Elton John Praises Damon Albarn For Being "British Jewel"

Elton John and Damon Albarn are two of the greatest musicians in the UK. The ‘Rocketman’ singer recently collaborated with Albarn on ‘The Pink Phantom’ for Gorillaz’ latest project ‘Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez’. 

Speaking in a new interview, John praised Albarn for throwing himself into projects that interest him, rather than focusing on what might be deemed more commercially successful.

Elton praises Damon for writing "simple" and provocative songs, while comparing his style as being too complicated. He claims that Damon is the most interesting British musician and called the last Blur album a "masterpiece". 

Damon Albarn clearly looked flattered and told Elton that at the beginning of Blur, his songs were all over the place and he had to stop playing the piano. He said he wanted to write songs like Elton John. 

The two guys have a very good relationship and the bromance is real. 

Watch Elton John interview Damon Albarn below! 

Watch the duo's collaboration below! 

How To Dress Like Damon Albarn in the 90s

Damon Albarn in the 90s was the envy of all men and women. Men wanted to be him, and women wanted to be with him. Let's be honest, Damon Albarn had some of the best fashion sense of any pop star in the 1990s. Here is how you can recreate his signature looks.

1) Tracksuits and Track Wear

Damon Albarn's into sports and athleisure, as seen in his frequent forays into football during the 90s. He is often seen in his Adidas tracksuit sets and Adidas joggers. Adidas is probably Damon Albarn's go-to brand for sports wear. And boy does he look good in them. Damon and many other musicians of the 90s wears his soccer shorts and track clothing as casual clothes, pioneering the athleisure look that's so popular these days. 

Damon is often seen in matching sets which looks quite slick. 

2) Sports Jacket 

No 90s look is complete without a sports jacket. Damon Albarn seems to be wearing an early Adidas windbreaker in the photo above, which won't be available these days but you can find plenty of similar ones on Amazon. We think this lovely jacket is pretty close to Damon's one. Being a bit loose and scruffled, these sports jackets give off a relaxed vibe and can be worn with blue jeans and sneakers for the ultimate Damon Albarn look. 

3) Harrington Jacket

Nothing is more signature for Damon Albarn than a Harrington Jacket. They are slouchy, cool but fitted at the same time. He wears it out when he's drinking, partying or doing press interviews. Harrington Jackets come in a variety of styles and colors, but we think this Levis Harrington Jacket is the closest to what Damon Albarn wears. 

Damon always layers it over his polo shirts and blue jeans. 

4) Fred Perry Polo Shirts

Damon Albarn loves his Fred Perry polo shirts- whether they are striped, plain or just funky. If you're a Blur fan you would know that he has not stopped wearing Fred Perry ever since the 90s. In fact, he is sponsored by Fred Perry for many of his concerts. This is definitely one of Damon's favourite brands and styles, layered over a cool Harrington jacket. 

5) White sneakers

The classic white sneakers is a look that Damon Albarn will not stop wearing in the 1990s. He wears these Nike sneakers everyday (and these Adidas sneakers were also a 90s classic). Damon Albarn seems to like wearing sneakers with obvious logos which contrasts the white surface of the shoes. He has a huge sneaker collection, and these Puma dupes from Amazon are pretty similar too. 

6) Logo Sweaters

We all remember Damon Albarn's signature look from Beetlebum- his gray sweater with stripes was custom made but we have managed to find a similar one here. Tommy Hilfiger sells pretty similar 90s-styled sweaters that resembles Damon's look. These can be layered over jeans and sneakers for a relaxed and casual look. 

7) Logo T-shirts 

If there's no logo on it, it's not a Damon Albarn-type of t-shirt. Known for his eclectic t-shirt collection, the musician is almost never seen without a funky logo t-shirt such as the British Rail T-shirt, 99p t-shirt, Bullseye T-shirt , Parklife t-shirt or the California 86 shirt when out. In fact, it's what makes his style so iconic. 

There are so many t-shirts out there, but slap a logo on it and you'll instantly look like Damon! 

8) Blue Loose Jeans

Loose jeans were the staple item in the wardrobe of any 90s kid. It was all the trend back then and Damon Albarn is no exception. He wears these Blue loose jeans everywhere to photoshoots and concerts. Classic 90s brands such as Levis does a great job at getting that slouchy, casual look that many 90s rock stars swear by. 

