Olympics closing ceremony - Damon Allbran - gawd

Hmm Damon's OK (Dr Dee is superb); although I'd have preferred Charles Hodges and David Peacock or Bellowhead, Damon is not such a bad choice.

As for him being a third rate Sting; to me that is more than a but harsh - Sting is truly awful, surely you can't think Damon is that bad  I find it hard to think of any artist being so dreary as to merit that description - not even Des O'Connor with sore throat.

BTW who is Andrew Marr? Is he the brother of that guy in who played in the Smiths? Now they'd have been a good choice. 

Des at least sung in tune. Mr. Sting never [apparently unaide by studio technology] manges that singularly unremarkable trick.

Cathedral choirs of non- yet-teen children manage that fundamental!

ATB from George

Looking from over here in NZ, I reckon Damon Allbran is a pretty good choice. Not an obvious choice but a good one. 

I'd go as far to say that given his recent projects, he is more "hip" now than back in the day with Blur.

No sign yet of Mark E. Smith on the line up?  

Gees Salmon Dave, where were you in the naughties. There was this little band of 60 people called Gorillaz and a cool modern day opera that you only got to see in the UK and Damon was behind it all.

I have 2 or 3 times more Blur/Gorillaz in my collection vs Sting/Police. That would make Sting a third rate Damon. Damon is probably the only reason a number of my friends and I would even consider watching. He is more than capable of putting on a big, interesting and original production. Of course the committee might take away some of his originality but I'm still very keen to check this out.

Sometimes it's clear where the Aussie cultural cringe comes from, it's old blighty herself.

Clearly the kids of today aren't even aware of his work....................not

I can't say I have heard Damon Albarn's music for the Olympics, but I can say from everything else I have heard by him, I am with you Salmon Dave on his output.

The Gorillaz at Glastonbury the other year was one of the dismal performances I have seen.

As for Albarn vs Sting, Mr. Sumner did at least one good album back in 1979, and a few passable other tracks. Very underrated as a bass player as well, he plays the kind of bass lines that gives drummers a lot of space to work with, perhaps that is why some of the best have worked with him.

The Olympics do have one possible saving grace musically, with Danny Boyle organising the opening ceremony, he has asked his long time collaborators Underworld to do the music.

...... waits for lots of Britpop fans who hate techno to last out now.

Thanks for your kind words.

Actually my point wasn't to praise Sting (where is now thy death?) nor defile Damon. I was (along with two others watching) slightly cringing that the Olympics hooha would be as blush-worthy as the recent sitcom based on it. My suspicion, and it's only that, is that we could be in for a rerun of the millenium Dome, Geldof's sputtering River of Fire etc. Would be nice to be proved wrong.