Blur - War Child 19th Feb 2012
GIG REVIEW:
GIG REVIEW:
Blur has gone back to their old ways, old days and old looks - Graham Coxon sported a Leisure-esque hair cut with a thick mop of hair, and Damon Albarn wore a parklife-esque zip up, complete with stripes, and was clean-shaven and clean-cut, and stepped on stage way over scheduled time (due to 35 minute delays) and sang.
These two musicians, only one half of Blur, looked the part -the seemed like they were ready to perform and give us some tunes from the Britpop era, or at least, their signature songs about all things British, London and little Britain.
The piano was rolled in, and Graham's guitar was checked several times. Then the two appeared on stage and said a few words; Damon was at his piano, and Graham stood in the center of the stage, where he and Damon exchanged looks, smiled at each other and began. All throughout the performances, smiles were exchanged, and the two seemed to really have renewed their friendship after a long time hiatus.
Alex James watched from the balcony above, hidden in the blue hazy spotlights and the generally dim seating area. The atmosphere was great, but hushed, somehow it seems like we're all waiting for something to happen.
The "War Child" sign shone at the background. Damon and Graham sang, with Damon doing the leads, and Graham doing backups. Some of the tunes sounded a little off, but for the most part, it was enjoyable purely because of the two presence on stage. There was a moment when Graham's voice slipped and he played a wrong chord - but then everything went smoothly afterwards.
We filmed all 3 songs that they performed on stage - they were on there a mere 15 minutes or so, and performed 3 acoustic songs, one of them a brand new track called "Under the Westway". The track is melodic, with no bass and drums it sounds almost like a ballad. Fans cheered and Damon sang.
Shortly after their third and final song - the new track "Under the Westway", Damon and Graham cleared the stage fast - ran and scooted away. Fans shouted "Encore" but soon it was time for the next act. They left the stage like a bullet speeding away.
Overall: 3.5 / 5 stars - for the short performance time but kudos for the new track.
Listen to all three performances below:
Download the track HERE (right click, save as) *credit to Marcia
Read all about Blur's new album HERE and find out who's producing the album HERE and check out the other rumours and articles reported by us HERE, HERE and HERE.