We’re in a funny little moment for musical performances on late-night TV shows. These days, about half the performances are done in the show’s studios, in front of live audiences, and about half of them are filmed remotely and sent in. It’s a little difficult to predict which performers will take which option. And it was definitely a surprise to see that Blur/Gorillaz leader Damon Albarn actually showed up in the Jimmy Kimmel Live studio to sing a song last night.

Late last year, Albarn released his restrained solo album The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows. Albarn’s last late-night performance was a cinematic black-and-white remote performance, but on Kimmel last night, he sat down at a piano to play “Royal Morning Blue.” Instead of a band, Albarn had a string section backing him up.

“Royal Morning Blue” is a pretty song, and on Kimmel, Albarn sang it with a melancholy softness. He looked like a version of present-day Christian Slater that had just rolled out of bed. That’s a pretty good look for Damon Albarn. Check out the performance below.

The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows is out now on Transgressive.