Damon Albarn has taken time out of his busy job of being a singing cartoon and attacked the Live 8 concert line-up as being too "exclusive".
Albarn is the highest profile critic of the Live 8 event, which is attempting to combat poverty in Africa by letting Sting (CDs) sing to some politicians. He’s joining the side of the African musicians, who are mostly being ignored by Bob Geldof and the Live 8 organisers.
Speaking on Radio 4′s Today programme, Damon said "This country is incredibly diverse. More than ever, black culture
is an integral part of society, so why is the bill so damn Anglo-Saxon? If you are holding a party on behalf of people, then surely you don’t shut the door on them."
Damon Albarn is a strong defender of African culture. He recorded an entire fantastic album – Mali Music – with Afel Bocoum there, and he is planning a concert on the London Eye this summer showcasing new African music.
Albarn suggested that a reason so many artists are taking part is
the inevitable sales boost they will receive from the
globally-broadcast event, and that record companies should "genuinely show this is an altruistic act and that
there is no self-gain in it. Because surely that negates…the message
if there is."
The Blur and Gorillaz singer, on his frequent trips to Africa, noted that "it’s
incredibly sophisticated – the society and the structure of people’s
lives is as sophisticated, if not more sophisticated in some ways, than
in the west," and that Live 8 was portraying Africa as "a failing, ill,
sick, tired place".
The Live 8 organisers have hit back at Albarn, saying that it was never their intention to "preach to the converted". They’d rather find the biggest, stadium-filling bands they can, to attract the most attention and make the biggest noise.
They
have said, however, that Bob Geldof has invited a number of urban acts
to take part in the concert, but in an industry that thinks a yokel
like Joss Stone constitutes as urban, who knows what this means.
Where
do you stand on this? Is Live 8 insulting African artists with the
planned line-up? Or is the answer power in numbers? Leave your comments
below.
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[story by Stuart Heritage]
