Damon Albarn: Last News

Damon Albarn and Kaktus Einarsson have joined forces for the new single ‘Gumbri’, from Einarsson’s upcoming album ‘Lobster Coda’. Check it out below.The collaboration follows years of the pair working together, beginning in 2007 when a then-15-year-old Einarsson played trumped on the Gorillaz track ‘Stop The Dams’ from their compilation album ‘D-Sides‘.

Blur guitarist Graham Coxon is locked in a court battle with his wife as they go through divorce proceedings.

Foals’ Yannis Philippakis has shared a new video from his project with the late Tony Allen, Yannis & The Yaw.The clip, which you can view below, soundtracks the song ‘Clementine’ which featured on their recent EP ‘Lagos Paris London’.According to a press release, “it is a video postcard” of their recent tour “its grainy photography establishing instant nostalgia for the recent past uniting live footage, rehearsals and behind-the-scenes to document the first chapter in the Yaw’s touring adventures”.Philippakis said of the song: “It’s a slightly lighter shade on the record. I wanted it to feel like a French film from the ‘60s, like a sun-bleached Truffaut film with lots of longing, nostalgia and romance.

Blur and Oasis.Reportedly titled The Battle, the upcoming play is currently in development, and set to be headed to London stages by 2025.The plot will chart out the tense rivalry between the two Britpop icons, which ran throughout the ‘90s as each one rose to prominence and took over the UK music scene. It’ll also centre on the summer of 1995 – when fans went head to head, debating whether Blur would top the charts with ‘Country House’ or whether Oasis would seal the victory with ‘Roll With It’.Blur went on to win that battle, but the band’s Alex James later said that Oasis won the war.It has been written by humorist and writer John Niven – an A&R executive and former indie rocker – and it is being produced by Simon Friend, who has also worked on productions like Ghost Stories, The Girl On The Train, Life Of Pi and more.The latter spoke to Deadline recently, announcing the news of the upcoming Oasis/Blur production.

Graham Coxon has spoken to NME about Blur‘s new Live At Wembley Stadium concert film, the headlines that surrounded their Coachella performance, and what the future may hold for the band.July saw the release of To The End – a documentary directed by Transgressive Records founder Toby L. It followed the reunion of Coxon with Damon Albarn, Alex James and Dave Rowntree on their return to record 2023 comeback album ‘The Ballad Of Darren’ ahead of a tour culminating in pair of shows at London’s Wembley Stadium last summer.

Blur: Live At Wembley Stadium is in cinemas now, but what songs do the Britpop legends play in the film? Read on for all the details.The feature length film is released in UK and Irish cinemas today (September 6), and you can find ticket information here.An official synopsis reads: “Blur: Live At Wembley Stadium, the new cinematic two-hour concert film immortalising the band’s historic 2023 show which saw Blur perform their iconic and much-loved songs for 150,000 fans across a transcendent, once-in-a-generation performance weekend that delivered a sweep of ecstatic 5 star reviews.”“Directed by Toby L, Blur: Live At Wembley Stadium captures the band in full flight at the biggest show of their career, featuring electrifying performances of hits from across their celebrated songbook, including tracks from 2023’s acclaimed, chart-topping album ‘The Ballad Of Darren’.”In a five-star review of Blur’s first Wembley concert, NME wrote: “This two-hour performance shows that Blur have soundtracked the audience’s lives with real emotional impact.”The concert film follows on from the recent Blur: To The End documentary feature, which found the band reflecting on the legacy of their three decades together.NME recently spoke to director and Transgressive Records founder Toby L about that film, which he said captures Blur’s “friendship dynamics and brotherhood”.NME gave To The End a full five stars, calling the film a “spiritual sequel” to 2010’s No Distance Left To Run that “shows a band simply supporting each other”. It added: “Whether they return again or not remains to be seen.

