Damon Albarn takes pointed dig at Ed Sheeran after Blur singer unveils Palestine flag on stage at latest gig
Damon Albarn raised a Palestinian flag above his head during Gorillaz’s US tour opener at Orlando’s Kia Center on Thursday evening, delivering a pointed message that many have interpreted as a jibe at Ed Sheeran’s stance on the conflict.
The frontman grabbed the flag from a member of the audience mid-set before addressing the crowd: “Don’t forget this. Ever. Stand your position. Don’t ever be neutral.”
The performance drew from across the band’s catalogue, including material from their latest record, The Mountain.
Mr Albarn’s decision to highlight neutrality arrived just days after Mr Sheeran declared he was “not complicit” in the removal of Macklemore from his Loop tour.
Damon Albarn has been a vocal supporter of Palestine
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Mr Sheeran stated he was “appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine” and described the suffering “on both sides” as a “tragedy”.
Macklemore had been serving as the opening act on Sheeran’s US Loop tour when, during a concert at MetLife Stadium on September 4, he told the audience that “a big part of the reason” he joined the tour was to stand in stadiums and say “Free Palestine.”
The rapper followed up the next night by describing the death toll as a genocide.
The Israeli American Council swiftly launched a petition calling for his removal, while the campaign group StopAntisemitism accused him of ambushing fans with propaganda. Pink, who is Jewish, also publicly criticised the rapper’s remarks.
Ed Sheeran has refused to be dragged into political discussions | GETTY
Stadium owner Robert Kraft then informed Mr Sheeran that Macklemore would not be permitted to perform at his Gillette Stadium venue, calling the rapper’s words “deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community.”
Concert promoter Messina Touring Group removed Macklemore from the tour on September 14.
The fallout from Macklemore’s dismissal led to fellow support acts FINNEAS, Lukas Graham, Aaron Rowe, and Mr Sheeran’s backing band Beoga all withdrawing from the Loop tour in solidarity with Macklemore and his pro-Palestine position.
Mr Sheeran maintained that the decision to drop Macklemore was taken by promoters rather than by him personally.
Damon Albarn of Gorillaz holds up a Palestinian flag at their show last night in Orlando, FL: “Don’t forget this. Ever. Stand your position. Don’t ever be neutral” 🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸 (Video: 0beco0 / TikTok) pic.twitter.com/hYAYKXAMVh
— Marco Foster (@MarcoFoster_) September 18, 2026
Mr Kraft subsequently revealed that Mr Sheeran had asked him to pledge $2m towards “aid in the region” to address the humanitarian crisis. The announcement came on the same day Macklemore said he would donate $1m to Palestinian organisations and challenged Mr Kraft to match the sum.
“Ed now plans to reach out to other venue owners and our goal is to continue to work together to build bridges,” Mr Kraft said in a statement.
Mr Albarn’s advocacy for Palestinian rights is nothing new. In an interview with Channel 4 News last year, he spoke of having been “engaged with Palestine for a long time” and insisted: “We cannot deny the Palestinians their existence.”
“It’s impossible to watch. It just feels so horrendously helpless,” he said, adding: “Palestinians belong there and you can’t just kick them out. It’s not acceptable.”
Macklemore and Ed Sheeran had been friends for over a decade | GETTY
Last September, he performed at the Together For Palestine concert in London, an event organised by Brian Eno.
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