“This is a song we wrote together during Covid times,” Beck explained beforehand.
During Beck’s performance at the Primavera Sound Festival in Buenos Aires, Blur and Gorillaz singer Damon Albarn unexpectedly joined him on stage. To the delight of the visitors, they played their joint track “The Valley of The Pagans” live, which is on the Gorillaz album SONG MACHINE SEASON ONE: STRANGE TIMEZ can be found.
“This is a song that we wrote together during Covid times,” said Beck as he brought Albarn onto the stage. “We don’t have to play the song,” the US singer joked before they finally started performing together and received a lot of applause.
“The Valley Of The Pagans” is the second track from the Gorillaz album SONG MACHINE SEASON ONE: STRANGE TIMEZ, released in 2020. Albarn and Beck later collaborated again on “Possession Island” – a track that now appears on the Gorillaz LP CRACKER ISLAND.
“The Valley of The Pagans” live:
Alongside Beck, Pet Shop Boys and The Cure, Damon Albarn’s Blur headlined the two-day festival. The gig in Buenos Aires was also the end of their tour Album THE BALLAD OF DARREN.
And Beck has also been very busy lately. The alternative rocker has been touring and collaborating with other artists for most of 2023. In addition to his feature on CRACKER ISLAND, Beck also appeared on The Chemical Brothers’ latest LP FOR THAT BEAUTIFUL FEELING and their fourth single “Skipping Like A Stone”. He also collaborated with Phoenix on their single “Odyssey,” which was released ahead of the pair’s joint US tour in the summer.