Alex James: Last News

Blur have shared two new songs that are featured in the deluxe version of their latest LP ‘The Ballad Of Darren’. Listen to them below.The two new tracks, ‘The Rabbi’ and ‘The Swan’, both have that signature Blur sound with the latter being a mellow ballad and ‘The Rabbi’ being a bright, upbeat song.

Alex James has claimed that he found returning to Blur a lot more “relaxing” than parenting.In recent weeks, the 54-year-old musician has played countless shows across the UK and Europe – including two mammoth dates at Wembley Stadium – and released his ninth studio album with Blur, ‘The Ballad Of Darren’.However, according to a recent interview, the process of being back in the band is more manageable and laid-back than that of being a full-time parent.Appearing on the Parenting Hell podcast, he reflected on one of his previous quotes, where he claimed to have once spent “a million pounds on drugs and booze” while in the band, before going on to become a cheesemaker on his Cotswolds farm.“I kind of made it up and everyone believed it. But that is coming back to haunt me now,” he began.“Playing the bass in a rock band is the easiest thing, compared to parenting,” he added.

Blur‘s ‘Coffee & TV’ with his son, Harrison, and shared the results in a video shared with fans.The Inbetweeners actor, who played Jay Cartwright in the hit ’00s E4 sitcom, posted a clip of himself playing guitar and singing while his son shows off his skills on the bass.“We’ve had Blur fever in the house, but Harrison especially has found a new appreciation for Alex James [Blur bassist],” Buckley opens with in the video. He said that his son has been “working really hard on it”.The pair are then seen performing a short section from the 1994 hit, although only Harrison’s fingers are in view, noodling around the bass’ fretboard, while Buckley is seen fully on camera.A post shared by James Buckley (@buxtagram)But in a nod to the cheekiness of his character, Jay, he tells his son that he has a solo to show him at the end – and then pranks him by farting.“Harrison is brilliant, fart was impressive,” commented one fan on the Instagram video.

Blur’s Dave Rowntree has shared his opinion of Labour leader Keir Starmer in a new interview with NME.The Britpop veteran was taking part in the latest installation of NME’s Does Rock N’ Roll Kill Braincells?! series when he was asked to recall key moments from throughout his career, including his work in politics.Alongside his role as the drummer for Blur, Rowntree has also had a successful career in politics throughout much of the 21st Century – even going as far as to be elected as a Labour Councillor in Norfolk in 2017.Now, following his time in the role, which came to an end in 2021, the musician revealed his thoughts on current Labour leader, Keir Starmer.“Well, the test is at General Elections,” he began, discussing how well he thinks the figurehead is faring with the public. “If he wins the General Election, he’ll be widely touted as the most visionary Labour leader of modern times and will join the incredibly small number of Labour leaders who’ve gone on to become prime minister.”“If he loses, he’ll be regarded as an idiot who wrecked the Labour Party and achieved nothing,” he continued.

Alex James has shared a video of him playing ‘Vindaloo’ at Wembley Stadium before Blur’s headline show at the venue.The 1998 football song was co-written by James, actor Keith Allen and bassist Guy Pratt. The track served as the band Fat Les’ (Alex James, actor Keith Allen and artist Damien Hirst) debut single and was recorded for the 1998 FIFA World Cup.James took to social media to share a video clip of him playing ‘Vindaloo’ on the Wembley Stadium stage during Blur’s soundcheck for their show on July 9.

Blur have wrapped up the first of their highly anticipated reunion shows at Wembley – see their full setlist below.The first of two shows at Wembley took place last night (July 8) and saw Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James and Dave Rowntree turn back the clock to play an assortment of their biggest hits – including one track they haven’t played since 1994.The stunning 25-song setlist would see Blur play ‘Girls & Boys’, ‘Tender’, ‘The Universal’ and of course, ‘Song 2’. They also performed ‘Lot 105’ for the first time since 1994.They also performed ‘Under The Westway’ live for the first time since 2014.

Blur have cancelled their upcoming headline slot at a French festival due to an injury. The news comes just days ahead of their upcoming shows at London’s Wembley Stadium.The returning Britpop veterans were set to play the set at Festival Beauregard this Thursday (July 6) – but according to an update from the festival’s official Twitter page, the band will no longer be performing drummer Dave Rowntree has suffered a knee injury.“The bad news has just fallen: Blur will not be able to perform their concert in Beauregard,” the update began (translated from French).

