Blur's Damon Albarn speaks out against mobile phone bans at gigs
After Bob Dylan recently announced a ban
Blur and Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn says he disagrees with artists banning mobile phones at concerts.
Earlier this week, 83-year-old music legend Bob Dylan announced his latest UK tour where mobile phones are once again strictly prohibited. He previously banned cameras and phones at his 2022 trek.
Fans who attend Bob Dylan’s 10-date tour in November 2024 will have to put their phones in a locked and secure Yondr pouch, which they will keep with them throughout the evening.
Other artists have previously used Yondr at entire tours or one-off shows include Jack White, Arctic Monkeys, The Lumineers and Swedish metallers Ghost.
Speaking to the BBC to promote the Blur: To The End documentary film, Albarn was asked about his thoughts on Bob Dylan’s mobile phone ban.
“If you start banning things where does it end? I think you’ve just got to turn up and do your thing,” Albarn said.
"People won’t want to be on their phone if you’re engaging with them correctly.”
Explaining why his tour is phone-free, Bob Dylan’s representatives said: “We believe it creates better times for everyone in attendance.
“Our eyes open a little more and our senses are slightly sharper when we lose the technological crutch we've grown accustomed to. And yes, it's a non-negotiable deal (although medical exemptions are made for those who rely on their phone for treatment).”
Screenings of Blur: To The End at select cinemas in the UK and Ireland begin today (Friday 19th July).
Bob Dylan’s new UK tour opens at Bournemouth BIC Windsor Hall on Friday 1st November and visits Liverpool, Edinburgh, Nottingham and Wolverhampton before culminating with three nights at London Royal Albert Hall.
Tickets are on sale from Absolute Radio Tickets now.
Childhood photos of 28 famous rock stars, including Bob Dylan:
Rod Stewart
Roderick David Stewart aged 8 in 1953.
Charlie Watts
Charles Robert Watts – Rolling Stones legend Charlie Watts - aged 2 with his mother Lillian and father Charles in Trafalgar Square in 1943.
Sting
Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner – aka Sting – aged 10 at his home in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1961.
Mick Jagger
A school photo of a 9-year-old Mick Jagger in 1951 at Wentworth Junior County Primary School in his home town Dartford
Ronnie Wood
Ronald David Wood (Ronnie Wood) aged 4 in 1951, taken at his home in Whitehorn Avenue, Yiewsley, West London.
Bob Dylan
A childhood photo of Robert Allen Zimmerman – Bob Dylan – aged 2 in 1943.
Iggy Pop
Punk legend James Newell Osterberg Jr. – Iggy Pop – aged 18 months in 1948.
Paul McCartney
Future Beatles icon James Paul McCartney, nowadays known as Paul, aged 8 in Liverpool in 1950.
Janis Joplin
Late-great rock icon Janis Joplin aged 9 in 1952. She died just 18 years later.
David Bowie
A seven-year-old David Jones, soon to be known as David Bowie, in Bromley, London in 1954.
Neil Young
Feted rocker Neil Young as a young boy, aged 11 in 1956.
Jim Morrison
The Doors' Jim Morrison, aged 15, in his high school yearbook photo in 1958.
Bono
A one-year-old Paul David Hewson – future U2 frontman Bono – at his home in Dublin in 1961.
Billy Idol
William Michael Albert Broad – aka Billy Idol – aged 10 in 1965.
Bruce Springsteen
16-year-old Bruce Springsteen in his high school yearbook photo in 1965.
Chrissie Hynde
The Pretenders' Chrissie Hynde aged 17 in her high school yearbook in 1968.
Larry Mullen Jr
U2 drummer Larry Mullen Jr aged 13 in 1974.
Freddie Mercury
An eight-month-old Farrokh Bulsara – future Queen frontman Freddie Mercury – at his home in Zanzibar.
Debbie Harry
Blondie's Debbie Harry aged 17 in her high school yearbook photo in 1962.
Lars Ulrich
Lars Ulrich, the son of Danish tennis player Torben Ulrich, accompanies his father to Wimbledon in June 1966. Lars was two-and-a-half at the time.
Tina Turner
17-year-old Anna Mae Bullock, rock icon Tina Turner, in her high school yearbook photo in 1956.
Jack Black
Tenacious D rocker and acting legend, Jack Black, aged 16 in 1985.
Tom Petty
17-year-old Tom Petty as seen in his 1967 Gainesville High School yearbook photo. © Alamy
Elvis Presley
The King of Rock and Roll himself, Elvis Presley, aged 5 in 1940.
Jimi Hendrix
A three-year-old Johnny Allen Hendrix with his dad Al in late 1945. When he was four in 1946 – a year after the above photo was taken – Johnny was renamed James 'Jimmy' Marshall Hendrix after his dad and Al's late brother Leon Marshall Hendrix.
John Lydon
The Sex Pistols' John Lydon – aka Johnny Rotten – aged 7 in 1964.
Sid Vicious
Simon John Ritchie - aka future Sex Pistols star Sid Vicious - aged 12 in 1969.
Ian Curtis
A five-year-old Ian Curtis in Macclesfield, Cheshire in 1961.