Full Breakdown
Gorillaz-Prompted Early End to Uncle Acid’s Roskilde Set Sparks Controversy
7/4/2026, 8:29:50 PM
Incident and Immediate Response
On July 2, 2024, Gorillaz headlined Roskilde’s Orange stage while Uncle Acid and The Deadbeats performed on the adjacent Legune stage. Sound from the Legune stage carried into Gorillaz’s set, leading Damon Albarn to ask, “Is it supposed to be possible for me to hear the other music so clearly?” Roskilde stopped Uncle Acid’s set after about thirty minutes, citing wind and technical issues, and issued an apology describing the incident as “extremely unfortunate for everyone involved.”
Background Context
Roskilde’s history with Gorillaz includes two earlier disruptions. In 2018, a stage fall by rapper Del the Funky Homosapien forced an early end to the set. In 2016, Albarn was removed by security after refusing to stop a five-hour performance. These precedents have heightened scrutiny of the 2024 incident.
Band’s Accusations
Uncle Acid’s drummer Jon Rice used Instagram to accuse Gorillaz of deliberately ending the set. He claimed the band “forced to cut our set short… because they could faintly hear the sound… and decided to throw a bitch fit,” and labeled Gorillaz “soft as baby shit,” adding that the decision placed festival staff in a “horrible position.”
Conflicting Accounts
The festival attributes the cut to wind and technical factors, while Albarn’s on-stage comment and Rice’s Instagram post suggest the decision stemmed from audible bleed and a perceived “fit” by Gorillaz. Gorillaz have not responded to media inquiries, leaving the precise cause unverified.
Impact and Future Steps
The incident underscores challenges of managing multiple outdoor stages under variable weather, raising questions about sound isolation and communication protocols. Roskilde announced further programme adjustments for upcoming days to mitigate wind effects. NME’s request for comment from Gorillaz remains unanswered, and the festival’s ongoing communication will shape any additional remedial measures.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Is it supposed to be possible for me to hear the other music so clearly?” — Damon Albarn, Gorillaz frontman (reported by *Politiken*)
- “We can just stop playing and listen to the other thing instead, that’s fine with me.” — Damon Albarn, Gorillaz frontman (reported by *Politiken*)
- “We were forced to cut our set short by Gorillaz due to what they called ‘technical difficulties,’ when in reality they could faintly hear the sound coming from our stage in between their songs and decided to throw a bitch fit, threatening to pull their gig entirely if we didn’t stop playing.” — Jon Rice, drummer, Uncle Acid and The Deadbeats
- “ Rice then added on one final story: “‘Cartoon band,’ indeed.” indeed. — Jon Rice, drummer, Uncle Acid and The Deadbeats
- “‘Cartoon band,’ indeed. All in all, @damonalbarn and @gorillaz are soft as baby shit. FUCK ‘EM.” — Jon Rice, drummer, Uncle Acid and The Deadbeats
