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Back to: Archive · 2006 Review of The Good, The Bad & The Queen's first ever performance. From the NME, cover date: 28 October 2006. Damon Albarn launched his new project 'The Good, The Bad & The Queen' with a show for just 150 people in a village pub last week (October 20). The band, which features former Clash bassist Paul Simonon, ex-Verve guitarist Simon Tong and Afrobeat drummer Tony Allen, are set to play London's Roundhouse on Thursday (October 26) at the BBC Electric Proms, but opted for the Pig's Nose Inn in East Prawle, Devon for their first show. Tickets for the "world premiere" cost £10 and saw bemused locals mixing with handfuls of Blur fans who couldn't believe their luck. Although the gig was intended to be a secret warm-up, NME squeezed in to see the group play their Danger Mouse-produced LP a week before its official debut. "This is our first gig ever!" Albarn told the crowd. "We don't have a name, but we're going to play an album called 'The Good The Bad & The Queen' - in order!" Sporting a vaudeville-style top hat, Albarn led the group through the 12-song set, including the title track, 'Kingdom Of Doom' and forthcoming single 'Herculean', in the pub's backroom. With the setting generating a relaxed atmosphere Albarn said afterwards that he'd enjoyed stepping out from behind Gorillaz. "It's good to play in front of people again and I can see now from that [show] that it's going to completely go through the roof when people know the songs," he declared. "It's going to be like the heyday of Blur. All my contemporaries still play on their past glories - that's great if that's what you're happy doing. None of us are playing on our past glories; we're playing on our present glories." Picking the pub because it's close to Albarn's farm - "Yeah, I bought myself a reasonable house in the country!" he joked - the band added they were looking forward to the Roundhouse show. "It's a great venue," explained Simonon. "I used to turn up there with the Sex Pistols, but we were always kicked out! So I used to wander around the roof. I'd climb up there and look through the cracks. I have an affection for the venue." Albarn, meanwhile, added that with the whole of this week's show being streamed online he was eager for fans' reactions. "Because we're playing the album in order you're going to get the whole record two months before it comes out," he explained. "I don't think anyone has done that before but I feel that's the right thing to do. It's good to give you record away completely. If people don't buy it at least they'll hear the live version!" |