Musician Damon Albarn: ‘I’m not melancholic, it’s just the way I come across’

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Damon Albarn was born in 1968 in Whitechapel and grew up, for the most part, in Leytonstone. His parents were both artists and he’s described their household as decidedly ‘bohemian’! Damon formed Blur with Graham Coxen in 1988, and the band would go on to release nine chart-topping albums, six of them in the 90s. Blur’s music was of course one of the defining sounds of that decade, thanks in part to their Brit pop rivalry with Oasis and Pulp. The Gorillaz project began in 1999 and saw Albarn - and his virtual band - move into electronic and hip-hop. Gorillaz released their self-titled debut album in 2001 to worldwide success and have continued to release albums and tour. Robert Elms found out about Damon Albarn’s favourite haunts, memories and pet hates in 2014, shortly after the release of his first solo album, Everyday Robots.