The Good, The Bad & The Queen's recent run of intimate UK shows

Damon Albarn has recalled his shock at discovering the result of the EU referendum back in 2016, admitting that he “bizarrely, in my own insignificant way, [felt] partly responsible for it”.

The Good, The Bad & The Queen‘s recently-released album ‘Merrie Land’ takes time to tackle the post-Brexit landscape, with Albarn taking the opportunity of reuniting with his side project to articulate his take on the current political climate.

Speaking to the BBC during The Good, The Bad & The Queen’s recent tour of intimate UK venues, Albarn reflected on how he felt upon hearing that the UK had decided to leave the EU back in June 2016.

“I felt bizarrely, in my own insignificant way, partly responsible for it,” Albarn recalled. “The shock I felt that morning [of the referendum result] was indicative of the blasé attitude that we, as Remainers, had felt prior to that day.

“There was a massive and patronising assumption that the rest of the country felt the way we did. So that was my lesson.”

Albarn also voiced his hope that his band’s music could help ‘rekindle’ conversation. “We lost the ability to talk between the tribes. So that’s the hope: That after all this crap we’ve been through, we can actually ask each other the meaningful questions – Who are we? And what do we want to become?”

The Good, The Bad & The Queen will resume their tour on Saturday (December 1) in Blackpool – see their upcoming tour dates below, and grab any remaining tickets here.

DECEMBER
1 – The North Pier, Blackpool
2 – SWG3, Glasgow
4 – Hackney Arts Centre, London
5 – Hackney Arts Centre, London
6 – Hackney Arts Centre, London