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Oct 31, 2018 Damon Albarn By Christopher Roberts

The Good, The Bad, & The Queen are releasing their long-awaited sophomore album, Merrie Land, on November 16. Previously they shared its title track (which was one of our Songs of the Week). Now the super-group has stopped by the BBC music show Later… with Jools Holland to perform “Merrie Land.” The band features Damon Albarn (of Blur and Gorillaz), Afrobeat legend Tony Allen, Paul Simonon (of The Clash), and Simon Tong (of The Verve). Watch the string-backed performance below.

The Good, The Bad, & The Queen released their debut album way back in 2007 and have long been teasing its follow-up (of course Albarn has kept very busy in the last 11 years). Merrie Land was produced by the band with Tony Visconti (David Bowie). A previous press release said the songs were written as Brexit was being negotiated and the UK is attempting to leave the European Union, which creates “a reluctant good-bye letter, a series of observations and reflections on Britishness in 2018.”

The previous press release further described the album: “Merrie Land‘s focus moves beyond GBQ’s London-themed first album to a wider land, with a beautiful and hopeful paean to the Britain of today, an inclusive Britain, currently in an Anglo-Saxostentialist crises at the end of a relationship, wondering what might be salvaged. Could there be a more perfect band - with their creative symbiosis of pasts and present and shared acclaimed music histories - to reflect on the anticipation, disorientation and confusion of current life.”

Gorillaz released a new album, The Now Now, back in June via Warner Bros.

The Good, The Bad, & The Queen Tour Dates:

12-01 Blackpool, England - The North Pier
12-02 Glasgow, Scotland - SWG3
12-04 London, England - Hackney Arts Centre
12-05 London, England - Hackney Arts Centre
12-06 London, England - Hackney Arts Centre

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