Ezra Collective have shared new single ‘Streets Is Calling’ and spoken to NME about the importance of social activism and Damon Albarn’s influence on the group following drummer Femi Koleoso’s stint in Gorillaz.Last year, the London quintet became the first jazz act to walk away with the prestigious Mercury Prize. What has followed has been a whirlwind of acclaim and further accolades.

Blur drummer Dave Rowntree has expressed his delight to see Oasis back together, sharing that he would be “first in the queue” to see the band live.The two Britpop bands were locked in an infamous rivalry throughout the 1990s, but it seems the Blur drummer is holding no grudges as long-feuding brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher announced last week that they would be reuniting as Oasis for a series of 17 summer stadium gigs across the UK and beyond.Tickets went on sale over the weekend and sold out at 7pm, though the dynamic pricing structure and price fluctuation has caused much controversy and may even breach consumer law, according to experts.In a new interview with the BBC, Rowntree – who last year told El Pais that the bands now “all get along well” – said he would “definitely go and see” the Gallagher brothers’ long-awaited comeback tour next year.The drummer, who also ran as Labour’s MP candidate in Mid Sussex in the general election, added that he would be “first in the queue”, since he had never seen Oasis perform live before.“Blur and Oasis combined changed what the pop music genre meant, and that doesn’t happen very often,” he added.The musician went on to explain how people often applied “their particular prejudice” when it came to the apparent rivalry – which he said served as “helpful media hype” – between the two bands.“So people wanting to see England as a North-South divided country could lay that on there, people that wanted to view it in terms of class could do that,” he added.Rowntree’s comments come after Blur frontman Damon Albarn last year said the “road is clear” for an Oasis reunion.

Jenna Ortega has weighed in on the classic Blur vs Oasis argument after it was announced the Gallagher brothers would be reuniting.Last week, Noel and Liam Gallagher announced they would be reuniting as Oasis for a series of massive summer stadium gigs across the UK and beyond.Tickets went on sale on Saturday (August 31) with fans having to contend with technical issues and dynamic pricing, before every date of the tour sold out in a matter of hours.However Jenna Ortega only found out about the reunion during a sit-down interview with NME to promote Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. “I had no idea they were back,” she said before asking her co-star Catherine O’Hara for her take on the classic Blur and Oasis rivalry.“I don’t partake in taking sides,” she replied, with Ortega then asked for her pick of Britpop titans.“Can I be honest? I actually just heard ‘Wonderwall’ for the first time a month ago,” she revealed.

Oasis are officially making a comeback and if you've managed to snag a pair of tickets or are still trying, you might be on the hunt for some outfit inspiration. Even though the concerts aren't until summer 2025, it's never too soon to start planning.Thanks to Liam and Noel's iconic 90s style, bucket hats are back in style.

EXCLUSIVE:  Back in the summer of 1995, you were either team Oasis or team Blur. There was no sitting on the fence as the rival Brit bands clashed over which group’s single would top the charts – Blur’s Country House or the Oasis number Roll With It.

Blur bassist Alex James said he hopes the band will keep going for “a very long time” in a recent interview.The bassist of the Britpop group, who is releasing the memoir Over The Rainbow: Tales Of An Unexpected Year later this year, has said he is eager to continue collaborating with his bandmates.When asked about the band’s future, James shared with The Sun newspaper: “Last year was truly magical. I hope we can keep doing it and keeping it special for as long as we live.

Gorillaz collaborator has been diagnosed with lung cancer, as per a message on the newly launched GoFundMe page, and treatments are becoming increasingly pricey.Everett’s friend, George Shaban, is the one behind the fundraiser, and it was launched at the end of last month with the hopes of gathering $100,000 in donations to help support the cancer treatment.“Trying to raise money for my friend Peven who needs treatment for lung cancer. Any donation will help.

Damon Albarn’s architect father, Keith, has died, aged 85, it was announced today (August 13).The father of the Blur frontman was an expert in art and design, having written many books and articles on the subject, as well as appearing on many TV and radio shows.Keith passed away on July 25 after being diagnosed with cancer. As per an obituary in The Times, Keith was best known for his academic research into patterns and was a trustee at The Minories and Colchester Arts Centre.

