Have a good New Year's Eve !
December 31, 2012
December 27, 2012
Damon Albarn's former music teacher speaks about Blur - BBC Radio
There will be a special BBC radio show this New Year's Eve (December 31st) featuring Damon Albarn's former music teacher, who will be talking about the Blur frontman in a special documentary about Essex pop stars with number 1 hits in the 90s.
Mr. Nigel Hildreth was Graham Coxon and Damon Albarn's music teacher at Stanway School, Colchester, when the two were 12 or 13 years old. Damon frequently praised Mr. Hildreth for being inspiring, motivating and fantastic. Hildreth also praises and support Damon's side projects, including writing a feature article after watching the frontman's acclaimed 'Monkey Journey to the West' opera in 2007.
"We were incredibly lucky: we had a fantastic music teacher, Mr Hildreth. We did Orpheus, Oh! What A Lovely War – fantastic. We did The Boy Friend – not so fantastic. We did Guys & Dolls – incredible. And we did a bit of West Side Story as well. A really nice cross section."
Damon Albarn on his school days
The BBC feature will be presented by Scott Robinson from the boy band Five. It will be broadcasted on BBC Essex in the end of the year from 11am and 5pm.
Don't forget to listen online at www.bbc.co.uk/bbcessex.
Click here to read what Nigel Hildreth said about Damon and Graham after they became famous.
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December 24, 2012
A Christmas Blur Special
Merry Christmas to all of our readers! This article will be centered around the theme of Christmas and will feature some of Blur's holiday-related singles, videos, news and interesting facts. We will also feature several cool items, videos and facts for this year's Christmas season, as well as include some of our own Christmas banners, images and posters. And yes, everything is Blur-related.
1) The first product is a Blur calendar for 2013 , with large pictures of the band, group shots and scans of Damon Albarn in the monthly pages. It makes a nice present or a desktop essential for the year to come. You can order yours (£14.85 from Lulu) by clicking on the link below.
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| Available for purchase £14.85 from Lulu |
2) Christmas Milky template - the classic 'Coffee and TV' cutout designed by a fan many years ago was given a revamp, this time with a Christmas theme. Get out your scissors and tape, because it is time for a new Christmas DIY project! A forum member, notsoblurry, posted up a fantastic model of the finished product, which you can see below.
3) Shop for some official Blur merchandise - the official shop has stocked up with new gift bundles and packages, for a special price, just for this holiday. The packs include Parklive and Blur 21, as well as t-shirts, CDs and other merchandise worth the purchase for hard-core fans. Visit the official Blur store to check out the Christmas specials by clicking here.
Fun Blur Christmas facts-
1) In Christmas eve in December 1992, Blur were at their lowers point following poor record sales with their debut album 'Leisure'. They were on the verge of being dropped by their record label and in heavy debt, owing lots of money after touring the USA in the previous year.
Damon Albarn spent Christmas eve by getting himself drunk alone in his parent's house. On Christmas morning, his father woke up and heard him playing a melody on the piano - this song later became the hit single 'For Tomorrow' on Blur's second album 'Modern Life is Rubbish'.
1) In Christmas eve in December 1992, Blur were at their lowers point following poor record sales with their debut album 'Leisure'. They were on the verge of being dropped by their record label and in heavy debt, owing lots of money after touring the USA in the previous year.
Damon Albarn spent Christmas eve by getting himself drunk alone in his parent's house. On Christmas morning, his father woke up and heard him playing a melody on the piano - this song later became the hit single 'For Tomorrow' on Blur's second album 'Modern Life is Rubbish'.
3) Alex James made Christmas baubles in December 2008 in a campaign to get everyone recycling plastic. Alex created limited edition Christmas decorations for Coca Cola's campaign to raise awareness for plastic recycling, and each one sold contributed to a climate change charity. Good on Alex's humanitarian efforts, especially for the holidays! Check out the feature article here (with pics) .
4) Alex James' other band Fat Les wrote two Christmas songs - 'Naughty Christmas' and 'Carols on 45'. The British band consisted of bassist Alex, artist Damien Hirst and actor Keith Allen.
5) Damon also presented Top of the Pops in Christmas 1994. This was during the height of the britpop era and 'Parklife' success. Damon's hosting was extremely memorable - watch the video below.
5) Damon Albarn appeared briefly in the music video for the Band Aid 20 single in 2011, which was a song by various top musicians and artists collaborating for a cause. He made coffee in the video, and did not take part in the music.
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| Band Aid Damon |
And finally, some Christmas-related Blur videos.