Damon Albarn has recalled the first time he showed his bandmates the demos for Blur’s upcoming album, and admitted he only wanted Graham Coxon to be in the studio at first.The singer-songwriter was speaking as part of a new interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music 1, when he recalled what it was like reuniting with Blur and starting work on their new album, ‘The Ballad Of Darren’.According to Albarn, he began writing the demos for the new tracks before he gathered his bandmates together, but felt reluctant to show all of them at the same time.“When I finished the demos and I felt I’d got something I’m excited about, I got everyone into a studio in January this year. I just sort of sat them down and I said, ‘Right. This is what I’ve got.

Blur have announced that Sleaford Mods and Phil Daniels will be the latest acts joining them at their upcoming shows at Wembley Stadium.The long-awaited shows are set to take place on Saturday July 8 and Sunday July 9, and come ahead of the band’s upcoming ninth studio album ‘The Ballad Of Darren’ — set for release on July 21 via Parlophone and Warner (pre-order here).The first of the two new acts joining the bill is Nottingham post-punk band, Sleaford Mods. Announced today (June 13), the duo — comprised of Jason Williamson and Andrew Fearn — will join Damon Albarn and co for their Saturday show.Now sold-out, other acts supporting the Britpop legends at the Saturday gig include English singer-songwriter and Mercury Prize nominee Self Esteem, and London-based electro-pop duo Jockstrap.Paul Weller, the second of the newly announced artists joining the bill, will perform at both the Saturday and Sunday shows in the capital.

Blur brought fan-favourite ‘Country House’ back to their setlist at Primavera Sound last night (June 1), and played the rare track ‘Luminous’. Check out the setlist and footage below.The Brit-pop icons took to the stage for their headline set at the Barcelona festival, performing a series of classics, rarities and new tracks from their upcoming album, ‘The Ballad Of Darren’.One of the main highlights of the night came midway through their set, with Damon Albarn and co.

Blur played a second warm-up show for their 2023 reunion tour in Eastbourne last night (May 21) – watch them reunite with Phil Daniels for ‘Parklife’ below.The Britpop heroes first announced their comeback back in November with news of a huge Wembley Stadium show – before going on to reveal a second date at the venue before a run of European festival shows and an intimate UK warm-up tour.This week, the band also announced details of a surprise new album ‘The Ballad Of Darren’ and shared its first single, ‘The Narcissist’.On Friday night (May 19), the band played their first gig since 2015 in their hometown of Colchester, playing hits and new songs from ‘The Ballad Of Darren’.The Eastbourne gig featured largely the same setlist, and the notable appearance of Daniels for one of their biggest hits.Watch the ‘Parklife’ performance below.blur blowing the roof off Eastbourne Winter Gardens tonight…with a little help from the legend Phil Daniels. Sensational! pic.twitter.com/hZEbpsfB7j— ajyeet mabs (@AjyeetM) May 22, 2023In a press conference at Colchester Castle ahead of their gig at the town’s Arts Centre, Blur spoke about the recording process of their ninth studio album.“There were moments of utter joy,” enthused bassist Alex James.

Blur have spoken about recording their surprise new album ‘The Ballad Of Darren’.The 10-track LP, was announced earlier this week and is the band’s first since 2015’s ‘The Magic Whip‘. It was produced by James Ford (Arctic Monkeys, Foals, Depeche Mode) and recorded at Studio 13 in London and Devon.Speaking in a press conference at Colchester Castle ahead of their gig at the town’s Arts Centre last night (May 19), all four members opened up about the recording process of their ninth studio album.“There were moments of utter joy,” enthused bassist Alex James. “The new song we open with [‘St Charles Square’] I just thought, ‘Oh my God, we’ve pulled it back’.

is already streaming.The new record was announced ahead of a series of warm-up shows that the band are playing around the UK this month, kicking off at the Colchester Arts Centre later today.Those shows, which also include gigs at Eastbourne Winter Gardens, The Halls Wolverhampton and City Hall Newcastle, precede a summer of festival appearances plus the two dates at Wembley Stadium on 8 and 9 Jul.And now some quotes from the band…Damon Albarn: “This is an aftershock record, reflection and comment on where we find ourselves now”.Graham Coxon: “The older and madder we get, it becomes more essential that what we play is loaded with the right emotion and intention. Sometimes just a riff doesn’t do the job”.Alex James: “For any long term relationship to last with any meaning you have to be able to surprise each other somehow and somehow we all continue to do that”.Dave Rowntree: “It always feels very natural to make music together.

