August 10, 2012

REVIEW: Blur - Plymouth Pavillions Gig (Aug 2012)

Apparently, Blur's Plymouth Pavillions gig was something similar to those of a "mosh-pit band". The band's interaction with each other were great, but the audience that night was quite varied and wild. Blur forum member 'dave griff' wrote:


"Last night was a great performance, loved Bugman, Caramel, Puritan, No distance, Popscene. There were indeed some idiots in the mosh bit, during Bugman I just waded in all guns blazing to prove a point I guess. There was a really irritating large woman who tried to put we finger in my mouth at one stage when I was trying to get some air in my lungs - she also flailed her arms a lot, creating a large zone around her. Did anyone else see her? I thought the interaction between the band was very warm and they made several mistakes but had a laugh with it. Amazing to see Damon look younger and younger as the set went on. Too loud at the end though. My ears are screaming!"

Some mistakes were also made by the band. The same forumer and fan said: 

"Someone messed up the intro to London loves so they all stopped and there was minute of trying to work out what went wrong. Damon got some words wrong in for tomorrow, he nearly came in too early on one song, can't remember which one, may have been Popscene - someone help me out? There were some nervous glances across the stage from Alex and graham, seemed like Alex was looking to Graham for some cues for stopping songs. Damon kept playing piano through one of the stops on intermission - it was shambolic but really good. Graham was obviously in pain with his bad finger at times, but seemed to enjoy some of the crowd reaction. There was one great moment when the crowd started chanting his name after beetlebum and he looked quite chuffed."



grahamcoxon guitar, graham coxon live, blur plymouth pavillions, blur 2012
An unexpected but awesome 'London Loves' and a superb 'Tracy Jacks' are followed by an insane 'Jubilee' that elevates me to bounce my way to the front in sheer excitement. 'Beetlebum' is both deliciously dark and beautifully uplifting, 'Out Of Time' benefits greatly from Graham's presense and the delightful 'Young And Lovely' sounds like it could have been a long lost cut from Bowie's 'Hunky Dory', also proving that the band have some truly wonderful B sides in their cannon. 'Trimm Trabb' sounds astonishing, especially when Graham's guitar explodes with devasting power towards the end, while another '13' highlight 'Caramel' seems even more achingly stunning than ever. 'Sunday Sunday''s ideal snapshot of British life plays home to a brilliantly frenzied middle section, and it's hard to imagine anyone here without a smile on their faces during a joyous 'Country House' and a terrifically energetic 'Parklife'.

The sounds emerging from Graham's guitar are nothing short of incredible, ripping into 'Bugman' with mind blowing power. At one point during 'The Puritan' his instrument sounds like an old engine revving up, before the band launch into a berserk 'Popscene'. 'Advert' is delivered with blistering force, and the whole place erupts for an amazing 'Song 2'. This madness then makes way for the wonderfully delicate 'No Distance Left To Run', a much needed moment for the crowd to catch their breath, before 'Tender' arrives and affirms itself as a most glorious anthem. Damon dedicates 'This Is A Low' to Plymouth and other seaside towns like it, and the band disappear for a while. 


damon albarn live 2012, damon albarn 2012, blur live 2012, blur plymouth pavillions, blur warm up, blur hyde park 2012


Their re-emergence is greeted by massive cheers, and they conjure up a brilliant rendition of 'Sing', the only track from debut album 'Leisure' given an airing tonight. 'Under The Westway' already sounds like an all-time classic, and is played with perfectly splendid grace before they tear into a mental version of 'Intermission'. After a gorgeous 'End Of A Century', a joyous 'For Tomorrow' sees many hands in the air, inspiring a mass singalong just before 'The Universal' provides an absolutely dazzling climax, bringing tears of joy to my eyes and making for a perfect ending to an unforgettable night. 


Remember to read Mr Scott Music Blog's full review of this warm up show. Check out No Crowdsurfing's review of the gig too for more insight and a little bit more of Blur. The setlist was the following (credits to LizBerry): 


Two more days till Hyde Park ! 

Order the new Blur vinyl HERE
August 2012 Maida Vale gig full coverage HERE
Damon Albarn says it's the End of Blur! Read HERE
Margate Gig (2012) review and pictures HERE
Check out Blur's rumoured new album HERE

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August 9, 2012

Blur would only make a new album 'for a film'

Damon Albarn said that he would be interested in making a new Blur album only if it was "for a film".