1) The Wassailing Song - A Christmas song that was released as a limited edition CD, which was given away as a freebie in Hibernian Club, Fulham London, in 1992. Only 500 copies were pressed, but the barrier supposedly collapsed during the handout and a mad scramble took place. Fans who were lucky enough to grab their copy of the special single would later be pleased - it currently sells for £140 GBP each on ebay!
2) Don Quixote's Christmas Bonaza - a Gorillaz christmas tune. Did you know that Gorillaz's iPad album 'The Fall' was released as a free download on Christmas day in December 2010 ? The album was recorded using only the device and several beats, instrumental and recording apps, which ended up costing not more than a total of $120 ! Check out an article detailing all the apps Damon used for the special Christmas Gorillaz album here.
3) For Tomorrow - the quintessential track from Modern Life Is Rubbish. This is Damon Albarn's songwriting at it's best, written one lonely Christmas eve at home in front of his piano. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the song.
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| BlurBalls Christmas Logo - available on Deviantart |
December 23, 2012
Damon Albarn and Womack to perform on New Year's Eve
Damon Albarn and Bobby Womack will perform together on Jools Holland's New Year's Eve Hootenanny on Dec 31st 2012.
The special programme will be the 20th anniversary of Jool's Hootenanny. To mark this celebration, many top artists including Emeli Sandé, Professor Green, Lianne La Havas, Petula Clark and Jake Bugg are lined up to perform.
Bobby Womack, who released his newest album 'The Bravest Man in The Universe' recently, will be joining the stage with Damon Albarn to perform several songs. Damon will also bring in a special guest - Kwestral the great horned owl, which he commissioned artist Ruben Marcos to make.
To read more about Damon Albarn and the owl sculpture, as well as the creative process behind the making, click here.
Tickets for the Hootenanny are not usually available to the public and are invitation-only. However, the show will be available online in BBC iPlayer immediately after the show. Don't forget to tune (to be aired on BBC 2 at 11:10pm UK time).
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December 19, 2012
Blur to rock in Pronvinssirock Finland for 2013 - European Tour News
Blur has officially been announced as part of Finland's Provinssirock Festival 2013. This is the thirteenth tour that Blur has announced for 2013.
Blur will be playing in Provinssirock on June 14-16, 2013. It's time to mark up the calendars, because Provinssirock is one of Finland's biggest international rock festivals, and will feature artists like In Flames, Bad Religion and Down. It draws an average of 55,000 visitors annually.
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WEBSITE: http://www.provinssirock.fi
COST: Click the link below for full ticket details
TICKETS: Click here to buy tickets
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The news was confirmed on Provinssirock’s facebook page a few hours ago.
The last time Blur played in Finland was in 1999, where they performed a spectacular and lively show in front of a large audience. The band did, however, play in Finland's neighbors - Denmark and Sweden - just before their London Olympics Closing Ceremony concert in August 2012.
2013 is going to be an extremely important year for Blur. They may or may not make a new album, and there's no news on whether there will be follow up songs from their recent single 'Under the Westway'.
But one thing is for sure- 2013 is when the band will play numerous festivals and gigs all around the world. Perhaps - just perhaps - there will be some new material out there soon.
Stay tuned for more updates on the Blur 2013 tours.
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December 17, 2012
Blur to play Tokyo Japan as 2013 Tour continues
BREAKING NEWS: As part of their world tour in 2013, Blur has just been confirmed for Japan in the TOKYO ROCKS festival 2013. Blur will appear in Tokyo's trademark rock festival on the 11th and 12th May 2013 at the Ajinomoto Stadium.
The last time Blur played in Japan was nearly 10 years ago in 2003 for their 'Think Tank' album tour, where they headlined the Summer Sonic festival.
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| Is 2013 going to be Blur's big year? |
Other headliners include My Bloody Valentine and Primal Scream, amongst other local Japanese musicians. More will be announced soon.
This is a very exciting time for the reformed Britpop band, who reunited in 2009 after a series of concerts. Blur had been rather active recently, playing in this summer's London Olympics for the prestigious closing ceremony of the games.
Blur has exhibited their pictures, released a new single 'Under the Westway / The Puritan', a live DVD called 'Parklive' and also released a 21 anniversary box set titled 'Blur 21'. What's more, the band announced a European Tour in 2013, where they will play gigs in Belgium, Norway, Russia, Germany and France.
Blur are also set to play in Spain, Portugal, Hungary, Berlin and a UK charity gig. Now, Japan goes on the list too. For a full list of Blur gigs in 2013, click here.
For more details about Blur's Japan festival 2013, visit the official Facebook page. You can order tickets here.
