Damon Albarn dubs Arctic Monkeys "the last great guitar band"

12 July 2023, 17:28 | Updated: 12 July 2023, 17:40

Blur frontman Damon Albarn and Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner. Picture: 1. Lorne Thomson/Redferns/Getty 2. Samir Hussein/WireImage/Getty

By Jenny Mensah

The Blur frontman has discussed his hopes for new music and referenced the Sheffield band.

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Damon Albarn thinks that Arctic Monkeys were the "last great guitar band".

The Blur frontman, who just played an epic two nights at Wembley Stadium with the Britpop band, has talked about the potential of guitar music in 2023, while praising the Sheffield band.

Speaking on the Broken Record podcast, he mused: "I feel like there’s a bit more excitement about guitar music again, that can’t be a bad thing because it got so sterile. For me, the last great guitar band would have been Arctic Monkeys and I don’t really know if there’s anything as good as that since."

The Universal singer added: "But now there are bands with a huge amount of potential. It’s really dismantled itself guitar music and put itself back together again in a different form. You’ve got some fantastic new mutations of the genius of it."

Damon Albarn (Blur, Gorillaz) | Broken Record

However, Damon feels like there are emerging bands who are showing promise of greatness, such as Yard Act and Sleaford Mods, who supported them at their first Wembley date last week.

Quizzed about his new favourite acts, he revealed: "I really like the band Wu-Lu, they seem to be really cool. There’s one I picked up on somewhere in the American countryside but I can’t remember his name, that’s narrowing it down isn’t it.”

“Then you’ve got bands like Yard Act who seem to be getting better and better," he added. "Obviously they are not new, but I still see them as emerging are bands like Sleaford Mods, brilliant. There’s lots of great language being used again, not this generic rock shit – I hate that, I like poets and guitars".

It's not the first time Damon Albarn has praised Arctic Monkeys, once telling Radio X their frontman is a "very talented chap".

Asked about the band's Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino album back in 2018, Albarn replied: "I've only listened to bits of it, but I think it's very interesting.

"I do think he's a very talented chap that Alex Turner, which annoys me to say that. I don't like paying compliments to anyone but it has to be said."