Graham Coxon covers Beatles song

Graham Coxon was recently involved in a musical project where artists re-record the classic Beatles album 'Please Please Me'. The Blur guitarist recorded the song 'Baby It's You' live as part of a 10-hour recording session hosted by BBC Radio 2 to mark the 50th anniversary of a challenge set by recording company EMI to The Beatles on February 11th - to record a whole studio album in one session. 

The project, which recreates the challenge and asks current musicians to cover the whole Beatles album in one session, took part in the reknowned Abbey Road studios last week. Other participants included Joss Stone, Ian Broudie and Richard Jones of Stereophonics. 

Blur mimicks one of The Beatle's album covers

Graham Coxon performed his version of 'Baby It's You' in the same style as The Shirelles. On the track, Graham remarked: "I'm quite pleased to be doing that because it's not one that people immediately think about a Beatles song, so it's a sort of a soul song, which has its own challenges.

"Although I'm not a soul singer, maybe I should have gargled some rice crispies to get a rough voice going, cause I'm not very gravelly."

'Please Please Me' was released in March 1963 where it headed to Number One in the UK charts and stayed for 30 weeks strong. The Telegraph reports that BBC Four, Radio 2 and 6 Music are celebrating the album over a two-week period called The Golden Age of the Album.

The BBC Radio 2 recording will be broadcasted along with a 'making-of' video on BBC 4 titled 'Please Please Me - Re-Making A Classic' which will be shown on Friday February 15th 2013.

Listen: Graham Coxon - Baby It’s You 

Download the mp3 of 'Baby It's You' here 

Blur confirmed for Taiwan Gig - World Tour 2013

Blur has been set to tour for another Asian date - Taipei, Taiwan, for their 2013 World Tour. This follows on from a string of Asian venues announced, including Japan and also the latest addition - Hong Kong - to the line of new gigs being revealed by the band.

The gig will be held on May 9th 2013 at 8pm, just three days after their concert in Hong Kong on May 6th. 

The announcement of the second 2013 non-festival Blur concert not yet been officially announced by any promotional companies. The information is based on the image below, which was posted on the 大眾唱片 G-Music Taiwan Facebook page recently. The message was removed by the page shortly after it was posted, but screenshots still remained in gig forums all across the city. 

An insider source reveals: the Asian recording company lost the bid for Blur in the last minute, and therefore hastily removed the Blur gig announcement and ticketing information. Apparently, specific news are to be announced this Saturday (9th February) as to who will finally get the bidding rights to host the Taiwan Blur concert. 

Regardless of which recording company is hosting the gig, it seems that Blur are definitely set to play Taipei, Taiwan, for their 2013 World Tour. They are already listed on GigWise Taiwan as a main act in this year's list of concerts.  

Keep your fingers crossed and stay tuned for official confirmation, ticketing information (to be announced but you can click HERE to see the page) and the full set of details later. 

Check out our Blur World Tour page for all the dates in a convenient table. 

Blur Tour 2013 - Full dates and rundown  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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Blur to play in Hong Kong - 2013

It has just been confirmed that Blur are going to head to Hong Kong, China to play a concert in May 6th 2013 (Monday) from 8pm - 11pm for a three-hour gig (including support). 

The news came after heavy rumours that Blur are deciding on a date in China, around the time the band are heading to Japan to play in the Tokyo Rocks festival the following week.

Being a small city on the coasts of China, Hong Kong do not hosts large-scaled music festivals, hence this is the first time Blur has announced a non-festival gig. The one-time live concert will be held in the AsiaWorld Expo Arena, Chek Lap Kok, where bands such as Gorillaz have previously played.

For many Blur fans, this will be great news just in time for the Chinese New Year holidays.

Ticketing information will be announced shortly on www.hkticketing.com - stay tuned for updates. Update: You can purchase tickets HERE.

Check out our Blur World Tour page for all the dates in a convenient table.

Blur Tour 2013 - Full dates and rundown  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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Blur to headline Rock in Roma - Italy 2013

Blur has announced another one of their 2013 World Tour venues - Rock in Roma, Italy. 

The band will play the Italian music festival for two days - 28th July and 29th July. The massive festival takes place annually in Milan (28th July) at the Racecourse Gallop and Rome (29th July) at the the Hippodrome Capannelle in June and July 2013. 