Thania Garcia Blur will be releasing their first album in eight years, “The Ballad of Darren,” later this summer, the band announced on Thursday morning. The news arrived with an early taste of the 10-song collection, a guitar-driven single titled “The Narcissist.” The album, which will be released on July 21 on Parlophone, follows their last reunion album — 2015’s “The Magic Whip” — and was produced by James Ford, who last worked with Blur’s Damon Albarn for the Gorillaz’s 2018 album “The Now Now.” “This is an aftershock record, reflection and comment on where we find ourselves now,” said Albarn of the new record in a statement. Lead guitarist Graham Coxon added, “The older and madder we get, it becomes more essential that what we play is loaded with the right emotion and intention. Sometimes just a riff doesn’t do the job.”

Britpop: The Music That Changed Britain will kick off this weekend to celebrate the genre’s 30th anniversary.The series will document the story of the integral British genre from start to finish. There will be “exclusive new interviews with the key players”, who will tell “fascinating behind-the-scenes stories”, and a “rare and unseen archive of all the era’s big names”.The first episode tells the story of Britpop’s rise to fame and the infamous rivalries between Blur, Oasis, Suede and Elastica.

Blur have announced that they will reunite for a big one-off show at Wembley Stadium in July next year. It will be their only UK show in 2023 and their first headline performance since 2015.“We really love playing these songs and thought it’s about time we did it again”, says Damon Albarn. A man of few words.

The Masked Dancer is back. The show began in 2021 to much success – and this time it’s in a primetime Saturday night slot which will see it compete against Strictly Come Dancing for viewers. Joel Dommett has returned to the stage as the show’s host alongside a star-studded panel of judges including Jonathan Ross, Davina McCall, Oti Mabuse, and Peter Crouch.

Speculation over the identities of The Masked Dancer characters is already rife after only two episodes and Prawn Cocktail is the latest fan fixation. After an energetic performance to One Night Only from the musical Dreamgirls the judges - Davina McCall, Jonathan Ross, Oti Mabuse and Peter Crouch - were left guessing, with Davina suggesting it might be TV presenter Holly Willoughby behind the mask. However, viewers at home reckon they know who it is with one saying: "Prawn Cocktail is Amber Davies," after claiming they made "west end" references during their VT.

Blur‘s Graham Coxon has announced details of his autobiography, Verse, Chorus, Monster!.The memoir is described as “an intimate, honest reflection on music, fame, addiction and art by one of Britain’s most iconic musicians.” It will be published on October 6 this year via Faber.A press release for the book reads: “Among the noise and clamour of the Britpop era, Blur co-founder Graham Coxon managed to carve out a niche to become one of the most innovative and respected guitarists of his generation – but it wasn’t always easy.“Graham grew up as an Army kid, moving frequently in his early years from West Germany to Derbyshire and Winchester before settling in Colchester, Essex. A shy child, he had a thing for eating soil and drawing intense visions; his anxiety was tempered by painting and a growing love of music.”It adds: “These twin passions grew into obsessions, and as he honed his artistic skill at school, Goldsmiths and beyond, his band with school friend Damon Albarn, fellow art student Alex James, and a drummer called Dave Rowntree began to get noticed.“But there are things they don’t tell you before you get famous.

Tim Burgess has announced that he’ll be hosting a special 25th anniversary listening party tonight (February 10) for Blur‘s self-titled 1997 album.The Charlatans’ frontman has been hosting listening parties for a multitude of albums on Twitter since the UK went into its first coronavirus lockdown back in early 2020.This afternoon he announced that Blur members Alex James and Dave Rowntree, as well as producer Stephen Street will be joining him and his followers tonight for a listening party to celebrate the band’s fifth album turning 25.‘Blur’ was originally released on February 10, 1997, and featured the singles ‘Beetlebum’, ‘On Your Own’, ‘M.O.R.’, and the iconic anthem ‘Song 2’.

Stereophonics and Anne-Marie are set to headline Big Feastival, a music and food festival hosted by Blur’s Alex James on his Cotswolds farm.The Human League will join them at the top of the bill while special guests Sugababes will also perform at the festival, which is set to take place August 26-28.Stereophonics will play the Sunday night and Anne-Marie will close Saturday, while The Human League are set to headline the Friday night.Also appearing across the weekend are Alfie Templeman, The Futureheads, The Sherlocks, The Lottery Winners and Lola Young. Jake Bugg, Gabrielle, Sam Ryder and a Basement Jaxx DJ set have also been confirmed, with more musical acts still to be announced.Big Feastival also has a full line-up of guest chefs and family entertainment to be revealed in the coming weeks.A post shared by The Big Feastival (@thebigfeastival)“We’ve been busy building on last summer’s sold out festival and our strongest line up yet will bookend what promises to be an unforgettable summer of celebration.