Blur for Spain and Portugal HERE
Blur confirmed for Poland HERE
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December 14, 2012
Blur announce more dates for Europe Tour- Sziget Festival 2013
Blur is continuing to make musical headlines by announcing more dates for their massive European Tour 2013. Blur are confirmed to be the first act in the Sziget Festival 2013, Hungary, next September where they will be playing on the main stage.
The Sziget Festival takes place in Budapest, Hungary every year. Virtual Festivals provided a comprehensive description of the music festival on their article:
The Sziget Festival is one of the largest in Europe and welcomed 379,000 visitors this summer from just over 70 countries. The seven days of partying is fuelled by 1,000 bands, acts and art installations featured across 60 venues on the 266 acre festival site. Uniquely the festival offers a plethora of other on-site activities, including a cinema, theatre, tattooing, volleyball, tennis, football, indoor rowing, rock climbing, bungee jumping and a life-sized foosball.
Sziget Festival 2013 will be on Óbuda Island in the city of Budapest in 5th to 12th August 2013.
Other major headline acts and bands for this Hungarian festival include Placebo, The Stone Roses, The Horrors, Hurts, Snoop Dogg and Friendly Fires.
Click here to purchase tickets for the festival. Visit the official festival (http://www.sziget.hu) website for more information and the full line-up.
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Blur confirmed to headline Berlin Festival 2013
Time to say another 'Woo-Hoo', because Blur has just been confirmed as one of the main headliners in Germany's Berlin Festival 2013 .
Blur will share the main stage as headliners with Pet Shop Boys for this special Germany gig as part of their European Tour 2013. The gig will take place in the 6th and 7th September 2013 for two consecutive days. The last time Blur played in Germany was nine years ago.
The band has also recently confirmed places at festivals in Mexico, Spain, Russia, France and Norway. This was amidst speculations for a Blur world tour, along with rumours of a new album or new songs being released in 2013. Blur are also playing at a Teenage Cancer Trust gig in UK later this year.
Watch the promotional video for a taste of what the festival is like - with Blur in it, it will definitely be a show worth going to for those who can make it to Germany.
Tickets will go up for sale on 14th December at 9am at Eventim. From 21st December on, tickets will also be available from Berlin Festival's official website- visit http://www.berlinfestival.de/ for more information about the Berlin Festival 2013 lineup, news and ticketing information.
December 13, 2012
Blur wins Artrocker Awards - 2012
Blur has won an award at this year's Artrocker Award. The Reissue of the Year prize went to the ‘21: The Box’ from Blur.
To see a full list of winners, click here. Congratulations to the band and to everyone who voted for them!
December 6, 2012
Blur to play in Norway Oya Festival - Europe Tour 2013
And more Blur 2013 tour news keeps on coming! Blur is confirmed to play in Norway for the Oya Festival, marking the first time the band have played in the nation for 10 years.
This announcement came immediately following the band's news to play in France's Eurocks Festival and Russia's Afisha Picnic music festival early next year. Blur has announced a string of new dates in the last month , sparking rumours about their rumoured world tour and new album for the upcoming year.
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| Another one of our collages - Blur World / Europe Tour 2013 |
The Oya Festival will take place on the Wednesday, 7th August 2013, where Blur will be headlining the main stage of one of Norway's boldest music pop festivals ever.
This is going to be a landmark, and remarkable gig for the band, who has been long awaited by Norwegian fans.
Visit the Oya Festival's official website for more details by clicking here.
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Blur to headline France Eurockéennes Eurocks - 2013
A new Blur tour gig has been revealed and confirmed - this time it is in Britain's close neighbor France. The band will be playing in this year's coming Eurockéennes de Belfort, which is one of France's largest rock music festivals. This year's festival took place between 29 June and 1 July 2012.
The festival, also called Eurocks, runs from 4 to 7 July 2013. Blur is one of their biggest headlining act who will close the festival on July 7, 2013.
The news of Blur in France followed hours before the Russian announcement, where it is confirmed that the band will headline one of Russia's biggest rock festivals of the year. Check out coverage of the Russian Blur gig by clicking here. Blur are also playing in a charity gig in UK with former rival Noel Gallagher in March 2013.
Head over and like the Eurocks Festival's Facebook page (complete with their new Blur cover photo) for updates. Watch the promotional video below featuring Blur.
The day tickets are priced at €45 . The Weekend passes are selling at the price of €79. All prices and more ticketing information are available from Eurockeennes' official website HERE.
