Blur: Last News

Blur and Boygenius among the artists making its inaugural edition.The non-hierarchical list celebrates artists the channel has made a particular effort to champion in the last few months, including newcomers as well as more established artists.Appearing alongside Blur and Boygenius are big names including Christine & The Queens and Young Fathers, while rising stars Nia Archives and The Last Dinner Party have also made the list, which is rounded out by Gabriels, Loraine James, Say She She and Anthony Szmierik.The list was revealed by presenter Lauren Laverne on the Breakfast Show today (November 6). “The line-up for the inaugural 6 Music Artists of the Year is just bursting with music talent, innovation and inspiration,” she later said in a press release.

Fall Out Boy have covered Blur’s ‘Song 2’ at their latest gig in London. Check out the moment below.At London’s O2 arena yesterday (November 2) the band covered Blur’s classic song, from the band’s 1997 self-titled fifth album.Elsewhere in the hit-filled show, the band performed ‘Grand Theft Autumn/Where Is Your Boy’ with Awsten Knight of Waterparks.

MusicWeek) and highlighted that from the beginning of the year until the end of September, 3,952,262 vinyl LPs were sold – approximately a 13.2 per cent increase since 2022.According to the report, this increase was even bigger for the three months of the Q3 period, which saw 1,237,620 records sold in the vinyl format; a figure which is 15.1 per cent higher than the previous year.So far, artists majorly responsible for the resurgence of vinyl sales include Lana Del Rey, Taylor Swift, Blur and Kylie Minogue – all of which have released new LPs since the start of the year.So far, Lana Del Rey’s ‘Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd’ remains the biggest vinyl release of the year – with 33,568 copies sold on the format since its release in March. This is followed by Taylor Swift’s ‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’, which was the biggest-selling vinyl release of Q3, with 29,649 sales.In third place is Britpop icons Blur, whose ninth studio album ‘The Ballad Of Darren’ has sold 26,894 copies, and Kylie Minogue’s ‘Tension’ isn’t too far behind, with 19,160 copies sold since its release last month.Other albums paving the way in vinyl sales include Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Guts’, Wham!’s ‘The Singles: Echoes From The Edge Of Heaven’ and Lewis Capaldi‘s ‘Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent’.What’s more, this figure is expected to rise significantly for the remainder of 2023, with albums from Take That (‘This Life’) and Taylor Swift (‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’) still set for release.

Graham Coxon has recalled Blur‘s effort to distance themselves from the sound of Britpop on their 1997 self-titled album.The band’s fifth album, featuring singles including as ‘Song 2’ and ‘Beetlebum’, was characterised by its aggression and heightened emotion in comparison to their previous work.Coxon was the main member of the band pushing for a stylistic change and detailed in a new interview with Mojo how he tried to make that happen.“I decided to write a letter to Damon because I wasn’t confident enough to broach conversations about my needs. It was something like: ‘I’d like to start scaring people again, because at the start, we were into unease, songs like ‘Oily Water’ and ‘Resigned’.

Blur, R.E.M., Garbage, Idlewild and more are set to reissue albums from the 1990s for next month’s National Album Day.As announced earlier this year, National Album Day will take place on October 14 and feature a special spotlight on the ’90s.Other artists set to reissue records on the day include Fatboy Slim, Bob Dylan, Wu-Tang Clan, Jeff Buckley and more.This year marks the sixth edition of the event – which originally launched in 2018 – and seeks to shine a light upon the artists and albums that defined the 1990s.

Blur have shed insight into the cover for their latest album ‘The Ballad Of Darren’, as has the artist and the swimmer captured in the image.The Britpop legends shared the update on their social media pages yesterday (August 21), celebrating one month since their ninth studio album was released.With the Instagram post, the band’s frontman, Damon Albarn, and drummer Dave Rowntree both shared their interpretation behind the cover, and revealed how it has a connection to one of their 1995 live performances.The post began with a brief clip of someone holding the album out, before dropping it down to reveal that they are standing in the same spot where the now-famous image was taken – the Gourock Outdoor Pool in Glasgow.“The image selected for the album’s artwork is one shot by British photographer Martin Parr of a lone swimmer on a stormy day at the Gourock Lido, Scotland, captured in 2004,” the second slide reads, also incorporating a quote from the artist himself.“It was in the summer and you have the blue of the lido but there was the grey sky so familiar in Scotland,” Parr explained, revealing the inspiration behind the photograph. “I thought this was going to be a great backdrop.

