Damon Albarn and Graham Coxon appeared on a brand new interview for BBC Two's Culture Show on July 25th 2012. Apart from the funny Leisure-era introduction clip at the beginning (note the floppy hair), the interview was serious, reflective and hinted at Blur's bright future.
The interview's focus was on whether the band's comeback for the massive Hyde Park gig marks the 'end-of-Blur' or a new beginning. There's some interesting talk on 'Under the Westway' being Blur's "response to the London 2012 Olympics". There are even some clues as to what the band are going to do in the future.
The clip was recorded on the rooftop where the band played their hymn 'Under the Westway' live on July 2nd. The background features the very highway that inspired the song's theme. Damon and Graham, the key songwriters for the band, looked fresh and cheerful against the backdrop of a cloudy sky.
Damon also said that Muse's Olympics song may not be something they will "play in a few years time". He added - "We will still be playing Under the Westway".
"We will still be playing Under the Westway"
- Damon Albarn on BBC July 2nd
Hold on a second - could this mean Blur WILL be playing new shows with their brand new single in a few year's time ? This seems to imply Blur will be continuing to perform after the summer!
It is a very nice interview and generally what the boys said were very positive - they even said that the box set did not represent a'goodbye present' to hardcore Blur fans, and that fans should "take it as they come" without assuming the end of Blur. Certainly, this is very ,very reassuring.
But of course, one thing continues to remain unknown - will Blur truly continue to play after their summer shows ?
Liked this article? Share it to everyone and leave us a comment.
If you missed old news, visit the NEWS ARCHIVE to read about past news!
Remember to subscribe now to RSS to stay tuned for the Latest Blur News, delivered straight to you- BlurBalls is the most updated Blur fan site on the internet! "LIKE" BlurBalls on Facebook.
Alex James appeared on television show Top Gear on March 4th 2012 and spoke about Blur's future plans.
He told host Jeremy Clarkson that Blur has been working on a new song - "We've got a new song to unveil, I just listened to it in the morning".
Alex also added that the unnamed track was "like a hymn, a real tear-jerker".
When asked about their controversial Brit Awards performance of 12 days ago, (click to read a feature article about the happenings of that night) where Blur received the Outstanding Contribution to Music award, he said: "It was utterly magnificent to get back together and smash those
songs out again."
Last month, Blur's frontman Damon Albarn and guitarist Graham Coxon played a new Blur song 'Under The Westway'during an acoustic set at the War Child pre-Brit Awards charity gig at O2 Sheperd's
Bush Empire in London. Watch an exclusive BlurBalls recording of the great performance in the video below.
In a recent NME Magazine interview, Blur did confirmed they were trying out new songs and new material since their 2009 reunion, but were "cagey about whether they'd record a new
album", which would be their first since 2003's Think Tank.
When Graham Coxon was asked about new album plans in time for Blur's massive Olympics 2012 Hyde Park set,
he said he'd be "interested in playing new things" during the live gig, exclaiming: "We always used to play underdeveloped things and kick them into
shape during the shows, but it isn't the occasion for that. Obviously we're not
gonna play the same set we played in 2009, but there things that people always,
always wanna hear."
Previously, super producer William Orbit (who produced Blur's dark, edgy album "13" in 1999) hinted he was working on new
material with Blur in a series of tweets and facebook page, sparking rumours that there was a new Blur album.
Producer Stephen Street, who produced five Blur albums including the hugely successful "Parklife" in 1995, has also said he "would like to work with" the band and "recording with them again". Street is currently remastering all the Blur records, perhaps for a release late this year in a box set/ vinyl collection. Click here to read all about the Blur remasters.
Besides the Hyde Park Olympics concert, Blur are also headlining two other events: Denmark's Skandeborg Festival in August 9th 2012 and Sweden's Way Out WestFestival on August 10th.
A young Blur in their Modern Life is Rubbish days
However, the band still contradicted themselves with mixed messages about their future "new" recording. In recent interviews, there were a lot of "Yes, we are working on new songs" and "No. we are not going to make a new album" and some "We're not sure"'s.
Watch Graham Coxon speak out about the band's preparations for the Hyde Park gigs and click HERE read all about Graham vowing to make this gig bigger and better than their 2009 runs.
