the Good, the Bad & the Queen

The Good, the Bad & the Queen began as a solo project by Damon Albarn with production by Danger Mouse. However, by July 2006, the project had become a band,{{cite web|url=http://www.nme.com/news/blur/23752|title=Damon Albarn forms new band|date=28 July 2006|work=NME|access-date=28 July 2006}} with bassist Paul Simonon of the Clash, guitarist Simon Tong of the Verve, and drummer Tony Allen of Fela Kuti's band Africa '70. Albarn met Simonon at the wedding of Clash singer Joe Strummer in 1997, and Tong had worked with Albarn on Blur's 2003 Think Tank tour, filling in as guitarist following the departure of Graham Coxon.{{Cite news|last=Williams|first=Murphy|date=2007-01-20|title=Songs of experience|language=en-GB|work=The Telegraph|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/3662657/Songs-of-experience.html|access-date=2020-04-16|issn=0307-1235}} Allen contacted Albarn after hearing the 2000 Blur single "Music Is My Radar", which references him.

The Good, the Bad & the Queen played their debut gig in a village pub in Devon on 20 October, followed by a performance at the London Roundhouse on 26 October as part of the BBC Electric Proms.{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/the-good-the-bad-and-the-queen-7-1347974|title=Damon Albarn launches new band with tiny pub gig|last=NME|date=2006-10-21|website=NME|language=en-US|access-date=2019-08-29}} They released their first single, "Herculean", on 30 October.Uncut (Nov. 2006, pp. 86–88) On 12 December, the band performed a secret launch gig exclusive to 300 chosen fans for Myspace's new feature The List in Wilton's Music Hall, East London.{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/the-good-the-bad-and-the-queen/25245|title=Damon Albarn's new band announce new single|date=28 November 2006|website=NME}}

The band released their self-titled debut album on 22 January 2007.{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/reviews-the-good-the-bad-and-the-queen-8116-316676|title=The Good, The Bad & The Queen: The Good, The Bad & The Queen|first=Hamish|last=MacBain|website=NME|date=12 January 2007 |language=en-US|access-date=2020-12-11}} It was voted by the Observer Music Magazine as the Best Album of 2007.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2007/dec/09/15|title=2007: The best 50 albums|date=2007-12-09|work=The Observer|access-date=2020-04-16|language=en-GB|issn=0029-7712}} At this point, Albarn said The Good, the Bad & the Queen was only the album title and that the band was "nameless". Simonon said "we didn't properly name the band, because a name is for a marriage".

Albarn said the group had "permanently finished" in 2007; however, they reunited to perform at the 2008 Love Music Hate Racism carnival.{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/the-good-the-bad-and-the-queen-27-1332598|title=The Good, The Bad And The Queen reforming after secret split|last=NME|date=2008-04-24|website=NME|language=en-US|access-date=2019-08-29}} Tong and Simonon appeared on Albarn's next project, the Gorillaz album Plastic Beach (2010), and participated in the Plastic Beach tour. In November 2011, the Good, the Bad & the Queen played a show at London's Coronet Theatre for the 40th anniversary of Greenpeace, the first time they had played together in almost three years.{{cite web|url=http://www.blurballs.com/2011/10/damon-albarn-to-revive-good-bad-and.html|title=Damon Albarn to revive The Good, The Bad and The Queen for Greenpeace charity gig|last=BlurBalls|website=BlurBalls - Latest Blur, Gorillaz, Damon Albarn and Graham Coxon news|access-date=2020-04-24}} Allen and Tong appeared on Albarn's soundtrack for the opera Dr Dee (2012), and Allen and Albarn collaborated on the 2012 album Rocket Juice & the Moon.{{cite web|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/rocket-juice-and-the-moon/rocket-juice-and-the-moon-rocket-juice-and-the-moo/|title=Rocket Juice and the Moon: Rocket Juice and the Moon|first=Ryan|last=Reed|date=2012-03-28|website=Paste Magazine|language=en-US|access-date=2020-12-11}}

In October 2014, Albarn announced that a new album had been written and was waiting to be recorded.{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/news/57140-damon-albarn-prepping-new-gorillaz-and-the-good-the-bad-the-queen-albums/|title=Damon Albarn Prepping New Gorillaz and the Good, the Bad & the Queen Albums|last1=Minsker|first1=Evan|work=Pitchfork|date=19 October 2014 |access-date=20 October 2014}} In April 2017, in a new interview with Q, it was reported that an album was still in the making but that recent events had caused the group to start afresh. Albarn told Q that Brexit had "given us a wonderful starting point".{{cite web|url=https://consequence.net/2017/04/damon-albarn-is-working-on-the-good-the-bad-the-queens-long-awaited-new-album/|title=Damon Albarn is working on The Good the Bad & the Queen's long-awaited new album|last1=Young|first1=Alex|website=Consequence of Sound|date=10 April 2017 |access-date=10 April 2017}}

Their second album, Merrie Land, produced by Tony Visconti, was released on 16 November, as “the right circumstances came about”, under the new label Studio 13 created by Albarn.{{cite web|url=https://consequence.net/2018/10/the-good-the-bad-the-queen-merrie-land-details/amp/|title=The Good The Bad & The Queen to release new album, Merrie Land, in November|last1=Young|first1=Alex|website=Consequence of Sound|access-date=18 October 2018}}{{cite web|url=https://www.essexlive.news/whats-on/music-nightlife/damon-albarn-talks-how-brexit-2197986|title=Damon Albarn talks about how Brexit inspired his new album|last=Webber|first=Darryl|date=2018-11-08|website=essexlive|access-date=2020-04-24}} Albarn described the album as "a series of observations and reflections on Britishness in 2018" and "a reluctant goodbye letter" following the Brexit vote.{{cite web|title=Damon Albarn's band The Good, The Bad & the Queen announce new Brexit-inspired album and Glasgow date|url=https://www.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/damon-albarns-band-good-bad-queen-announce-new-brexit-inspired-album-and-glasgow-date-555146|access-date=2020-04-16|website=Scotsman.com|date=23 October 2018 |language=en}}

The band performed the first gig for the album in Cullercoats on 26 November 2018, which was the start of an eight-date warm-up tour in UK. They toured Europe from March to August in 2019.{{Citation needed|date=April 2020}} At a performance at Lowlands Festival on 16 August 2019, the last show of the tour, Albarn told the crowd it would be the band's final performance.{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/damon-albarn-the-good-the-bad-the-queen-played-last-gig-lowlands-festival-2539172|title=Damon Albarn says The Good, The Bad & The Queen have played their "last gig" at Lowlands Festival|last=Daly|first=Rhian|date=2019-08-16|website=NME|language=en-US|access-date=2019-08-29}} Allen died in April 2020.{{Cite news|last1=Snapes|first1=Laura|last2=France-Presse|first2=Agence|date=2020-05-01|title=Tony Allen, legendary drummer and Afrobeat co-founder, dies aged 79|language=en-GB|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/may/01/tony-allen-legendary-drummer-and-afrobeat-co-founder-dies-aged-79|access-date=2020-05-01|issn=0261-3077}}

{{Main|The Good, the Bad & the Queen discography}}

Studio albums

• The Good, the Bad & the Queen (2007)
• Merrie Land (2018)

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{{Gorillaz}}

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Category:British rock music supergroups

Category:British alternative rock groups

Category:Musical groups established in 2005

Category:2005 establishments in the United Kingdom

Category:Musical groups disestablished in 2019

Category:Damon Albarn

Category:2019 disestablishments in the United Kingdom

Category:British art rock groups