Damon Albarn covered The Smiths‘ ‘Panic’ with Africa Express on stage in Mexico City this weekend. The Blur frontman joined the group for the performance in Morelos, Mexico at Bahidorá Festival on February 17.
The musical composition was formed in 2006 for bringing together artists from different cultures and musical genres for collaborative events. Albarn sang and played piano for the high-energy performance and was joined by Camilo Lara for a lively ska interpretation of The Smiths’ 1986 track.
The Gorillaz artist confirmed it was Africa Express’ first performance in Mexico, bringing together musicians, singers and DJs from around the world “to collaborate on a very special, completely original show.”
The collective’s last release, ‘Egoli‘ also came out in 2019. Damon Albarn covers the Smith’s song in Spanish, and it has the same speed as the original if not faster. This is not just a cover, it’s a different version with Latin influences. The accompanying sounds make this sound like something completely fresh with the trumpets and other instruments making it sound like a hyper mariachi mix.
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