And the Welcome everyone to Soda Jaker on songwriting. This is Simon here with Brian and joining us for

episode 253 is a Grammy Brit Award and Ivor novella winning English

singer, songwriter and musician best known as a founder member and lead vocalist of both Blair and Gorillas.

Throughout a quite insanely productive career spanning over three decades, he's performed or recorded with artists like Ray Davies, David Bowie, Lou Reed, Erica Badu, Bobby Womack, Mark E Smith,

Little Sims, George Benson, Dela Soul, Sean Rider and Grace Jones.

As this episode reaches you, Blair have recently reunited not only for a number of

Triumphant Live summer dates, but also to write, record and release a fantastic new album, The Ballad of Darren,

their first in eight years.

It was produced by James Ford and recorded in London and Devon,

and we had the great pleasure of visiting their frontman as his West London studio

recently for a chat about both the record and his relentless creativity.

We're thrilled to welcome the one and only Damon Al Barn to the show.

Damon was born in London in 1968 and grew up in Laysonstone in the east end of the city,

later moving with his family to

Colchester in Essex when he was ten. The Albarn household was very much an artistic

one which evidently rubbed off on the young Damon. He took up piano and violin

at an early age, studied acting as a teen, and began

writing songs around the age of 12.

Whilst attending Stanway comprehensive, he struck up a friendship with fellow pupil, Graham Coxon, and

the pair began making music together in the school's on-site

porter cabins as well as playing in various bands. They both went on to attend Goldsmiths College in

London where in 1988 they formed the band's circus, recruiting drummer Dave Roundtree, then bassist Alex James.

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