The festival will also feature prominent musicians such as Bruce Springsteen, Green Day, Iggy & The Stoogies, Neil Young and Smashing Pumpkins. 

Blur: 28 Luglio Milano e 29 Luglio al Rock In Roma

Blur previously played in Italy during 1993, 1995, 1996 and 1997. They last toured in Alcatraz, Milan in 20013 to promote their latest album Think Tank. Graham Coxon also performed in Milan during 2004.

More Blur dates will be announced shortly as the Leeds and Reading Festival in England draws closer and closer. Blur are strongly rumoured to headline the twin festivals in the UK, as well as an Australian tour to complete their 2013 concerts. 

Visit Rock in Roma's official site for more lineup and venue information. Check out their Facebook page for more fan comments and pictures.

The ticket presale (40 Euros per ticket) will be available from Friday, February 8 at 10:00 am at www.ticketone.it

For a complete list of confirmed and expected dates, visit our Blur Tour 2013 page.

Blur Tour 2013 - Full dates and rundown  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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Review: Child of Lov - Heal (ft Damon Albarn)

Solo artist Child of Lov is a 25-year old musician from the Netherlands. The mysterious musician and self-proclaimed "warrior of funk" has not made much information about his music or biography available to the public. However he has managed to secure Blur's Damon Albarn to collaborate together for two tracks on his upcoming debut album this year. 

Child of Lov's new album 'The Child of Lov' will be released in May 2013, and features Damon on tracks 'Heal' and 'One Day'.  His funky and hip-hop style have caused critics to compare his music with those of Prince and Jai Paul.Other featured artists on Child of Lov's new release includes big names-  DOOM and Thundercat. 

'Heal',  the first single from the album, features a funky and deep baseline that Damon Albarn composed. The track is idiosyncratic and portrays Child of Lov's own brand of electronica-funk, very much like the 80s soul / funk sound. The falsetto vocals and catchy guitar work compliment the song well and matches the tune's beat.  

Damon Albarn's contribution is signifiant - The result is a ridiculously catchy, jumpy track which sounds not unlike a mixture of Gorillaz and Blur. Blur's experimental last album 'Think Tank' in 2003 also contains traces of heavy, catchy bass and synthesised vocals ('Crazy Beat') .  

Visually, the music video is brilliant. It features children running and playing in a suburban town, complete with old-school antics like bizarre fashion, lots of sunshine, smashing up a bike, and funky dancing in rollerskating arcades. Overall, a successful and emotional artistic attempt - 3/5. 

Double Six Records will release a limited edition 7-inch single of “Heal” on November 26th 2013. You can pre-order that 7-inch here. 

Check out the video (directed by Focus Creeps, the company who created some Arctic Monkey music videos) and listen to the song below. 

Damon Albarn's other collaboration feature on the album 'One Day' is currently not available online. Watch out for a review of the track once it's out.


Blur Tour 2013 - Full dates and rundown  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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Blur to headline Leeds Festival 2013 - Lineup, ticket details

Blur has just been confirmed officially as one of the main stage headliners at this year's Leeds Festival 2013. The news was announced today and broadcasted on BBC Radio 1's Zane Lowe show live to the public, where the host announced 6 new acts to the famous music festival. 

The 6 new acts joining the festival are: Biffy Clyro, System of a Down, Bring Me The Horizon, Jake Bugg,

Other bands confirmed earlier include Eminem, Deftones, Sub Focus and Alt-J. 

Blur are also confirmed another massive music festival in the UK - the Reading Festival 2013.  The band is no stranger to the pair of festivals - Blur took the stage in the Reading / Leeds festival in 2003, 1999, 1993 and 1991 as part of their tours.

The two "twin" festivals will take place on the bank holiday weekend, from Friday 23rd to Sunday 25th August 2013. Reading Festival takes place at Little Johns Farm, Richfield Avenue, Reading, Berkshire, and Leeds Festival takes place at Bramham Park, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. 

Visit Reading Festival's website to check out the full 2013 lineup and much more here. 

Tickets for Leeds Festival 2013 goes on sale at 9am on Friday 30th November 2012. It costs  £197.50 for a weekend ticket and is available for a limited time until Monday 31st December 2012. Additional costs for a car park pass £5, with campervan passes costing £60, and lockers for £15.

Day tickets will be sold in the new year. Tickets can also be secured with a £50 deposit with the full balance paid by Sunday 31st March 2013.

