Damon Albarn has been branded a 'diva' by rock band Uncle Acid And The Deadbeats after they claim the Gorillaz frontman forced festival organisers to cut their set short at the Roskilde Festival in Denmark. The band, who were performing on the Lagune Stage at 10.15pm while Gorillaz headlined the Orange Scene stage at 10pm, say their show was stopped after only 25 minutes because Albarn complained they were 'too loud'.
Uncle Acid's Statement Blames Albarn
Taking to Instagram after the incident, Uncle Acid And The Deadbeats issued a statement apologising to fans and blaming the 'novelty cartoon act' Gorillaz. 'Pop diva Damon Albarn of the novelty cartoon act Gorillaz threw a hissy fit while we played, threatened to storm off stage before finally getting our set shut down because we were “too loud”,' the statement read. 'They were the only headliner of the whole weekend who couldn’t cope with playing at the same time as other artists.'
The band continued: 'Unfortunately we only managed 25 minutes of assaulting his precious ears from our stage half a mile away before his goons came over and pulled the plug. Despite us being below the festival dB limit and offering to turn down FOH to continue the show, they wanted us off.' They thanked the Roskilde crew and stage manager who tried to intervene but said it was 'ultimately out of their hands. Orders from above.'
Festival Organisers Cite Wind Conditions
Roskilde Festival organisers released their own statement, blaming the early end on 'strong winds' rather than Albarn's demands. 'To reduce the risk of further disruptions and provide the best possible experience for both festivalgoers and artists, we’ve made a number of changes to today’s programme,' they wrote, explaining that the Lagune stage set 'unfortunately had to stop'. They added: 'The interruption was caused by a combination of wind conditions and technical factors that affected the sound production. When hosting a large outdoor live event, changing weather conditions can sometimes create operational challenges.'
Uncle Acid And The Deadbeats, a British rock band formed in 2009, had been scheduled to play a full set but were cut off after 25 minutes. They claimed they were below the festival's decibel limit and offered to turn down their front-of-house sound, but the order to stop came from above. The band's statement ended with a message to Danish fans: 'We love you and we’ll see you next year in Copenhagen.'
Albarn's Reputation and Response
Damon Albarn, 58, is best known as the frontman of Gorillaz and Blur. He has not commented on the incident, and Metro has contacted him for a response. The controversy has sparked debate among fans, with some supporting Uncle Acid and others defending Albarn. The Roskilde Festival, one of Europe's largest music festivals, has not provided further details on the technical issues or wind conditions that allegedly caused the disruption.