Blur for Spain and Portugal HERE
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Blur to headline Russia music festival - July 2013
Breaking news: A new Blur concert has been confirmed in Russia for July 13, 2013. Blur will headline the mains stage at The Afisha Picnic in Moscow, Russia.
Afisha Picnic is a one day outdoor festival in the area of Kolomenskoye, a state-owned nature reserve and cultural site located near Moscow's city centre. Since it's start in 2004, the Afisha Picnic has followed the concept that mixes professional music festival featuring performances of international artists and local independent musicians.
The festival brings together 50,000 visitors annually - this is one of Blur's biggest gigs for 2013. This modern music festival has various types of entertainment- you can see markets, arts, crafts, amusement rides, lectures and workshops while enjoying the acts playing live.
Another act for the Russian gig will be UK musician and Youtube sensation Little Boots.
Blur are on a roll , with tour after tour being announced this week. Many European dates (Spain, France, Portugal, Belgium amongst others), a Mexico date and now Russia. Perhaps Australia and America will be next.
Visit the official website of Afisha Picnic (in Russian) HERE.
Tickets for Blur in Russia 2013 can be purchased HERE now.
Blur for Spain and Portugal HERE
Blur confirmed for Poland HERE
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Blur and Noel Gallagher confirmed for UK gig- 2013
More tour dates have been announced for Blur in 2013, as this year draws nearer 'to the end'. Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon and Noel Gallagher are set to perform in a UK charity music gig - the Teenage Cancer Trust gig, in March 23th 2013, at the Royal Albert Hall , London.
This announcement followed on from Blur's confirmation for the Vive Latino Festival Mexico yesterday, where the band will be headlining the 3 day music festival in March next year.
As the curator of the charity gigs for 2013, former Oasis member Noel Gallagher will jointly headline the cancer trust gig in London's Royal Albert Hall on March 23 along with former rivals Damon Albarn and Graham Coxon.
Quoting directly from NME:
Noel Gallagher revealed he intends to perform live with his former nemesis, saying: “They’ll be playing Blur songs, I would think. I’ll be playing mine. Will we share the stage together? I hope so. I’m up for it. It’s always good to have a little jam.”
He continued: “I’d initially wanted Blur to do it, because they’ve never done it. I was on tour with Graham, and asked him, and he said Blur had kind of been put to bed, it went back and forth, and they said they’d do it. And yeah: 10 years ago, who’d have thought it?”
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| Damon Albarn with Noel at last year's Brit Awards |
Other acts for this special UK gig include Kasabian, Russell Brand and Noel Fielding.
Damon Albarn and Graham Coxon last appeared together in a charity gig for last year's War Child evening, where the two members of Blur debuted their new song 'Under the Westway' and 'The Puritan' to the small group of audience. The two songs were released as an exclusive CD and single, to mark Blur's 21st anniversary box set release.
Will there be another new Blur song to be debuted this year's charity gig? It certainly looks possible since Blur are embarking on a Europe and Latin American tour in 2013 - the charity gig seems like a viable stage to play several new songs. Watch the footage we filmed from last year's War Child Gig below.
Will there be a new Blur song debuted this time ?
December 5, 2012
Blur confirmed to headline Mexico Vive Latino Festival - 2013
Breaking News: Blur is confirmed for yet another music festival -and this time it's in Mexico. Blur is set to play in one of Mexico's biggest music festivals in 2013 - the Vive Latino Festival. Blur will be playing on the 16th March 2013.
Other featured artists in the Vive Latino Festival 2013 include Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes, Morrissey and Underworld. Blur is set to be one of the festival's biggest main bands. The last time the iconic Britpop band played in Mexico was in 2003 for their last big tour to promote album Think Tank.
The announcement for Mexico sparks speculation about Blur for Coachella 2013 in California, United States of America. If they play in Mexico, it would be logical for Blur to play in America to the fans there.
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| Mexican fans - Join the Blur Latin American community on Facebook |
The festival is on March 14th – 17th 2013 at Foro Sol in Mexico City, Mexico. This news followed on from Blur's confirmation of gigs in Spain, Portugal, Belgium and Poland for 2013.
More rumours about Blur headlining the Reading and Leeds Festivals of 2013 are circulating. More Europe dates should be announced soon as one of Blur's management have said that there will be a full-on tour in 2013.
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| Dave Rowntree tweeted about the Mexico gig |
The question that many are asking is: Will Blur have any new songs or new albums in time for their 2013 tours ? Can Blur tour without producing any new material ? With one festival lining up after another. Mexico is the latest one on the list, and Blur has a busy year ahead of them.
Purchase your tickets via Ticketmaster.mx.
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Blur confirmed for Poland HERE
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