Damon Albarn: Poignant and perfect ‘pub singalong’

“It’s terrifying coming here but we’ve decided it’s just a big pub,” Damon Albarn tells the audience at a packed Royal Albert Hall, assembled for the Blur and Gorillaz star’s first concert in his own right at London’s most prestigious music venue.

He may be showing false nerves – over the past 25 years he has developed into one of the most innovative musicians of his generation, has collaborated with the cream of the music world in a bewildering range of genres, and has the experience of headlining the world’s biggest music festival, Glastonbury, twice – but he seems genuinely humbled tonight in such grand Victorian surroundings, paying tribute to this “ridiculously incredible, spiritual place.”

Albarn is showcasing his new album, “Everyday Robots,” his first as a solo artist. A more stripped-back work than usual for him, the songs look back on his 46 years. “Hollow Ponds,” for instance, recalls various dates that define his life, including the drought of 1976 and the year 1993 when “Modern Life” (a reference to Blur’s second album) was spray-painted around the city.

Reflective though his new solo work is, Albarn is in playful mood and shows his love of performing and collaborating: he willingly shares the limelight with other musicians, such as Mali’s Afel Bocoum and Madou Diabete, Blur guitarist Graham Coxon, rappers De La Soul and legendary producer Brian Eno.

The concert is about far more than just promoting his new record though: effectively it revisits many of the many musical moments of his long and varied career, from his foray into world music with Africa Express, his animation side-project Gorillaz, supergroup The Good, the Bad and the Queen, and of course his first band, Blur.

Despite his comments, Albarn is such a seasoned performer that he’s totally at ease in the Albert Hall’s vast space. Spontaneous, engaging and funny: holding hands with female members of the audience, singing directly to their faces. At one point he climbs up into the aisles to hug an adoring male fan – it’s a poignant moment.

He’s a master of pacing: stripped of the machismo of a Blur concert, or the graphical wizardry of Gorillaz, the music is the star. He and his band are superbly tight, as we get one highlight to the next, from “Kids with Guns,” and “Don’t Get Lost in Heaven,” to the spine-tingling experience of Albarn alone at the piano singing Blur’s “Out of Time.”

Just when it can get no better, guitarist Coxon bounces onto the stage to join Albarn. The pair, who had a painful estrangement as they battled their demons after the Blur years rollercoaster, roll back the years as they play “End of the Century,” accompanied with just a trumpet player. Albarn visibly marvels at Coxon’s guitar heroics on “Tender,” but acknowledges their split as they struggle to recall which year obscure B-side “The man who left himself” was from. “Ah the late 90s – our difficult years,” Albarn half-jokes.

As we wipe away the tears of nostalgia, Albarn rallies us again: “It’s pure sing-a-long from now,” he bellows. The show is building like a cabaret, with quieter moments followed by crowd-pleasing anthems like his solo hit “Mr. Tembo,” performed with London’s Leytonstone City Mission Choir. Then on come veteran New York hip hop trio De La Soul who tear manically into the Gorillaz hit “Feel Good Inc,” swaggering around with dramatic menace, before Kano joins Albarn for a superb, skanking “Clint Eastwood.”

How could he top this? Easy, as Albarn announces – only half-believing it himself – the arrival of Brian Eno, the legendary musician, composer and record producer, to sing the wonderful “Heavy Seas of Love,” from this year’s album, with the Leytonstone choir and Madou.

It’s an unforgettable experience, as indeed is the whole concert: few others could attract such diverse and entertaining stars to appear for one night; few others have such wonderful songs to perform, and few can engage with an audience like Albarn. No one else can do all three.

Albarn no longer needs to be in awe of the musical legends who’ve performed at the Albert Hall over the decades – he’s now one of them.