Damon Albarn performed at the Together For Palestine show in London last night, and was joined by the London Arab Orchestra, Yasiin Bey, and more. Check out footage below.
The gig was held at London’s Wembley Arena last night (Wednesday September 17), and saw over 150 artists and cultural figures come together to help raise nearly £1.5million for charities helping the people of Gaza.
Organised by Brian Eno, the Blur and Gorillaz icon was one of the huge names to take to the stage to perform and raise awareness – joining the likes of Paul Weller, Cat Burns, Rachel Chinouriri, Eric Cantona, PinkPantheress, Richard Gere, Benedict Cumberbatch, Florence Pugh, and Nicola Coughlan.
He first appeared on stage during Eno’s performance, which saw the songwriting legend joined by the likes of Weller, Adnan Joubran, Hot Chip’s Alexis Taylor and Nadine Shah to perform a specially composed piece of music for the event.
He then took to the stage again later in the evening for a collaboration with the London Arab Orchestra and the Juzour Dance Collective. For this section, he helped break out a medley of Palestinian traditional songs that sparked one of the biggest responses of the night.
Damon Albarn’s and Gorillaz performances for Together for Palestine live pic.twitter.com/eun8Znw1NY
— sky 🎸 (@invislovebot) September 17, 2025
Not long after, he performed once again as part of Gorillaz, joining Yasiin Bey – FKA Mos Def – and Syrian singer Omar Souleyman for a lively performance of a brand new song. This track was called ‘Damascus’, and is the first ever preview of the trio’s upcoming song that will be featured on Gorillaz’s new album ‘The Mountain’.
For the set, Albarn sat behind the keys, while Souleyman and Bey delivered charismatic vocals. The latter also recited a prayer at the event, and wore a PRESS ballistic vest for the appearance – raising awareness for the journalists and war reporters who have been killed in Palestine.
Check out more footage from their performance below.
GORILLAZ STAND WITH PALESTINE!!!! pic.twitter.com/wLH4Dt3yRU
— Flan (@phonertoarizona) September 17, 2025
Ayooo!💜
Gorillaz's DID NOT come to play!💜
raising the Palestinian flag,
& donning the PRESS vest!?💜
"FREE GAZA,
FREE SUDAN,
FREE CONGO,
FREE WIFI,
FREE YOUR HEARTS,
FREE YOUR MINDS…"#Gorillaz | #TogetherForPalestine
+ https://t.co/wHtwYbflnV pic.twitter.com/SxWQcX2XZL
— 🌸⁷ (@Bora_Flwr_Thrwr) September 17, 2025
Also on the night, Richard Gere took to the stage to celebrate the doctors working in Gaza and encourage people to “speak the truth with generosity and love”, Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan pushed for other artists to speak up, and Florence Pugh gave a short but powerful speech declaring that “silence in the face of such suffering is not neutrality”.
Holocaust survivor Stephen Kapos took to the stage too, saying: “As someone who survived the darker chapter of our shared history, I know what it means to be stripped of dignity, of land, of hope. That is why I remain steadfast in my commitment to the Palestinian people. Their struggle for freedom, justice, and return is not separate from mine, it is a part of the same cry for humanity.”
Check out more about what went down at the ‘Together For Palestine’ show here.
Gorillaz announced details of their ninth studio album ‘The Mountain’ earlier this month, and the record is due out March 20, 2026. Alongside the London Arab Orchestra, Bey and Souleyman, it also includes collaborations with Sparks, Gruff Rhys, Yasiin Bey, IDLES‘ Joe Talbot, Johnny Marr and more. It will be the group’s first release on their own KONG label.
Albarn and co. also shared details of a massive UK arena tour for next year, visiting Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds, Cardiff, Nottingham, Liverpool and Belfast before playing a huge headline gig at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Visit here for tickets.
Gorillaz ‘The Mountain’ Album Cover
The announcement of new music and live shows came on the heels of four limited-capacity live shows at the Copper Box Arena in London, which marked Gorillaz’ 25th anniversary.
The first show saw them perform their self-titled debut in full, playing ‘Double Bass’ and ‘Ghost Train’ live for the first time ever. Last week, they shared an official video of the full gig.
The third show – where they played ‘Plastic Beach’ in its entirety – also saw Gorillaz surprise audiences with ‘The Fall’ tracks ‘Phoner To Arizona’ and ‘California And The Slipping Of The Sun’ live for the first time ever during the encore.
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