Damon Albarn makes dig at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium ahead of Gorillaz date

16 February 2026, 17:06 | Updated: 17 February 2026, 17:13

Damon Albarn with Tottenham Hotspur Stadium inset. Picture: Rune Hellestad - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images, Historic England Archive/Heritage Images via Getty Images

By Jenny Mensah

The Gorillaz co-founder, who is a huge Chelsea fan, made the sly remark on The Graham Norton Show over the weekend.

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Damon Albarn has made a dig at Tottenham F.C. by refusing to name their home ground.

The Gorillaz co-founder appeared on The Graham Norton Show on Friday (13th February) where he discussed the animated band's upcoming album, which is set for release on 20th March, as well their accompanying tour dates and performed the band's new single Orange Country.

When Norton asked about the band's upcoming dates, including their biggest show to date at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Albarn - who is a famous supporter of Chelsea F.C. - quipped to the talk show host: "A large music venue in North London, yeah".

Watch a clip of the moment, which was captured below:

Prick. pic.twitter.com/rAmbLkWBtE
— Graham Kingsbury (@grayjam68) February 13, 2026

Gorillaz will play the 62-850 capacity venue on Saturday 20th June 2026. Watch a clip of their performance on The Graham Norton Show below:

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Last week saw the release of the second single from War Child's forthcoming HELP(2) album, which features Damon Albarn alongside Fontaines D.C.'s Grian Chatten and Kae Tempest.

Flags comes hot on the heels of the new Arctic Monkeys song Opening Night, which was issued as last month.

Listen to the song below:

Damon Albarn, Grian Chatten & Kae Tempest – Flags (Visualiser) – HELP(2)

The new song also features a stellar line-up, including Johnny Marr, Dave Okumu, Adrian Utley (Portishead), Gorillaz bassist Seye Adelekan, Ezra Collective’s Femi Koleoso, and a 43-piece children’s choir.

Albarn says of the recording: "Recording Flags was a genuinely joyful two days, with a strong sense of purpose throughout the building. I was particularly struck by the decision to employ children to do all the filming in the studio - it felt inspiring and directly reinforced the point we were trying to make about communicating with kids, by involving them in the process itself."

Damon Albarn, Grian Chatten and Kae Tempest. Picture: Lawrence Watson/Press

"I feel honoured to be a part of this project," says Kae Tempest. I loved writing this song and collaborating with the other artists, it was like a fever dream that day at Abbey Road. Couldn’t believe how good it felt and the sheer force of will that shepherded all those energies together and directed them towards this beautiful conclusion.

"I hope we can raise lots of funds and energy. For the children."

Chatten added: "To be gifted the chance to collaborate with such talented artists as Damon and Kae in aid of such an important cause was really special. Not to mention all of the incredible musicians who helped bring the song to life on the day. It’s a rare occasion that you feel the energy for change in such a tangible way and from so many, but that is exactly how it felt in the room that day."

Also appearing in the choir are Jarvis Cocker, Carl Barat, Declan McKenna, Marika Hackman, Rosa Walton (Let's Eat Grandma), English Teacher, Black Country, New Road and Nadia Kadek.

Damon Albarn, Grian Chatten & Kae Tempest - HELP(2) Recording Session

HELP(2) is a brand new album inspired by the landmark 1995 release HELP to support of War Child's vital work delivering immediate aid, education, specialist mental health support, and protection to children affected by conflict around the world.

HELP(2) is released on 6th March and is available to pre-order here.