The singer did an interview for XFM Radio on August 5th stating that there are no further Blur plans unless they were asked to make a record for a film, which is unlikely to happen. The interview also talked about the usual - the recent shows, Hyde Park Olympics gig on August 12th 2012 and his feelings towards being reunited with Graham Coxon, Dave Rowntree and Alex James again for music.

damonalbarnbbc, bbc maida vale, blur gig 2012, blur maida vale, albarn singing
Graham Coxon also confirmed Albarn's views about Blur's future. Coxon was interviewed for Shortlist Magazine this month, in which he said that there were no more new Blur songs in existence. 

When asked whether there's more Blur material available, Graham replied: "That's it really. Sorry, but there just aren't any more. My only hope is that we carry on doing what we really want to do. That's it." 


grahamcoxon scan, grahamcoxon fashion, grahamcoxon interview
grahamcoxon glasses, graham coxon interview 2012, graham coxon shortlist magazine
Click to enlarge and read. Credits to damon4president for scans

A bit of disappointment for those wanting a new Blur record or more new songs. With this much to take in recently in the Blur world, perhaps it is destined to be a summer of intense Blur, and a rapid ending after the summer Hyde Park gigs.

Will we be seeing Blur after Hyde Park ? Or will we have to wait for another few years for some more gigs and perhaps even a rare release?

Did Blur promise fans a one-time show with gigantic new releases and then plan to suddenly disappear off the face of the planet for another hiatus? Fans- who is remaining optimistic ?

*Listen to Damon's XFM interview (halfway) HERE. 


Order the new Blur vinyl HERE
August 2012 Maida Vale gig full coverage HERE
Damon Albarn says it's the End of Blur! Read HERE
Margate Gig (2012) review and pictures HERE
Check out Blur's rumoured new album HERE

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August 8, 2012

Dave Rowntree explains 'On Your Own' music video!

Finally, a Dave Rowntree story that is guaranteed to make you laugh (and perhaps admire how terribly witty Dave's sense of humour is). Dan Rolling Stone Brain, a Yahoo! Answers user asked a question on the Q/A website about Blur's music video for the single 'On Your Own', that goes:



Yahoo! Answers: Open Question

What is Dave Rowntree doing in the Blur-On Your Own video?

If you watch the video to Blur's On Your Own (single- '95), Damon is jumping around, Graham is playing guitar behind walls and Alex is just walking around. Dave Rowntree, however, is in a sort of booth, playing on a keyboard. I don't understand why. The video has no story or plot, and what he's doing has no relevance/correlation to the song or the lyrics. I'm confused. Why is he messing around on a keyboard? And why is he in a metal shelter/booth? (Oh, and it's like a typewriter/computer keyboard, not a piano-like keyboard)
  • 2 days ago
  •  
  • 2 days left to answer.



Believe it or not, the actual Dave Rowntree answered the user's question! We learned from Dave's official twitter page that he "spent breakfast" this Wednesday typing a lengthy, detailed response to the question about what he was doing for the music video shoot.



Answers (2)


  • We had to make this video while on tour on a day off, so our options were pretty limited - it basically had to be some kind of performance. To make it even vaguely interesting, it would have to be in an interesting location.

    I couldn't swear to it, but I think we were in Portugal at the time, and there was a power station nearby that was in the process of being demolished. The director had taken a look, and thought there were enough odd locations there to keep an MTV viewer from switching over for 3 minutes or so.

    To add extra interest, Damon had bought an unusual hat, which he decided to wear.

    While filming, we found a metal trap door in the ground. On opening, we found it concealed a large underground bunker. There was a metal bar across the entrance, and it was decided that I would sit on it for my close-up.

    My turn came.

    "Action" shouted the director.

    I sat on the bar, smiled and waved."STOP F***ING WAVING!" suggested Damon.

    "Well what can I do?" I asked, "I can't fit my drums in here!"

    A moment passed while heads were scratched.

    "Why not play this?" said one of the crew, and gave me a tiny Casio keyboard.

    So that's what I did.There's no real story to the video, if you're yearning for one, think of it as the story of a man playing keyboards in a bunker while another wears an unusual hat.

    Source(s):


    Dave Rowntree
    • 7 hours ago


    Well, at least now we all know why Dave's sitting in that tiny cellar-like, cramped space jamming on the keyboards in the 'On Your Own' music video. And we learned that Damon has a very strange taste in hats.

    Enjoy what is probably one of the strangest Blur music videos ever below. Thanks to Dave and his boring Wednesday morning internet surfing, that's two more Blur mysteries solved.




