Someone You Really Love // A Damon Albarn Romance

46 - Diving Back In

April 2024

Damon's POV

//

We were now already in 2024 with some big plans ahead of us, 2023 was an insane whirlwind of promo for Blur's album 'The Ballad of Darren' and we performed a sell-out show are Webley Stadium! Another venue now ticked off my list, as we'd never done that during Blur's original 13 year run!

How fantastic to see fans old and new, something that never ceases to amaze me. Mare now taking a step back from music, she wanted to focus on her mental health where she'd began finally dealing with her anxiety and receiving the best treatment possible. Very admirable and it settled me knowing that she was taking the plunge of going deep and unravelling what had been bringing her down her whole life. The feeling of helplessness I'd get when a particularly bad streak of anxiety would flare up and there wasn't much I could do but guide her through the moment and All a positive though because this would allow her to live a freer and healthier life, she's a total inspiration to me.

I've always been quite good at dealing with the unexpected when thrown at me but had taken to weed to help relax me and hold her hand. This had become much more manageable now for more as she'd put relaxation techniques into practice. From witnessing Mare's emotional moments it served as a strong reminder for me to look after my own health. I do go for the occasional jog and swim. We'd not too long ago installed a swimming pool in an extension to the barn with a fully equipped gym inside. Sophia, Alex and Antonia always put the equipment to good use. I love taking a quiet dip to myself after work engagements when I get the chance to come home and chill.

We were excited and raring to go and smash out a set at Coachella in the USA, somewhere I'd been before with Gorillaz but not Blur. I was a bit nervous, mainly because we'd done loads of smaller shows but not festivals in the USA any time recently so it wouldn't be like at a show where fans had come to see just us but this would be anybody who might be curious to see what we're like...a lot more tik tokers and Instagram influencers who I know are there to just be seen and not really there for the music. I only hear about all of this because the kids are all heavy social media users. Mare dips in from time to time but I try to avoid it and just hear from anything they tell me about really.

As it turns out of course news outlets weren't going to miss the opportunity on slating us and making it sound as it we played a really underwhelming set which we all felt wasn't the case at all. We just weren't playing to a crowd who got us, it would have gone down so differently at a UK festival.

Regardless, it was the most exciting thing to be able to play with the boys again, felt like old times.