The Good, the Bad & the Queen
| Company type | Supergroup |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 2006 |
| Founder | Damon Albarn |
| Defunct | 2019 |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom |
Area served | United Kingdom, Europe |
Key people | Damon Albarn, Paul Simonon, Simon Tong, Tony Allen |
| Products | Music albums, live performances |
The Good, the Bad & the Queen was a British art rock supergroup composed of vocalist Damon Albarn (known from Blur and Gorillaz), bassist Paul Simonon (formerly of the Clash), guitarist Simon Tong (associated with the Verve), and drummer Tony Allen (renowned for his work with Fela Kuti's Africa '70). Their debut, self-titled album was released in 2007, followed by their sophomore effort, Merrie Land, co-produced alongside Tony Visconti in 2018. The ensemble dissolved in 2019.
Formation and debut album
Initially conceived as a Damon Albarn solo project with producer Danger Mouse, by July 2006 it had transformed into a full band featuring Paul Simonon, Simon Tong, and Tony Allen. Albarn first met Simonon at Joe Strummer’s wedding in 1997; Tong had previously toured with Blur in 2003; Allen reached out after hearing Blur’s 2000 track "Music Is My Radar."
Their inaugural live appearance took place on 20 October 2006 at a small pub in Devon, succeeded by a performance at London’s Roundhouse for the BBC Electric Proms. The debut single, "Herculean," was issued on 30 October. In December, they performed a confidential launch event for Myspace’s feature The List at Wilton's Music Hall in East London.
The eponymous debut album was released on 22 January 2007 and earned the title of Best Album of 2007 from The Observer Music Magazine. At that time, Albarn described the band as "nameless," emphasizing that the album title did not represent an official band name. Simonon explained that avoiding a formal name allowed greater creative freedom.
Although Albarn declared the group "permanently finished" in 2007, they regrouped for the 2008 Love Music Hate Racism carnival. Subsequently, Tong and Simonon contributed to Albarn’s Gorillaz album Plastic Beach (2010) and its associated tour. In November 2011, The Good, the Bad & the Queen reunited for a Greenpeace 40th anniversary concert at London’s Coronet Theatre—their first show after nearly three years. Members also collaborated on Albarn’s other projects such as the opera soundtrack Dr Dee (2012) and the album Rocket Juice & the Moon (2012).
Merrie Land and disbandment
In October 2014, Albarn revealed that a new album had been composed and was awaiting recording. By April 2017, during an interview with Q, he mentioned that work on the album continued and that Brexit served as "a wonderful starting point" for its themes.
Their second studio album, Merrie Land, produced by Tony Visconti, was released on 16 November under Albarn’s Studio 13 label. Albarn characterized it as "a collection of reflections and observations on British identity in 2018" and described it as "a reluctant farewell letter" following the Brexit referendum.
The band embarked on an eight-date UK warm-up tour beginning on 26 November 2018 in Cullercoats, followed by a European tour spanning March to August 2019. At their concluding performance at the Lowlands Festival on 16 August 2019, Albarn announced it would mark their final show. Drummer Tony Allen passed away in April 2020.
Discography
Studio albums
- The Good, the Bad & the Queen (2007)
- Merrie Land (2018)