9) Converse Sneakers 

Converse sneakers are the norm for Damon Albarn's style lookbook. He has been wearing these deliciously 90s shoes all the way into the 2000s and 2010s. Just take a look at him above, looking all fresh and preppy. Damon Albarn wears converse sneakers with rolled up blue jeans and black socks. The ankle look is very much trending right now. They come in different colors, but white seems to be Damon's favourite look (though he did delve into pink sneakers sometime in the 2000s). 

They look fantastic when paired with Blue loose jeans (the clothing, not the song). 

10) Chelsea Boots

Think Timberland, think Clarks. Think heavy, thick-soled and practical chelsea boots and you've got the very final touches of a Damon Albarn inspired look. Damon loves wearing chelsea boots, having named it one of his favourite shoes in an old interview. Chelsea boots are practical and screams 90s rock chic. 

As always, Damon loves pairing his boots with rolled up jeans and a casual jacket for a complete look. He is often seen in his signature red chelsea boots on stage. 

With these killer items in your wardrobe, you too can look and dress like Damon Albarn in his prime. Notwithstanding, Damon Albarn still dresses like he does in the 1990s today (if you have ever seen him around). 

If you think this article was useful, make sure to share it to any other Blur fans that love 1990s fashion! 

Damon Albarn Starts Online Store 'West Town' With Daughter Missy Albarn

Damon Albarn has started a shop called West Town with his daughter Missy Albarn. 

The Blur frontman, 52, is running an eclectic, eccentric homeware and accessories shop with Missy, who he shares with artist Suzi Winstanley. 

The shop named West Town, which is located in London's fancy area of Westbourne Grove, sells bags, posters, artwork, T-shirts and fabrics. Their website is quirky and dark, and features a variety of eccentric items sourced by the frontman. 

Official documents filed with Companies House have Damon, Suzi and Missy, 21, as co-directors of parent company Westtown 11. 

While non-essential shops have had to temporarily shut due to Covid, West Town still sells its wares online. 

Its website states its mission, saying: "This is not a shop. "This is a magpies' nest of the collected, collated, agitated, acquired, borrowed, found, bought, lost and forgotten. 

"This is a space dreamt up. A space for all the fabrics, sounds, shapes and colours that we've seen or heard. All the fabrics, sounds, shapes and colours that we’ve seen or heard. A counterpoint to pointless spaces, a space for gorgeous things".

West Town is a collective, curating and selling homewares, art, clothing and curiosities from across the globe.

"Magpie" was also a Blur b-side which can be listened to here:

Missy Albarn was born in 1999 and also appears to run a clothing and mask company via Instagram called Saltman Clothing Co. Images show her modelling the clothes and masks. 

Check out West Town's site: https://www.westtownlondon.com (shop address: 1 Westbourne Grove Mews, London, W11 2RU)

5 Facts That Would Surprise You About Damon Albarn

Surprises don't come easy, but with Blur's enigmatic frontman Damon Albarn, there's lots to be shocked about. The frontman isn't exactly uncontroversial with his colourful, creative and at times crazy career in the Britpop realm. Here are 5 facts that would totally shock you about Damon Albarn. 

1) He had a fling with a Spice Girl 

Damon Albarn is rumoured to have a fling with Mel C from Spice Girls back in the 1990s when he was in an on-off relationship with his then girlfriend Justine Frischmann. Spice Girls stars Mel C and Geri Horner were kicked out of a Blur show at the beginning of their career after trying to rush the stage and perform with Damon Albarn. The pair sneaked backstage at the London Astoria gig and decided they'd try to join singer Albarn for a favourite tune, but security guards had other ideas. However, it is rumoured that later on Damon and Mel C just hit off! 

2) He and Justine Frischmann had an Open Relationship (yes there was lots of cheating) 

Damon Albarn's relationship with Justine Frischmann of Elastica (another hugely successful Britpop band) was nothing but normal. They broke up, got back together, went with other people and cheated on each other multiple times. However, this wasn't technically cheating, because they both agreed to an open sort of relationship. While this escapes us normal folks, it's apparently quite common in the music world. Hey, how else would you date a celebrity? 

3) He had a feud with his best friend Graham Coxon 

Graham Coxon is an essential part of Blur, but things were not great between Damon Albarn and Coxon for many years after Blur hit their peak. Reportedly, Graham Coxon suffered from substance abuse and Albarn was moving in a different musical direction. The two just didn't hit off and didn't speak to each other for many years after Blur disbanded. Think Tank, Blur's last album, was written without Coxon's input.

