Why Damon Albarn is 'Pissed Off' at Rolling Stones

Damon Albarn is not a fan of the Rolling Stones' most recent album, Hackney Diamonds.

The Blur frontman recently spoke with the French magazine, Les Inrockuptibles, taking aim specifically at the way the Stones announced the album at a venue in Hackney, London.

“This really annoyed me," Albarn said, "because my family lives in Hackney and the way they showed up at the Hackney Empire venue really pissed me off. They’ve never did a thing in Hackney, they’ve never played there, never contributed to anything. They just showed up. It’s all nonsense."

None of the current members of the Rolling Stones are from Hackney, instead hailing from different boroughs of London – Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are both from Dartford, while Ronnie Wood is from Hillingdon. The title Hackney Diamonds refers to the London slang for broken windows, specifically relating to a burglary.

And Another Thing...

Albarn also took issue with the Stones' music video for their lead single, "Angry," which starred actress Sydney Sweeney.

"I listened to their new song and watched this horrible music video showing them at different stages of their lives on billboards," he continued. "And this young woman objectified. What the hell is this? There’s something completely disconnected."

Albarn concluded by emphasizing that he has no interest in making his own career resemble that of the Rolling Stones.

“I did all sorts of things, whereas they’ve never been anything other than the Rolling Stones,” he explained. “I love the idea of devoting your life to one thing, in search of the sublime. But the truth is, they’ve became worse. Worse at persisting to stay themselves. That’s something I don’t understand. Making exactly the same music but not that good. There must be no joy in doing something like this.”

The Rolling Stones are currently scheduled to hit the road in 2024, performing in over a dozen North American cities.