The British rocker was in the city in December (14) for a show at the Sydney Opera House when a gunman took over the Lindt cafe and held 17 people hostage.

Albarn cancelled his show as the drama unfolded, and police eventually freed the majority of the captives, but two died along with the gunman during the rescue attempt.

The Song 2 star has now revealed he was watching the siege from the window of his hotel room, and he wrote the majority of Blur's new single There Are Too Many Of Us based on his experiences.

He tells Britain's NME Magazine, "Probably the initial idea came from being in a very claustrophobic city, but I actually finished the lyric after having come back from Australia. I was there the day they had the hostage situation in the chocolate shop, which was an extraordinary thing to witness. I was staying in a hotel where I could literally see what was going on outside and watch it on television. I've never been in that position before, and as a songwriter that was a very interesting standpoint to have. To be seeing something on TV, and then out the window it's happening. Seeing the reality of what was happening and how it was being distorted through the prism of (the camera) was kind of fascinating."