Damon Albarn song performed at anti-nuclear protest

A new Damon Albarn song was performed tonight (March 8) at an anti-nuclear weapon gig.

'5 Minutes To Midnight' was performed by 50-piece choir Sense of Sound on board the Greenpeace boat Arctic Sunrise which was docked on the Thames.

The 25-minute long song had an ambient keyboard backing, over which dialogue was spoken by different members of the choir.

The controversial, thought-provoking spoken word piece incorporated anti-nuclear statements and the history of nuclear weaponry.

Dialogue included the statements: “The target will be a purely military one...384 Hiroshimas..6 million dead...We are not condemned to repeat the lessons of 40 years at the nuclear brink...The price already paid is too clear...It is 5 minutes to midnight. The clock is ticking.”

Speaking earlier on Radio 4's the Today Programme, Albarn said that the song title referred to : “ the change in the status of the doomsday clock which moved from seven to five. Which seems alarmingly close to the witching hour to me.”

He said he hoped the event would bring about a mood change: “It’s a chance to meditate on the realities of Trident. And to dedicate a moment to that thought process. Music should try to slow things down…Dusk on the Thames is a good place for the city to take a deep breath and think about things.

“There’s the beginning of an engagement…There’s a growing sense of anxiety in the artistic community and it’s starting to express itself.”

The performance was also broadcast live at http://www.greenpeace.org and can be accessed for 24 hours.