The Good, the Bad & the Queen

The Good, the Bad & the Queen came together in London in 2006, Damon Albarn assembling an extraordinary group of musicians: Paul Simonon of The Clash on bass, Simon Tong of The Verve on guitar, and the legendary Nigerian drummer Tony Allen. The project was produced by Danger Mouse, and the resulting album was unlike anything any of the participants had previously made.

Their self-titled debut album (2007) was a melancholy, atmospheric meditation on Englishness, immigration, and life in contemporary London — a record that drew on dub, post-punk, and art rock to create something genuinely new. Songs like 'Herculean', 'Kingdom of Doom', and 'History Song' were among the finest Albarn had written, and the album earned strong critical acclaim.

The project lay dormant for over a decade before reconvening for 'Merrie Land' (2018), a second album that addressed Brexit and English identity with similar melancholy and craft. Both albums reward deep listening and stand as important documents of their respective moments in British cultural life. The Good, the Bad & the Queen are one of the more underappreciated entries in Albarn's remarkable catalogue.