‘It’s something we’ve been thinking about for a while and we’re coming back into focus because Graham and I have reconciled our differences which drove the band apart,’ the singer told Absolute Radio back during Blur's big reunion. 

‘So that’s why we’re back. It feels like the right time.’ Coxon, who has also had solo projects, said he was prepared to forget the feud so they can delight fans at their July comeback in Hyde Park, London. And it worked! 

4) He never got married to the mother of his child Missy Albarn

Damon Albarn does not believe in marriage, nor does his girlfriend Suzi Winstanley. The two are different and very unconventional. Albarn rarely talks about his personal life other than to say that he and Suzi have no plans to marry at all.

“I don’t think she’d marry me. Suzi doesn’t believe in marriage, and nor do I. It’s been so ruined by everybody who’s got divorced.” They've been together for decades and there's no sign of him changing his mind. 

5) He used to do lots of drugs 

We all knew that rock stars partied and they partied hard- but Damon Albarn was a fan of heroine, cocaine and a variety of mind-altering drugs. Albarn has been asked about this before: in No Distance Left To Run, the documentary released after Blur's reunion in 2009, he talks very cagily about this period – when Britpop's garish colour scheme was replaced by much darker shades – and offers nothing more specific than the observation that "a lot of people's lives were fairly muddied by heroin". 

He comes from a bohemian family and has experimented with all sorts of substances, which in part might have helped some of his music. On 13 there was a song titled Caramel, seemingly referring to the brown goo produced when heroin is heated up, and Trimm Trabb, a picture of sedated solitude in which Albarn sings, "I doze, doze away."

If you liked these facts, do share this article to all the Blur fans you would know. Thank you for supporting us! 

Liam Gallagher Said He Would Sing With Damon Albarn For Free

Breaking news: Liam Gallagher has revealed that he would perform with his brother Noel Gallagher and Damon Albarn. 

The Oasis rocker has been in a feud with Damon Albarn since the 1990s but has reportedly made up with Albarn in recent years. He is also estranged from his brother Noel Gallagher after a fall out. 

Asked by a fan if he would perform with the friends and collaborators for a million pounds, he said: "I don't do things for money".

if you get paid 1m£ to sing with damon albarn and noel would you accept?

— cele 🐊🚙 (@soulbends) February 4, 2021

Asked again, he said he would do it for free.

Despite the fact Liam would be willing to get on stage with his brother, he recently revealed to a fan that he "rarely" thinks of an Oasis reunion.

Liam previously discussed why he thinks the pair won't bury the hatchet and suggested it isn't because of him. "I think we're both the problem and the problem is that he thinks he's not the problem," he explained on The Jonathan Ross Show. "He thinks I’m both the problems. Whereas I’m just a problem. I’m half the problem, whereas I can’t be having him thinking I’m the full problem. "He needs to take on some of the problem. The minute he does that we'll move on... He needs to own his problem." 

He added: "No, [I haven't spoken to him]. I don't think it's going to happen."

Yeah

— Liam Gallagher (@liamgallagher) February 4, 2021

Blur and Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn given citizenship of ­Iceland as one of only 30 to get a passport

 DAMON ALBARN once sang about living in a very big house in the country, but now he has upped sticks to reside in a very different location. 

I’ve learned the rocker has been awarded citizenship of ­Iceland and is one of only 30 foreign citizens to make the cut.

He asked officials how he could join the country last March during a holiday there and finally had his wish granted on Thursday. The Blur and Gorillaz frontman has spent 25 years as a frequent visitor to the geyser-filled island, which is 1,200 miles from where he grew up in Essex. He has a home in a suburb of capital city Reykjavik. 

A source said: “Damon is thrilled to now officially be a citizen of Iceland because he knows the country so well. “It has been a constant source of inspiration for him and it is a safe haven right now.

“Apart from anything else, Iceland has just a handful of Covid cases so being there is far better than staying in the UK where he would be stuck inside.” The ruling means he now has the right to live and work in Iceland permanently, without any immigration restrictions. 

The star said he was first inspired to take a trip there in the mid-Nineties after learning the country had black sand. 

Damon explained at the time: “I used to have a recurring dream, as a child, of a black sand beach. “And one hazy, lazy day, I was watching the TV and I saw a programme about Iceland, and they had black beaches. 

“So I got on a plane. I was on my own — I didn’t know anybody. “I went into the street in Laugavegur, where the bars are, and that was it.”

Blur then recorded their self-titled 1997 album there, featuring hits Song 2, On Your Own and Beetlebum. In 2006 he described himself as “a frequent visitor, a sort of migratory bird” to the country. If I were him, I’d feather my nest and stay put there for now till things settle down.

