On 16th May 2020, it was announced that Damon Albarn would perform a set of his compositions from project ‘The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows’ on the Boiler Room YouTube channel. The event took place yesterday, 17th May, and the musician played piano and guitar along to rehearsal tapes of a full orchestra, while he sang over the top.
Albarn’s stream is the latest of many in the Boiler Room’s ‘Streaming From Isolation’ series, with more to come soon. This instalment is a 20-minute long video combining Albarn’s pieces with poignant visuals of Icelandic landscapes, which inspired the project. It is also the first performance of ‘The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows’ since the songwriter’s tour was disrupted by Covid-19 before it began.
To begin, Albarn spoke to the audience to introduce the session, saying “I just wanted to give you something – I’m not in Brussels, I’m not anywhere but here. And I just felt like this was something that myself and all the musicians and all the people who’ve been involved in this would want you to hear.”
With music created by a 14-piece ensemble, it serves as an apt escape for the mind during this chaotic time. The project takes the listener through an emotional journey using sound, with many uplifting pieces using piano or guitar, and some interludes of screeching violin, suggesting stormy weather. Fans are responding wonderfully to Albarn’s innovative composing and feel lucky to be able watch him perform despite being in isolation.
For each ‘Streaming From Isolation’ session, Boiler Room are asking fans for donations which will support The Global FoodBanking Network throughout this time. So far, a total of $28,000 has been raised.
The full tour dates which were originally planned are set out below - these have all been postponed, with new dates to be announced.
17/05/2020 – Bozar – Brussels, Belgium
18/05 – Bozar – Brussels, Belgium
20/05 – Mupa – Budapest, Hungary
21/05 – Muziekgebouw – Eindhoven, Netherlands
23/05 – Philharmonie – Paris, France
24/05 – Philharmonie – Paris France
25/05 – Auditorium, Orchestre National de Lyon – Lyon, France
26/05 – The Barbican – London, UK
27/05 – Cité des Congrès – Nantes, France
29/05 – Philharmonie – Luxembourg
31/05 – National Concert Hall – Dublin, Ireland
01/06 – National Concert Hall – Dublin, Ireland
03/06 – The London Palladium – London, UK
12/06 – Harpa Concert Hall – Iceland
Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat
