Damon Albarn Has Choice Words For Coachella Crowd After Lukewarm Response To Band's Performance

"You’re never seeing us again, so you might as well f***ing sing..."
Damon Albarn on stage at Coachella on Saturday night
Damon Albarn on stage at Coachella on Saturday night
VALERIE MACON via Getty Images

Blur frontman Damon Albarn had some choice words for the crowd at Coachella over the weekend, after festival-goers didn’t exactly give the band the warmest of receptions.

The British group performed at the US festival on Saturday night, delivering a set that included classic hits and new material.

However, the crowd at Coachella (where Grammy-winning rapper Tyler, The Creator was Saturday night’s headliner) didn’t exactly seem too fussed about the fact they were watching British rock royalty.

In particular, Damon seemed displeased at not being able to get the crowd singing along with hit single Girls & Boys, despite his best efforts.

You’re never seeing us again, so you might as well fucking sing it,” he told the crowd towards the end of the song, adding: “Know what I’m saying?”

As clips of the set began being shared across social media, they sparked plenty of debate about if the crowd actually “deserved” to see Blur – or whether the Britpop group were an appropriate booking for such a prominent slot on the Coachella line-up.

most of these ppl at coachella don’t even know how lucky they are to see blur THAT SHOULD BE MEE pic.twitter.com/D8HYRnktnR

— emy (@theamazingemy) April 14, 2024

this coachella crowd doesn’t deserve blur pic.twitter.com/xBpys9qnkP

— music struggles & wins (@musicstruggles1) April 15, 2024

Coachella you do not deserve to be graced by the presence of blur.

— sophia (@miemrie) April 14, 2024

i can’t believe how dead blur’s coachella crowd is … this is how i know living in the uk has formed me as a person bc even me i would be acting like a drunk bald white man in a pub if i was there pic.twitter.com/J558d12fA5

— zoe ☆ 🇬🇭 (@zoesenaa) April 15, 2024

Who the hell booked Blur for Coachella? How the hell are the 21 year old Americans supposed to know this song? https://t.co/8Nmsf2u8Vk

— PaDAN PaDAN (@Daneeeboy) April 14, 2024

Fault is with Blur’s agent for accepting this booking and Goldenvoice for booking them. Wrong festival for Blur. Same thing happened with Stone Roses at Coachella. These British bands have limited cultural impact to Coachella audience https://t.co/YEPIQlmTth

— thomas lennon (@thomas_lennon) April 14, 2024

Booking Blur at a late spot doing Coachella in 2024 is a fireable offense.

And I *like* Blur. https://t.co/pewBpB6TI5

— Troynelious Q. (@TheArnold_SoM) April 14, 2024

comments like this make me lol because coachella did use to be the one place you could expect to catch bands like blur at pic.twitter.com/IN0cl3iIx6

— erika (business bitch) (@shrugemoji) April 15, 2024

Blur’s set also included a version of their rousing signature tune Song 2 (which, to be fair, did get the crowd going), as well as tracks from their chart-topping 2023 album The Ballad Of Darren.

The group also welcomed the Torres Martinez Cahuilla Bird Singers, a group of indigenous singers from the region where Coachella is held, to the stage towards the end of their set.

Blur performed at the iconic festival on Saturday
Blur performed at the iconic festival on Saturday
Arturo Holmes via Getty Images

Damon Albarn was previously a surprise guest during Billie Eilish’s headlining Coachella set in 2022, joining the two-time Oscar winner for a rendition of her song Getting Older.

While Blur will not return for Coachella’s second weekend, another of Damon’s acts, Gorillaz, will perform a set on Friday night.

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