Blur’s Damon Albarn has always held an interest in/ been a champion of world music, so it’s no surprise when the frontman of one of Brit-pop’s greatest exports sets his sights on an eclectic side gig, as he is currently doing. What is surprising, however, is who will be performing music with him.
Apparently, Albarn is in Mali with Idris Elba, star of Luther and The Wire (with additional appearances in such disparate movies and TV as Prometheus, Pacific Rim, and The Office), to jam with Brian Eno, Yeah Yeah Yeahs guitarist Nick Zinner, Holy Other, Ghostpoet, and a group of Malian musicians. They’re all currently jamming at a community center in Mali’s capital, Bamako. We have no idea, exactly, how Albarn and Elba have joined forces, but we’re awfully intrigued.
The project is part of Albarn’s African Express, which in 2012 hosted “Paul McCarthy and John Paul Jones touring the continent via a train,” according to The AV Club. Elsewhere, on October 19th, the African Express will be getting a benefit show in Marseilles, France, featuring Albarn, Tony Allen, and members of Django Django and The Noisettes.
What do you think of the Damon Albarn/ Idris Elba team-up?
Source: The AV Club