The historical environs of the Tower Of London were a fitting setting for a live performance of what Damon Albarn called “a song cycle that’s also a mystery play about London”. Before The Good, The Bad And The Queen took the stage, the evening was compered by Harry Enfield, who diffused any implied air of pomp and ceremony by poking fun at the monarchy, telling lewd jokes about Princess Diana and beheading a mock Tony Blair.
Next, Canadian poet/hip-hop artist K’naan and jazz group Hypnotic Brass got musical proceedings off to an auspicious start before main support John Cooper Clarke made his entrance.
The Bard of Salford had composed a poem especially for the event, London Crowd, delivered at typical breakneck speed in his nasal Mancunian burr. Perennial favourites such as ‘Hire Car’, ‘(I Married A) Monster From Outer Space’ and ‘Crossing The Floor’ shone in a set peppered with wry observations and whimsical anecdotes.
As dusk fell the band emerged, Albarn resplendent in top hat, looking for all the world like an indie Artful Dodger. The stage backdrop, a nocturnal London streetscape, set the scene for a perfect Dickensian reverie.
‘Herculean’, ‘History Song’ and ‘Green Fields’ were highlights, though the majority of the audience joined in on all songs. The absence of an extensive back catalogue removed the element of surprise, but the inclusion of ‘Mr Whippy’ – the B-side to ‘Herculean’ – and a choir added the requisite spice.
While Albarn was the undeniable star of the show, Paul Simonon also commanded attention, throwing shapes and inducing a mini-frenzy when he moved to the front of the stage. Watching four musicians of their calibre play together was quite disconcerting as each made their performance look completely effortless. If the whole is bigger than the sum of its parts, the talent in this band is incalculable.