    Order the new Blur vinyl HERE
    August 2012 Maida Vale gig full coverage HERE
    Damon Albarn says it's the End of Blur! Read HERE
    Margate Gig (2012) review and pictures HERE
    Check out Blur's rumoured new album HERE

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    If you missed old news, visit the NEWS ARCHIVE to read about past news!

    Remember to subscribe to RSS and "LIKE" BlurBalls on Facebook.

    Stay Tuned, leave us a comment below and Get The Latest Blur News delivered straight to you- BlurBalls is the most updated Blur fan site on the internet!


August 7, 2012

Blur 21 The Exhibition - reviews and gallery

The Blur 21 exhibition - Londonewcastle Project Space, Shoreditch, 27th July - 14th August 2012. Many fans went, but many simply can't make it to London this summer.

But good news- for the latter group of people, you can STILL enjoy the exclusive Blur exhibition by checking out pictures, reviews and articles in the Blurry cyberspace. Here's our complete guide as to what not to miss, what to read, watch and the highlights of this rare Blur event.

Early Blur logos (Credit: Blurcast)
Blur in 2012 (Credit: Blurcast)
First ever Blur photoshoot for Food Records (Credit: Blurcast)
Test shoot for Modern Life is Rubbish (Credit: Blurcast)
Brit Awards of Blur (Credit: twitter fan)
She's So High alternate covers 
Pile of Blur 
Blur on Primrose Hill Graffiti (Credit: Blurcast)
Graham Coxon 
Blur photo-shoot 
Under the Westway cover design (Credit: Blurcast)

More Pictures



Blur 21 Reviews 



Nostalgia - BlurX 1999 exhibition articles


Order the new Blur vinyl HERE
The Puritan- new track HERE
Damon Albarn says it's the End of Blur! Read HERE
Is Damon and Graham Coxon recording together? Find out HERE
Check out Blur's rumoured new album HERE

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August 5, 2012

Live at 100 Club - Blur leave fans delighted (Watch full gig)

The 100 Club, London. Exclusive, small, intimate, sweaty, bloody, amazing, "the best Blur gig ever" ... these are just some of the words used by the audience and press to describe the warm up gig in the small venue on August 2nd 2012.

Needless to say, Blur performed at their very top form. Highlights include 'Bugman', where Graham Coxon was just mashing it out on the guitar, and the song turned into something punk-like and fantastic. 'Oily Water' from Modern Life is Rubbish was also brilliant - it always is and sounds better live.

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100 Club Blur Photos from NME 
'Colin Zeal' surprisingly was also played - an unconventional track, but it has it's merits. Blur's reviving songs they rarely play live and favouring them over the normal singles collection. No 'Song 2' or 'Country House' this time, but 'Trimm Trabb' and 'Young & Lovely' was again played.

Forum member Goldilocks wrote: That was so awesome!! All the fun of being there but with A/C and room to move. And DAVE!! Nice to see him in these ones and he is just letting it rip. The Trimm Trabb drumming was epic. 


Forum member damon4president also said: Dave has been drumming better than ever at these gigs, he is on fire! During Trimm Trabb Damon just stopped and looked at him in awe, and started a chant of 'Dave! Dave' over Graham's guitar solo

Setlist was:
blur100club, blur setlist, blur converse, blur live 2012, damon albarn singing, damon albarn 100 club, blur olympics, blurwarmup
Credits to Tom
Girls & Boys 
Jubilee 
Beetlebum 
Young & Lovely 
Colin Zeal 
Oily Water 
Advert 
Bugman 
The Puritan 
Trimm Trabb 
For Tomorrow 
Under The Westway









Watch Blur live at the 100 Club, August 2nd 2012 below (credits to uploader). Click to read  the full Margate Warm up show coverage. And check out our live blog of the Maida Vale show for BBC too. 

*Blur come on stage http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9P4b93DZGpw 
Girls and Boys http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6X4BUecwUI 
Jubilee http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtys7YVa3e4Jubilee 
Beetlebum http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6E2xLXOQ5Ds 
Young and Lovely http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAeWTULD1-4 
Colin Zeal http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fq_mjTl5N8 
Oily water http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhnrSfRbnno 
Advert http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYjoWw69nR4 
Bugman http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5DEE5mt4Ho 
The Puritan 
Trimm Trabb pt 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj3wQDU1dEM 
For Tomorrow 
Under the Westway http://www.yo
utube.com/watch?v=PZOJmofk4a4 
*Blur leave stage http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNLtAX6z9I8 


August 3, 2012

Blur live at Margate Winter Gardens - 'first gig in three years so we are scared'

Blur performed at Margate Winter Gardens on August 1st 2012. The show was met with great reviews from the fans in the audience, and although Graham Coxon's amp had some problems at times, the band managed a really long, really good show.

