🎤 Blur, Beats & Bizarre Facts: 3 Things You Never Knew About Damon Albarn
By Fat Hen And Flo
I’ve got a soft spot for British music legends - especially the ones who make you go, “Wait, he did what now?” Which brings me neatly to Damon Albarn, my latest pop culture obsession and the face of a brand-new gift launch I’m just a tiny bit too excited about (I had a poster of Damon on my wall at art school and there may be a picture of him on my phone screensaver...).
But rather than give you the usual spiel about Blur and Gorillaz (because honestly, if you don’t already know he gave us Song 2 and a melancholic cartoon monkey in one lifetime, where have you been?!), I thought I’d dig a little deeper.
So pop the kettle on, settle into your comfiest chair, and enjoy these three gloriously weird and wonderful facts about Damon Albarn that you can now use to impress people at dinner parties, pub quizzes, or awkward family gatherings. You’re welcome.
🎭 1. Damon Albarn Wrote an Opera… in Swahili. Yes, Really.
Now, Damon’s musical resume already reads like a fever dream. Blur? Check. Gorillaz? Double check. But just when you think you’ve got him figured out, he casually drops a fact like, “Oh, I also composed an opera that includes lyrics in Swahili.”
Sorry, what now?
It’s true. Damon’s musical adventures have taken him far beyond Britpop and into the world of African rhythms and experimental classical music. He co-created a piece called “In C Mali”, which fuses minimalist music by Terry Riley with Malian musicians - and yes, some Swahili sprinkled in for good measure.
I don't know about you, but this makes my GCSE French feel deeply underwhelming and useless.
Anyway, this globetrotting genre-hopper isn’t just a Britpop icon - he’s a full-blown cultural sponge with an ear for sounds from every corner of the planet. If anyone deserves to immortalised in a tin, it’s him.
🧳 2. His Solo Album Was Basically One Long Hotel Room Rant
I’ve had those deep-thinking moments in hotel rooms - you know, the kind where you sit on the edge of the bed wondering if the kettle works and why they have such ugly mugs in Premier Inn - sorry Premier Inn, your beds are great - the glass mugs are just wrong.
Damon Albarn, meanwhile, used that moment to write an entire album.
His 2014 solo project, “Everyday Robots,” wasn’t just his first full-length solo album - it was practically a travel diary set to music. He wrote much of it on his laptop in hotel rooms while flitting around the world, and the result is a dreamy, disconnected, introspective collection of tracks that sound exactly like jet lag feels.
So while I was Googling “where can I get a decent Flat White?,” Damon was pondering the meaning of life and turning it into song. Casual.
🕵️♂️ 3. He Was in a Band With… Moriarty from Sherlock?!
What did you say? I know, right! Who knew. Before Blur, before Gorillaz, and definitely before he started composing multilingual operas, teenage Damon was in a band called Two’s a Crowd. And who else was in that band? Only flipping Andrew Scott, aka Moriarty from BBC’s Sherlock and Hot Priest from Fleabag.
I am obsessed with this mental image: teenage Damon on keys, teenage Andrew looking moody and intense in a second-hand denim jacket, plotting world domination between guitar riffs. It’s like a Britpop-meets-BBC-fan-fiction crossover I never knew I needed.
The band didn’t last (tragic), but just imagine if it had. Blur featuring the Hot Priest? A Gorillaz music video with Moriarty smirking in the background? Absolute chaos—in the best way.
Have you already got yourself a Tinned Andrew Scott? Why not?
So Why Damon?
I'm a Blur fan from the Oasis Blur battle days. A back catalogue full of bangers and a career full of surprises and innovation. Damon Albarn ticks all the boxes - and then adds ten more I didn’t even know I wanted.
He’s the kind of cultural shapeshifter who never sticks to the script. He writes his own - and then sets it to music, sometimes in multiple languages, usually in odd time signatures, and occasionally with cartoon animals. And I am 100% here for it.
So to celebrate this gloriously brilliant man, I’ve launched the Damon Albarn Idol range in his honour. Whether you’re a Blur devotee, a Gorillaz enthusiast, or just someone who enjoys a cracking celebrity fact, my Damon-themed Tinned Idol (or Sew Your Own Kit or huggable cushion—pick your poison) is here to add a bit of cool chaos to your daily brew.
Grab one now and you’ll always have a little Albarn magic with your morning cuppa.
***Susan Recommends***
💿 Want More Damon?
Because once you’ve stitched your own Damon Albarn or popped him on a shelf in Tinned Idol glory, you might find yourself craving just a little more Albarn in your life. Don’t worry, I’ve got you.
Here are three handpicked Damon delights—for your ears, eyes, and very cool coffee table:
🎧 1. Damon Albarn x Zane Lowe Interview
In this rare and lovely Apple Music chat, Damon gets deep about nostalgia, creativity, and why he’s still making music that matters. Zane Lowe knows how to get people talking, and Damon delivers - reflective, funny, and quietly rebellious as ever.
→ Listen on Apple Music or YouTube
📖 2. Britpop!: Cool Britannia and the Spectacular Demise of English Rock
Want the full Blur-vs-Oasis gossip with some actual context? This book by John Harris is the Britpop bible. Damon, Parklife, Tony Blair, bucket hats... it’s all in there. A cracking read and a great reminder that the ’90s were weird, loud, and often ridiculous.
Highly recommended if you like your music history with a side of eye-rolling.
💿 3. Everyday Robots – Damon Albarn (2014 Solo Album)
If Tinned Damon is the life of the shelf, this album is the soulful, sad-eyed version. It’s reflective, beautiful, and full of subtle layers. A great listen for a quiet afternoon or while crafting your own Sew Your Own Idol.
Also: it looks absolutely stunning on vinyl. Just saying.
💬 Got a favourite Damon deep cut? Drop me a message or tag @fat_hen_and_flo on Insta with your best Albarn-inspired creations.
Thanks for popping by my little corner of the internet. You can check out the full Damon drop [here] (insert your product link!), and don’t forget to follow me for more cheeky dives into pop culture, odd facts, and lovingly designed gifts for the delightfully obsessed.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to search for Two’s a Crowd demos like my life depends on it…
Disclaimer. Fun facts are collected from a range of sources over many years and scribbled in notebooks waiting to be blogged, sources include, but are not limited to, the interweb, hearsay and eavesdropping in record shops. I cannot verify the accuracy of the facts but I hope to bring a fleeting moment of 'oooh, how interesting, surely that can't be true, but maybe it is though' fun to your day.