The real reason why Blur cancelled on Australia's Big Day Out

A Big Day Out promoter says Blur pulled out of this year's music festival because members of the reformed Britpop act were having "fisticuffs" (fights) while on tour last year.

 It's the latest round in an ongoing dispute between the band and the annual Australasian music event that started when Blur pulled out of their headlining slots, despite having their own personalised stage built at every venue.

 Two weeks ago, Damon Albarn told TimeOut Blur cancelled over fears the shows - which he said would have been Blur's last - wouldn't be as "spiritually conclusive as we hoped they would be". "They [the organisers] weren't being straight with me about things, which they needed to be, and at that point I became disillusioned because I didn't want what we'd done throughout the year, with Blur, to be undermined or tarnished in any way, by a show that wasn't going to be what we wanted to do," Albarn said.

But Big Day Out co-promoter AJ Maddah has hit back at those claims, telling Australian website The Vine the band's four members "didn't want to see each other". "The fact (is) that the band (was) having fisticuffs on tour in South America. And that's why they cancelled the tour because they don't want to see each other. "Damon has a solo record coming out. The other three members were desperate to come out. You know, Graham (Coxon) and the other guys wanted to do it. Essentially Damon cancelled the tour."

 In excerpts of the interview, which is billed as "exclusive" and hasn't yet been published in full, Maddah also claims Blur were being paid A$5 million (NZ$5.4m) for their shows - an amount he labelled "ridiculous".

Blur were replaced by Deftones, Beady Eye and The Hives, and more than 41,000 people showed up for the festival's first show at Western Springs in Auckland - just under a sell out capacity of 45,000.

Source: nzherald.co.nz

Blur drops out of Big Day Out Festival Australia

Here is a disappointing piece of news for Blur fans- Blur announced that they have pulled out of the Big Day Out Festival 2014 in Australia two months before it was scheduled to begin, citing “shifting goalposts and challenging conditions” from the festival organisers. 

Announced on their official Facebook page, the message alludes to behind-the-scenes conflict between Blur and the festival's management. Many fans were angry at the news, stating they only bought tickets to the festival to see the headlining act Blur.

The organisers for Big Day Out issued a statement which said: “Devastated to report that Blur won't be performing at BDO in 2014. It’s a shock that it has come to this,”. The statement continues that the band “feels that with the constantly shifting goalposts and challenging conditions of the organizers, they can't let it drag on any longer and want to make this announcement, to be clear to Blur fans that they won't be there. We've done our very best to work with the organisers and considered every option to make it happen, but they’ve let us down and let everyone else down too.”

Blur were set to head the festival alongside with heavyweights Pearl Jam, Snoop Dogg, Primus, Major Lazer, Lumineer and Arcade Fire. Ticket sales for the festival, however, were reported to be slow. The band has not set foot 'down under' since their last tour in 1997.

“Devastated to report that Blur won't be performing at BDO in 2014. It’s a shock that it has come to this,” stated the band on their official announcement.

The six day music festival begins on 17th January 2014 in Auckland, New Zealand, before touring around major Australian cities.

Blur dates for Australia concerts confirmed - Big Day Out 2014

It's official - Blur will be playing in one of Australia's biggest music festivals, the Big Day Out festival from January 17th - February 2nd 2014. That's right, Blur will be extending their World Tour and head to Australia right from the start of the new year.

In several recent interviews, Blur Bassist Alex James says: "We had a great time in Australia last time, so I think it's going to be crazy. I'm having my mind blown by travelling all over the world again with the band, it's fantastic, and we're playing better than we ever have before."

“It’s hugely exciting and there’s something for everybody there,” Alex also said of the Big Day Out. “It’s a while since we’ve played festivals, but everything about festivals has got better … the only thing you can’t guarantee is the weather.”

"I didn't think it was going to happen, because [frontman] Damon Albarn wanted to focus on his solo album next year and we were still negotiating with Arcade Fire," said festival promoter Ken West said in an interview with News.com.au. "Then, both bands said yes, and there was no way I was going to knock back Blur."

Blur will be the last band to perform at the event, taking to the stage as Pearl Jam wrap up. Blur will playing on a new main stage, dubbed The Love Stage

Other leading artists lined up for Big Day Out include Snoop Lion, Mudhoney, Pez, Diiv, The 1975,  Major Lazer, Steve Angello, The Naked and Famous, Dillon Francis, Toro Y Moi, Portugal The Man, Northlane, Flume, The Lumineers, Tame Impala, Mac Miller, Cosmic Psychos, The Algorithm, Peking Duk and Ben Morris.

The festival starts in Auckland, New Zealand on the 17th January. Blur will then head over to Australia's Gold Coast on 19th January and ends in Perth on 2nd February. Tickets for Big Day Out will be on sale from August 9th and the Sydney shows on August 8th.

Big Day Out 2014 dates

Friday, January 17 – Western Springs, Auckland

Sunday, January 19 – Metricon Stadium & Carrara Parklands, Gold Coast

Friday, January 24 – Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne

Sunday, January 26 – Sydney Showgrounds, Sydney

Monday, January 27 – Sydney Showgrounds, Sydney

Friday, January 31 – Bonython Park, Adelaide*

Sunday, February 2 – Claremont Showgrounds, Perth*

Will Blur head over to any other countries after the show? Will the setlist be different this time? Will there be any more Blur-related stage antics like the previous shows? Who knows- what is for sure is that Blur will be pleasing thousands of fans in Australia this year - especially since their last visit 'Down Under' was sixteen years ago in 1997.

For Australian dates and ticket info click here

Blur Tour 2013 - Full dates and rundown  HERE

Blur to headline Australian festival Big Day Out - 2013

Britpop heroes Blur are shaping up as headliners for the Big Day Out next year, according to industry sources.

Damon Albarn and co haven't performed in Australia since reuniting and returning to the touring circuit in 2009, the year they starred at iconic UK festival Glastonbury. Many fans had the Londoners on their wish list for this year's Splendour in the Grass festival, to be held at the North Byron Parklands in New South Wales in late July, when Blur have dates in Italy. The band touring schedule consists mostly of festival dates until early September.

With the Splendour line-up out of the bag this week, sources now suggest that the Big Day Out will host Blur's long-awaited return to Australia. The BDO bill won't be revealed until about mid-July. Blur, who won the Brit Award for outstanding contribution to music last year, were reportedly working with producer William Orbit on the follow-up to 2003 album, Think Tank, but those sessions were subsequently shelved.

However, the quartet, consisting of singer Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree, did release two singles, The Puritan and Under the Westway, last July.

Blur have earned an incredible dozen UK Top 10 hits. Albarn has worked on various side projects such as Gorillaz and the Good, the Bad and the Queen. He features on the debut album for Dutch modern soul man, the Child of Lov, released next week.

Source: Yahoo Australia News 

Blur Tour 2013 - Full dates and rundown  HERE
Blur @ Coachella- video and image gallery HERE 

Blur confirmed for Mexico HERE

Blur Europe Tour News  HERE

Order the new Blur: Parklife (Live at Hyde Park CD / DVD) HERE

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