Blur’s second Coachella performance could be their last ever, according to Damon Albarn.
The band returned to the California festival for a second weekend on Saturday (April 20) night and, before performing Tender – the last song of the night – the frontman had a message for fans.
“In the spirit of clarity and truth, this is probably our last gig,” he shared.
Earlier this year, Albarn confirmed the band would embark upon a hiatus after wrapping the campaign for their latest, chart-topping album, ‘The Ballad Of Darren’.
“It is time to wrap up this campaign,” he said. “It’s too much for me. It was the right thing to do and an immense honour to play these songs again, spend time with these guys, make an album, blah-blah-blah.”
He added: “I’m not saying I won’t do it again, it was a beautiful success, but I’m not dwelling on the past.”
It comes after the band hit headlines for their first Coachella set, during which the singer hit out at the crowd over their lacklustre response to Blur’s iconic hit single, Girls & Boys.
In videos shared on social media, he attempts to engage the revellers a number of times, telling them “you can do it better than that”. However, as his efforts continue to receive a lacklustre response, he goes on to tell the crowd the group won’t be back.
He said: “You’re never seeing us again so you might as well fucking sing it. Know what I’m saying?”
By the time they performed their next track, Song 2, things seemed to get better, with Damon addressing a viral TikTok of the song being performed by a hoover.
“This song has been so good to us,” he shared. “But I did get shown a TikTok of it being kind of performed by a vacuum cleaner which is you know…. It is humbling and inspiring at the same time.”
In a review of their latest album, RETROPOP praised ‘The Ballad Of Darren’, writing that the record “reads as a thank you to fans for a lifetime of continued support and a reminder that, decades into their chart-topping run, Blur are very much alive”.
