Damon Albarn reveals a new Blur song was inspired by 2014 Sydney hostage siege

'There Are Too Many Of Us' features on new album 'The Magic Whip'


Damon Albarn has discussed a song on the new Blur album inspired by an incident in Sydney in 2014 when terrorists took hold of hostages in a siege. Watch the interview above.

As reported, Blur release new album ‘The Magic Whip’ in April and will headline British Summer Time in London’s Hyde Park on June 20.

Speaking to NME, which is on newsstands now and available digitally, Albarn talks about writing the lyrics for the album while visiting Hong Kong and China as well as the song Pyongyang’, which deals with his experiences visiting North Korea.

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Blur to release first new album for 12 years, ‘The Magic Whip’ – hear first song now

He also reveals the inspiration behind ‘There Are Too Many Of Us’. “Probably the initial idea came from being in a very claustrophobic city,” he says, “but I actually finished the lyric after having come back from Australia. I was there the day they had the hostage situation in the chocolate shop, which was an extraordinary thing to witness. I was staying in a hotel where I could literally see what was going on outside and watch it on television. I’ve never been in that position before, and as a songwriter that was a very interesting standpoint to have. To be seeing something on TV, and then out the window it’s happening. Seeing the reality of what was happening and how it was being distorted through the prism of [the camera] was kind of fascinating.”

The hostage situation Albarn refers to is that of December 2014 when a lone gunman, Man Haron Monis, held 10 customers and eight employees of a Lindt chocolate café hostage in Sydney.

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