The tragic hostage situation that inspired a classic Blur song
In 2014, Damon Albarn found himself in a position unlike anything else he’d experienced before or would ever wish to re-live again. Usually, atrocities on news bulletins occur in a far-flung land which provides a necessary distance from the horror. Albarn didn’t have that privilege, and what he witnessed will stay with him forever.
Albarn was in Australia in December 2014 for two performances. His solo dates began in Victoria at the Palais Theatre on December 12th, and he then travelled to Sydney for a performance on December 16th. When the musician took to the stage at the Sydney Opera House, the city was in a collective state of mourning after a devastating 24 hours, which left a permanent mark on the region.
On December 15th, gunman Man Haron Monis walked into a Lindt chocolate café in Sydney’s Martin Place, holding ten customers and eight employees captive. Over the next 17 hours, Monis kept the 18 victims hostage before the authorities ended the situation. Sadly, two hostages lost their life. Monis also died.
Details later emerged that Monis had previously been charged with being an accessory to the murder of his ex-wife and 40 counts of sexual assault. It was a story that travelled internationally, and Albarn followed it closely on television throughout the siege. However, he could also see it play out through his eyes through his hotel window.
After returning from Australia, the incident remained at the forefront of Albarn’s mind, and he dealt with his intense thoughts on the event by turning to songwriting. The result was ‘There Are Too Many Of Us’, which appeared on Blur’s 2015 album The Magic Whip, an LP they recorded in Hong Kong.
On the song, the Blur frontman seemingly references the attack in Sydney and sings: “For a moment I was dislocated, By terror on the loop elsewhere, Flashing lights advocate it, On the big screens everywhere.”
Looking back on the song with NME, Albarn explained how ‘There Are Too Many Of Us’ was inspired by the occurrences in the Lindt store. “Probably the initial idea came from being in a very claustrophobic city, but I actually finished the lyric after having come back from Australia,” he said.
Albarn added: “I was there the day they had been hostage situation in a chocolate shop, which was an extraordinary thing to witness. I was staying in a hotel while I could literally see what was going on outside and watch it on TV. I’ve never been in that position before, and as a songwriter was a very interesting standpoint to be seen something on TV and then out the window it’s happening. Seeing the reality of what was happening and how it was being distorted through the prism of [the camera] was kind of fascinating.”
While the song doesn’t directly discuss the tragic Sydney attack, his memory of that day affected the musician, dampening his view of the world and showing him the very worst humanity has to offer.
Listen to ‘There Are Too Many Of Us’ below.
