Blur Singer Starts Another Band With Clash And Verve Members

Gorillaz singer and Blur frontman Damon Albarn has formed a new band for his next musical project.

Albarn had been spending time recording a solo outing with Danger Mouse, but the two recently turned their attention toward another record titled The Good The Bad And The Queen. It's reportedly a concept album about London and is due for a January release, with the first single set to arrive this October.

Joining Albarn on his latest foray (let's avoid the word "supergroup") are former Clash bassist Paul Simonon, ex-Verve guitarist Simon Tong and drummer Tony Allen.

For Simonon, the Albarn album is his first post-Clash band affiliation since a short-lived, early '90s project called Havana 3 a.m. He left the group after one album to pursue a career as an artist.

NME.com reports that Simonon became interested in being part of The Good The Bad And The Queen after the first time he heard Albarn and friends playing together.

"I came down to listen to two tracks, and I could hear a bass line for it immediately," he said. "We thought, 'Let's give it a go,' and we basically started from that and we started a whole new record."

Each of Albarn's other new accomplices have experience playing alongside the Blur-built icon. The Nigerian-born Allen, along with countryman Fela Kuti, is often credited with the invention of Afro-beat music. He and Albarn have recorded together before, most notably on the song "Every Season," which was nominated for a BBC 3 World Music Award in 2003.

Tong, when not busy with The Verve when the band were still together, joined Blur as an auxiliary guitarist on more than one occasion.

Multiple sources are stating that Albarn's new band will make their live debut at the BBC's Electric Proms: New Moments In Music, which runs from Oct. 25-29 at The Roundhouse in London, England's Camden neighbourhood. Electric Proms will begin announcing the band lineup on its website on Aug. 15.