Primal Scream have collaborated on a new shirt design for a Palestinian refugee football team, based on their classic album ‘Screamadelica’.Frontman Bobby Gillespie confirmed the news in an Instagram video today (August 8), explaining that the team Lajee Celtic, who are a refugee club based in the Aida Camp in Bethlehem in Palestine’s West Bank.The shirt has been designed in conjunction with clothing brand A Number Of Names, as well as The Green Brigade, a supporters group for Celtic FC, the club which Gillespie supports.“The camp has lived under the rule of Israeli military occupation since 1947,” Gillespie says in the video. “Yet despite these abominable conditions, the people of the camp find joyful resistance in the game of football.”A post shared by Primal Scream (@primalscreamofficial)“Football, the universal, democratic sport.

Dave Rowntree has reflected on Blur’s discography, and named the album he thinks is the band’s strongest “by quite a long way”.During a new interview the drummer had with Super Deluxe Edition, the drummer looked back at the huge milestones the band have accumulated over the past year – including their two massive shows at London’s Wembley Stadium, and the release of their brand new documentary, Blur: To The End.In the discussion, Rowntree elaborated on how the members took a similar approach to their reunion shows as they did on their latest album, 2023’s ‘The Ballad Of Darren’.“There was a conscious decision to strip things back, both on the tour and ‘The Ballad Of Darren’. In the shows, we didn’t have a string section and we only had a choir on ‘Tender’,” he explained.“We didn’t have brass or the other things that make a bigger sound and can artificially enhance everything.

Blur and Ghost are currently going head-to-head in the battle for this week’s UK Number One album.Both bands released live records last Friday (July 26). Damon Albarn and co’s ‘Blur: Live At Wembley Stadium’ precedes the Britpop group’s upcoming concert film of the same name, with Ghost’s ‘Rite Here Rite Now’ serving as the soundtrack to the Swedish metal outfit’s recent movie.According to the latest Official Charts update, Blur are ahead in the race to the top spot.

Blur drummer Dave Rowntree has hinted there may still be a future for the band, despite them appearing to announce that they had played their last ever show.The Britpop band played at this year’s Coachella Festival, during which frontman Damon Albarn said, “this is probably our last gig”.That came after Albarn stated in December that the band would be going on a hiatus until further notice, saying “it’s too much for me”.“It is time to wrap up this campaign,” he said. “It’s too much for me.

Blur have shared the official trailer for their new concert film, Blur: Live At Wembley Stadium – watch below.The video coincides with the release of the Britpop band’s new live album of the same name today (July 26).Directed by Toby L (who also helmed the new Blur documentary To The End), the upcoming feature-length project captures Damon Albarn and co’s huge reunion shows at London’s Wembley Stadium last summer.The trailer for the movie begins with an aerial shot of the venue. As a roar from the massive crowd erupts, Blur are seen in the wings before making their way to the stage.

Blur‘s Alex James has announced his brand new book Over The Rainbow: Tales From An Unexpected Year.The bassist of the iconic Britpop band took to his official Instagram to reveal the news of his forthcoming book, explaining that it will discuss “the story of an extraordinary year” including Blur’s reunion and their massive Wembley shows.“It chronicles the mayhem of exactly what happened when I hooked back up with my Blur brothers,” James wrote in the caption of his post. “It’s eight years since we last made a record and I’d forgotten how much I love them.

Foals’ Yannis Philippakis has shared the latest song from his new project with the late Tony Allen, Yannis & The Yaw, ‘Rain Can’t Reach Us’.The track follows ‘Walk Through Fire’ and ‘Under The Strikes’, with all three songs set to feature on the Yannis & The Yaw EP ‘Lagos Paris London’, released on August 30 via Transgressive. You can pre-order/pre-save it here.In recent years, the singer had been steadily teasing the project, first revealing news of sessions with legendary drummer Allen to NME back in 2017.