With these mixed messages about the potential new Blur album, fans can only speculate. So far, nothing was confirmed by the band. They seem reluctant to talk about any future albums, although are happy to chat about individual tracks. They debuted Under the Westway in the War Child event. However, Alex James did say it's probably a "no" to a new Blur album on last night's Top Gear episode.
Read all about Blur being BASHED AT THE BRITS HERE,
Here's some more Blur related news
for all fans out there. For those of you who want all the details about the
band's future gig(s) in preparation for the London Olympics at Hyde Park 2012-
Graham Coxon did aninterview
with NMEon 29th February
2012.
Watch the most recent interview
backstage at the 2012 NME Awards below:
Regarding Blur's summer plans, Graham says: "We're going to start
rehearsing soon and we've been back playing together for a bit. We're going to
concentrate on making it a really nice experience in the summer.
"We're going to
try and get it up a notch from 2009, which seems almost impossible to me in a
way because the Glastonbury appearance was so phenomenally amazing."
"We're going
to try and go one better."he added. Graham hopes that this year will be
more trump the 2009
Hyde Park reunion show, where Blur played a one-off massive gig under the sweltering
summer heat.
Graham Coxon and Alexa Chung
presented an award to The Vaccines for Best New Band during the ceremony. Coxon is working on his new 80s sounding album A+E and crafting a varied solo career. He
alsoexpressed desire to work
with The Vaccinesand join
them on stage in the future, or perhaps during the summertime.
Slightly shaky footage of Coxon and Chung presenting an award to The Vaccines
Blur willplaytheoutdoorclosingceremonyshowonAugust 12 for the games' closing ceremony. They have
announced that they will headline two concerts in Denmark and Sweden just
before the big Hyde Park gig.
Blur made a dramatic return to the
stage in the 2009 NME Awards. Damon Albarn and Graham Coxon appeared on stage
together for the first time in 9 years. They performed "This is a Low" from their 1995 hit album Parklife.
A touching
performance of This is a Low - the performance was raw and emotional
It's exciting knowing that Blur will start rehearsing soon - hopefully there will be more warm-up gigs announced soon. Stay tuned for more up to date Blur news.
Read all about Blur being BASHED AT THE BRITS HERE,
Blur are going to headline several NEW concerts this year, as a prelude to their big Olympics gig 2012. The first gig announced via their newly launched, brand-new, black, white and suave band website (www.blur.co.uk) is the Way Out Festival 2012 in Gothenburg, Sweden on August 9th 2012.
They are also playing in Denmark 2012, Smuckfest in Skanderborg (http://smukfest.dk/).
They are then following on with Hyde Park, London Olympics 2012 Closing Ceremony gig, with The Specials and New Order also playing on August 12th 2012.
Blur made a triumphant return in the Brit Awards 2012 (albeit a little clash with singer Adele!) performing the longest record set (11 minutes plus a bit more) and made their names forever imprinted on British music's memories, joining in the likes of The Kinks, David Bowie and more. Check out some pictures of the set below:
The Live at the Brits EP only had 3 songs - Girls and Boys, Song 2 and Parklife, but with a little bit of mixing, it sounds much better!
And listen to Damon's touching speech, against the wonderful backdrop of their hit single "Parklife". Many fans and even Alex James (bassist) himself said that this may be Blur's "last bow" on stage, so Damon truly does deserve time to get to thank everyone who has helped shaped this influential British band.
For those who want to buy tickets to see Blur live at the Olympics closing ceremony 2012, here are some crucial details and links to get your tickets:
12 August, 5.30pm-midnight Tickets £55+booking fee on sale to BT customers 9am, Wednesday 22 February (SOLD OUT) or on general sale 9am Friday 24 February(HERE)
Stay tuned to BlurBalls for more Blur concert gigs - we are expecting many intimate warm-up gigs around Britain or even outside as Blur inevitably will practice for their big Olympics event, representing UK music !
Meanwhile, read all about Blur beyond the Brits at The Quietus, the article is a must-read for all Blur fans out there who enjoy their non-single hits, rarities and b-sides.
Read all about Blur kicking Adele OUT of the Brits HERE,