How To Improve Energy Levels - Mindful Matter Review

Have you ever stayed up late listening to Blur and The Beatles and just got so tired the next day? Ever have trouble waking up for work after a bad night's sleep? Ever struggled to manage daily life because you're too tired? Fear not, for today I want to talk about something that's related to life- and this is because health matters no matter how old you are.

The brand I want to feature today on this blog is called Mindful Matter, a UK-based supplements brand that sells magnesium supplements for men and women. Founded by Alex and Sean, the brand's one of the fastest growing supplement brands out there. It's innovative and their supplements benefit customers in over 40 countries. If you're always tired like me, then you'll want to keep on reading about their supplements. 

I want to focus the spotlight on the brand's Magnesium Glycinate supplements as it's one of the best ones that I've tried in a while. I used to take supplements that were in the form of multi-vitamins but I found that they were not as helpful as specific ones that targeted problems that I had. So how does magnesium improve your overall wellbeing? 

Studies show that the majority of the UK population is at risk for magnesium deficiency due to a variety of lifestyle factors, including a diet high in processed food. Health conditions such as Type 2 diabetes or alcohol dependency can make you have low magnesium levels which further damages your body's wellbeing. 

Magnesium is incredibly important for many reasons relating to health. The humble mineral is involved in more than 300 enzymatic reactions in the body. It's important for general health, bone health, helping to keep your blood sugar levels stable, helping your muscles and nerves to properly function, and keeping your blood pressure at a decent level. 

One of the best things about it is how it can help with sleep. As Damon Albarn and Blur's songs constantly says, a lot of people struggle to get a good night's sleep. Magnesium helps regulate the hormone melatonin, which is involved with controlling your circadian rhythm. If you're always staying up late listening to music or reading about the latest celebrity news, then this supplement will greatly improve your sleep schedule and improve your quality of life! Magnesium allows you to take protein and convert it into the chemicals that help you feel sleepy. 

Mindful Matter's magnesium supplements came in a lovely packaging and I'm very impressed with them. They are delivered quickly and efficiently after ordering and the package is very secure. The presentation is lovely and these would make great gifts for anyone. I'd highly recommend them and don't forget to visit their website to learn more. 

5 Facts You Never Knew about Damon Albarn

The Blur frontman has always been a bit mysterious and aloof with his personal stories. But here are 5 fun facts that you probably never knew about the man himself.

1. After his breakup with Justine Frischmann in the late 1990s, there are rumours he dated Melanie C from Spice Girls (Sporty Spice) and Shaznay Lewis from All Saints. He has been seen with them together in house parties hosted by Albarn and Jamie Hewlett in their pad in London during his recovery days. He has always had an open relationship with Justine Frischmann and was caught kissing an Australian DJ back in the days.

2. Blur and the gang used to play a "Punching Game" with each other, where they'd take it in turns to hit each other as hard as they can. Alex James recalls: “There was one tour in America that I had two black eyes,” James claimed. “One from Graham and one from Dave. And Damon broke my nose once. But you know… there was never any question we would split up. We were tighter than ever.” “Dave used to play this game called the Punching Game,” James continued. “We all took it in turns to punch each other. I remember playing it with the bass player from Dinosaur Jr… he was fucking massive. Taller than me. He lumped the shit out of everyone.” In case anyone needs ear infection treatment, heads up to Auris Ear Care a London clinic who does just that and more! 

3. Damon finally admitted to using heroin in his latest autobiographical album Everyday Robots (2015). The song "You and Me", referencing Justine Frischmann and his heroin use, found him admitting his 5-day-a-week regime. He has said that it's a relief that it can all become out in the open, since he was "mysterious" about his heroin usage during the 1990s.

4. Damon has a really close relationship with his daughter Missy Albarn. He always writes songs for her and according to him, she "cries" with embarassment. He also admits that his collaborations in the latest Gorillaz album Humanz is based off Missy's choices and favorites. What a dad!

5. Damon is a perpetual suitor when it comes to collaborations. How he managed to get Lou Reed, the Velvet Underground star on the old Gorillaz album was because he sent in hundreds of songs but were all rejected by Lou Reed. He said the secret to his success is to never give up on pestering the great musicians of his time.

New Gorillaz Track- Strange Timez ft Robert Smith

The latest Gorillaz track on their new album "The Song Machine" is out! Watch below for the full song.