Blur have shared a new unreleased track titled ‘Sticks And Stones’ from their latest album ‘The Ballad Of Darren‘.The track follows the band’s two other releases, ‘The Rabbi’ and ‘The Swan’, released as part of the album’s deluxe edition. ‘Sticks And Stones’ will be released as a bonus track for the Japanese exclusive edition of ‘The Ballad Of Darren’.Guitarist Graham Coxon provides lead vocals on the track.

Blur‘s Damon Albarn has hit out at AI, branding it “absurd”.He criticised covers of the band’s hits featuring AI versions of Frank Sinatra, Michael Buble and Snoop Dogg.Albarn told The Sun: “It’s absurd. Anyone who has so much time to sing songs through a Michael Buble filter and put them on the internet is a fucking idiot.

Blur bassist Alex James has launched his own brand of ‘Britpop’ sparkling wine.The musician and professional cheesemaker announced the news of his latest venture on social media yesterday (August 2) – sharing a clip of himself on Twitter (X), showcasing the finished product.“Britpop sparkling wine. Perfect for the good times,” James began in the clip.

Blur bassist Alex James played to the band's biggest-ever crowds at Wembley this summer - but he says it was nothing compared to raising five children.The 54-year-old shares Geronimo, 19, twins Artemis and Galileo, 17, and daughters Sable, 14, and 13-year-old Beatrix with his wife Claire Neate, and the whole family live on a 200-farm in Oxfordshire. As of Beatrix's birthday in June, Alex is now officially the dad of five teenagers, all of whom were at home when OK! visited his farm for a sneak peek at his life off-stage. "“Playing bass in a rock band is the easiest f*****g job in the world,” he told us.

Alex James was a rockstar of the nineties with his Britpop band Blur , crafting the soundtrack to a decade with the likes of Parklife and Girls & Boys. Life now is very different though, he tells OK! in an exclusive chat and walkabout his farm, as he spends his days tending to the land, feeding his army of five teenage children, and organising their annual on-site music festival.

Blur‘s Damon Albarn has shared his love for Arctic Monkeys‘ Alex Turner, saying he sings “a lot like him” on the band’s new album.Albarn and his band released new LP ‘The Ballad Of Darren’ this month, their first since 2015’s ‘The Magic Whip’.In a new interview with Musikexpress, Albarn has discussed his admiration for Turner, and how he influenced the Britpop heroes’ new album.Asked what he thinks of Turner, Albarn responded: “I think he’s great, I sing a lot like him on the new album.“You know our producer James Ford?” the frontman added. “He also worked with the Arctic Monkeys, I mentioned that to him.

Blur debuted new songs from their latest album ‘The Ballad Of Darren‘ along with a smattering of deep cuts and fan favourites at an intimate show at London’s Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith last night (Tuesday July 25). Check out footage and the setlist below.As announced earlier this month, the returning Britpop veterans took to the stage at the iconic London venue to perform their new album in its entirety, with the show also livestreamed online.The band took to the stage, backed by string quartet, with bassist Alex James lounging on a sofa and smoking as they eased into playing album opener ‘The Ballad’.

Last week Blur released The Ballad Of Darren, their first new studio album in eight years. The band have followed the release with two bonus tracks, one titled "The Rabbi" and another called "The Swan." Both tracks are available to stream now.

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.

Trying to keep up with this week’s new music? Every Friday, we collect new albums available on streaming services on one page. This week, check out Babyface Ray's Summer's Mine, Blur's The Ballad of Darren, NewJeans' Get Up EP, and more.

Blur performed a special gig at the BBC Radio Theatre for Radio 2 last night (July 18) – debuting new song ‘Barbaric’, showcasing their new album ‘The Ballad Of Darren‘ and inviting Phil Daniels on-stage for ‘Parklife’. Check out photos, footage and the setlist below.Following on from playing to 90,000 fans per night at their two massive Wembley Stadium shows last week, the Britpop heroes returned to the capital to perform a much more intimate show for just 300 lucky competition winners and media.

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.

The Rise And Fall Of Britpop, explores Pulp’s impact on the scene alongside the rivalry between Blur and Oasis.Steve Lamacq and Jo Whiley developed and present the podcast, which released its first four episodes last week (July 10), charting how Britpop rose to domination and its lasting effect on the UK music industry and pop culture.Episodes five to eight have now been made available to listen to on BBC Sounds, while the four new instalments will be broadcast on BBC 6 Music on July 19.The fifth episode will turn the lens away from the heavyweights of Blur and Oasis, focusing instead on Sheffield’s Pulp. The episode will tell the Jarvis Cocker-led band’s story, from recording in a semi-detached house in their hometown to writing songs in a tent the night before headlining Glastonbury.Episode six will return to catch up with Blur and Oasis who, at this point in time, were embroiled in a bitter chart battle in August 1995.