Damon Albarn Jests About Playing Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as a Chelsea Fan

Damon Albarn has jokingly addressed Gorillaz' upcoming performance at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, all while declaring his allegiance to Chelsea F.C. The quip has stirred amusement among fans, drawing comparisons to similar instances of football rivalry ribbing in music history.

In March, Gorillaz embark on a UK and Ireland tour, highlighted by a headline show at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on June 20. This performance supports their new album, ‘The Mountain,’ slated for release on March 20.

Ahead of the album release, Albarn and his Gorillaz cohorts appeared on The Graham Norton Show, where they performed their single ‘Orange County’ alongside Bizarrap, Kara Jackson, and sitar player Anoushka Shankar.

Following the performance, Albarn, a known Chelsea F.C. supporter, couldn't resist a playful jab at Tottenham Hotspur. When Norton inquired about the gig at the 62,850-capacity venue, Albarn responded, "A large music venue in North London, yeah," deliberately avoiding mentioning the team's name directly.

This moment echoed when Oasis, fervent Manchester City fans, played Old Trafford Stadium, with tickets discreetly labeled "Lancashire County Cricket Club" to dodge mentioning their rival team, Manchester United's home ground.

You have to listen hard but Damon Albarn is having a pop at Spurs 😁⚒️ https://t.co/A7IUjY1wgn

— West Ham Images (@HamImages) February 14, 2026

He's a Chelsea fan so he'd say that, Oasis played Lancashire County Cricket Club in 2002, refused to have the words "Old Trafford" on the ticket. pic.twitter.com/qLKydgZXPn

— John Gould (@johngouldis) February 14, 2026

Prior to the Tottenham gig, the band will warm up with shows in Bradford and then hit numerous European festivals, including Electric Picnic, Primavera Sound Barcelona and Porto, and Rock Werchter.

‘The Mountain’ has been previewed by singles such as ‘The Hardest Thing’, ‘Orange County’, ‘The God Of Lying’ (featuring Idles), ‘The Happy Dictator’ (feat. Sparks), ‘The Manifesto’ with Trueno and late D12 member Proof, and ‘Damascus’.

‘Damascus’ features Syrian superstar Omar Souleyman and rapper/singer Yasiin Bey (FKA Mos Def), and was previewed at the Together For Palestine charity gig at Wembley Arena, organized by Brian Eno.

Other contributors to the record include Black Thought, Asha Puthli, Asha Bhosle, Gruff Rhys, Paul Simonon, Johnny Marr, The London Arab Orchestra, Demon Strings, Chris Storr, James Copus and Matthew Gunner.

Last year, Albarn shared that the album was inspired by the loss of both his and Jamie Hewlett's fathers, leading them to travel to India.

"I did things I’d never done before. I swam in the Ganges in Varanasi. I watched the bodies being burnt on the banks of the Ganges. I took my dad’s ashes there and I cast them in the river. It was very beautiful."

Next month, Albarn will make his Saturday Night Live debut with Gorillaz, taking the stage on March 7 with Ryan Gosling as host.

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