Here's excellent Blur news just before New Years- Damon Albarn has been awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his contributions to the British music scene for over 20 years. The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is the "order of chivalry of British constitutional monarchy, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations and public service outside the Civil Service.
The singer, composer and songwriter for Blur, Gorillaz and various other musical successes joins ranks of Goldie and actors James Nesbitt, Idris Elba, David Oyelowo, Barbara Windsor and Imelda Staunton among the celebrities saluted by Queen Elizabeth II as part of her annual Honours List.
In December Albarn, who was was born in London and raised in Essex, opened his musical, wonder.land, at the National Theatre in London - reworking Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures In Wonderland into a story about the digital age.
Damon Albarn has also been working on the fifth Gorillaz album, which is expected in 2016. In an interview with Rolling Stone in October, he said: "So far, it's really fast, and it's got quite a lot of energy. I've been stuck on piano, somewhere off Broadway, for years now. I want to go somewhere completely opposite of that."
For a full list of awards, please visit https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-years-honours-2016.