It started with a gentle “I need your participation, please”, as Blur frontman Damon Albarn sought an audience singalong during a Coachella performance.

But as the British rock band were consistently met with near-silence, an increasingly frustrated Albarn eventually remarked: “You’ll never see us again”.

The English band have released nine albums since its formation in 1988, seven of which reached No 1 in the charts, including their latest record, The Ballad of Darren, which was produced following an eight-year break.

But some of their hits did not seem to resonate with audiences at the world-famous Coachella festival, held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, over the weekend.

During their Saturday slot, the group, part of a star-studded line-up, performed a host of their hits including Song 2, Beetlebum and Tender.

As the band struck up the chords to their 1994 hit Girls & Boys, lead singer Albarn, 56, tried to encourage the crowd to sing along to the chorus, saying: “I need your participation, please.”

In videos shared on social media, he can be seen attempting to engage the concert-goers a number of times, telling them “you can do it better than that”, but his efforts continued to receive a lacklustre response from the US crowd.

The musician appeared to get increasingly frustrated until he told the audience: “You’ll never see us again so you may as
well f****** sing it.”

Read more:
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce spotted at Coachella
Shakira announces world tour during surprise Coachella appearance

Dressed in a white suit and a black T-shirt paired with a pair of black sunglasses, Albarn led the band, which also includes guitarist Graham Coxon, bass guitarist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree.

Blur have released nine albums in total, including 1994’s Parklife, 1995’s The Great Escape, 1997’s Blur, 1999’s 13, 2003’s Think Tank and 2015’s The Magic Whip – which all went to number one in the charts.

Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News

The group helped pioneer the Britpop genre, fiercely competing with rival band Oasis in the charts over the years.

They went on hiatus after their 2015 Magic Whip tour, but came back last year with their first record for eight years, titled The Ballad Of Darren, which soared to number one.

Be the first to get Breaking News

Install the Sky News app for free

Singer-songwriter Raye and dance outfit Jungle were also among the British acts who took to the Coachella stage over the weekend.

London-born Raye teased her next music project during her set, the follow-up to her award-winning debut album My 21st Century Blues.

Last month, she overtook Blur, Harry Styles and Adele by picking up the most Brit awards in one year during the 2024 ceremony.

Related posts:

Flying insects ground White House press flight and swarm Biden on tarmac Man accused of attacking Dave Chappelle on stage will not face felony charges US judge dismisses Trump lawsuit challenging his Twitter ban American football player ‘had to be resuscitated twice’ after on-field collapse Chaos in US House as Republican hardliners block new speaker Why the Republicans are struggling to pick a new House speaker Tyre Nichols funeral: US Vice President joins mourners in Memphis The story of Richard Glossip: Why death row inmate has dodged execution Woman who took part in Charles Manson killings should be released, court says Number of NYC fire responders to die of 9/11-related illnesses reaches 343 – matching amount killed on day of attacks Why golfer who won PGA Tour event won’t get prize of over £1m It’s now or never for Nikki Haley as she aims to halt the Trump juggernaut in New Hampshire