Blur forum member 'simonn' reported:

Band was very happy. Damon said 'first gig in three years so we're scared'. Lots of smiles, Damon kissed Graham on the back of his neck halfway through one solo, very touching! Damon appeared to play a kazoo solo during (I think) Sunday Sunday, made a change from the jogging...

Dave sported headphones for at least two songs...Grahams amp went out a couple of times, in particular just before the finale to Trimm Trabb, cue lobbing of pint glass at his amp, crowd tried to perk him with 'Graham' chants, and Damon gave him a big hug....which helped. Great gig, great crowd, wish I had more tickets!

blurmargatewintergardens, blur margate live, blur margate 2012, margate beach, the views so nice, for tomorrowgraffiti, blur primrose hill
- The beach at Margate - posted on Twitter by a fan who went -

Blurcast also posted:

Absolutely awesome gig tonight. A really great set too - definitely a different feel to the 2009 shows and feeling a little less "greatest hits". Caramel is just amazing and I am baffled as to why it was always omitted on the 13 tour. The revamped stop-start Intermission is a belter with the crowd chanting "ole!" in the gaps. London Loves is another great inclusion and will go down a storm in Hyde Park. 

And while I am no big fan of Country House either, when it's being played live and you are jumping about with hundreds of people all singing the words with you, it's a blinder. So to everyone who wasn't there and are complaining that it wasnt a 20 min version of Battle, stop your f**king moaning and start understanding how gigs like this actually work. 

Poor old Graham had some serious problems with his amp tonight though and was visibly reall pissed off when it kept cutting out. I think he got through at least 3 guitars before slamming one of them into the stage and chucking water all over his amp. Not a great thing do with electrical equipment but Damon gave him a big hug to calm him down. It was really looking like it might have to continue as an acoustic set but things got sorted eventually. 

The sound at the venue is not the best and I couldn't really hear the backing singers too well or the brass section for that matter but that didn't spoil my enjoyment at all. 

I am now thouroughly sweaty and disgusting but secretly chuffed that I have ended up with a big 4 person room at the Margate YHA for only £16. Bargain. 


'Caramel', 'Sing', 'Young and Lovely' and the two new Blur songs were also amongst the favourites that were played. The band also played 'London Loves', a track from Parklife, which was a rare sight in live ensembles.

Setlist : a long one, 25 songs totalling 2 hours and 10 minutes. 

Girls & Boys
London Loves
Tracy Jacks
Jubilee
Beetlebum
Coffee & TV
Out of Time
Young & Lovely
Sunday Sunday
Country House
Parklife
Trimm Trabb
Caramel
Advert
The Puritan
Song 2
No Distance Left To Run
Tender
This is a Low
Sing
Under The Westway
Lot 105
End of a Century
For Tomorrow
The Universal

Looks like 'Caramel' is here to stay in the upcoming live concerts. And Damon's gig ritual, the water flinging, really soaked up the audience! Watch ALL of the 25 songs in the videos below *uploads by a1999f. 

Girls & Boys http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpJjVoZTjEY 
London Loves http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orD03VJ3fNA 
Tracy Jacks http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bOE5ggPtD0 
Jubilee http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31grLuGYwhk 
Beetlebum http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8CaANN0sqg 
Coffee & TV http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8O46kdSe1-o 

Out of Time http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xR9CaE8Vdz4 
Young & Lovely http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ci8dnyVWFHw 
Sunday Sunday http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZUxeqlL4IA 
Country House http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfIdmmiEijA 
Parklife http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nmfek3kw_D4 
Trimm Trabb http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLDgzS-8osc 

Caramel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eerBjpfa95M 
Popscene http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rp44fddsRM4 
Advert http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5ed218BINI 
Puritan http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJcXpR3vXNs 
Song 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b36KjO7353Y 
No Distance Left To Run http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVa7HkC9gnA 
Tender http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bc0SewQf3s 
This is a Low http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haKGtqjJqTw 

Sing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vPUzJc9phc 
Under The Westway http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_bOfnIbD0E
Intermission http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1FgxB66vjE 
End of a Century http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApSl-GJKLB8 
For Tomorrow http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8o8_2tahZ4Q 
Universal http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twEjgYqn_Ac 




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