Click here for Leeds Festival's official website and ticketing links.

Blur not playing Reading Leeds Festival 2013 - Lineups and news

Blur are not confirmed to be amongst the 6 new acts to headline the READING FESTIVAL and LEEDS FESTIVAL 2013. The band is no stranger to the pair of festivals - Blur took the stage in 2003, 1999, 1993 and 1991 as part of their old album tours in the UK.

However, it looks like Blur aren't going to be taking the stage at this year's Reading / Leeds Festival.

The 6 new acts to join in the festival was broadcasted to the public on February 5th 2013, live on the BBC Radio 1 Zane Lowe show at 7:35pm. 

These headliner acts are: Biffy Clyro, System of a Down, Bring Me The Horizon, Jake Bugg,  Foals and the reformed Fall Out Boy.

Looks like Blur's not playing this year's Reading or Leeds Festival

Other confirmed headliners and acts included Eminem, Deftones, Sub Focus and Alt-J, the latter few having been announced earlier last month in the same radio show. 

Blur has been the subject of rumours and speculation about who is going to take the main stage at this year's Reading Festival 2013. The band was amongst the top favourites as to who would headline the mains stage this year, along with Black Sabbath and The Stone Roses. Blur were also strong contenders for another massive music festival in the UK - the Leeds Festival 2013. 

The two "twin" festivals will take place on the bank holiday weekend, from Friday 23rd to Sunday 25th August 2013. Reading Festival takes place at Little Johns Farm, Richfield Avenue, Reading, Berkshire, and Leeds Festival takes place at Bramham Park, Leeds, West Yorkshire. 

Tickets for Reading go on sale on Friday 30th November. To buy tickets (priced: GBP 197.50 for the weekend) for Reading Festival from Seetickets - click here.

Tickets for Leeds Festival 2013 goes on sale at 9am on Friday 30th November 2012. It costs  £197.50 for a weekend ticket and is available for a limited time until Monday 31st December 2012. Additional costs for a car park pass £5, with campervan passes costing £60, and lockers for £15.

Day tickets will be sold in the new year. Tickets can also be secured with a £50 deposit with the full balance paid by Sunday 31st March 2013.

There's still hope, however, for the Britpop legends this year.

There is still ONE headlining act to be confirmed for this year's Reading and Leeds festival. Could it be Blur ? The festivals are perhaps the best chance for Blur to play a UK date, with their European and World tour in full swing starting in March 2013. There has been a lack of dates in the UK - could there be a big surprise in store for Blur fans ?

Should Blur have played this year in R/L Festival ?
	Yes definitely
	Nope - not for them
	Don't know / Don't care
	They're just too busy making a new album

To buy tickets from the extended pre-sale on the official website - click here.

Visit Reading Festival's full website to check out the full 2013 lineup and much more here.

Click here for Leeds Festival's official website and ticketing links.


Blur Tour 2013 - Full dates and rundown  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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Alex James talks music and stars in New Interview 2013

Alex James was interviewed recently in a new feature article from the Daily Mail. The piece, dating February 1st 2013, was about the Blur bassist's farm life, children, his latest antics, new shoes and of course - his (relatively) new cheese. 

Alex talked about his farm's lavish music room, where his children have been experimenting with making music.

"My wife Claire and I bought this farm on our honeymoon nine years ago, and we all use this room to relax"

Alex talks about running with his new pair of spikes, his new lifestyle and joys of being a father. He also reminisced about the early Blur days, when the band had fun "clubbing in Studio 54 in New York", USA during one of their first ever tours.

"Running is like the opposite of drinking. You feel awful while you’re doing it and great afterwards." - Alex James, Feb 2013 

By now you may have realised that Alex's childrens' names are all related to space and stars. What's more, Alex also appeared on a video where he takes his 2013 Freelander 2 to Oxfordshire in search of the perfect spot for star gazing. Watch the short, but interesting clip below. 

Don't forget to read the full Alex James interview for February 2013 by clicking HERE. 

Stay tuned for more Blur updates because new festival lineups will be announced in the coming week!

Blur Tour 2013 - Full dates and rundown  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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Blur to play South America to wrap up 2013

You say it, and we will listen - at least that's the vibe that Blur's management have been giving out recently. The band have been announcing tour dates and venues for their 2013 shows steadily since late last year, and now it seems that a South American date will be added to the list. 

Sara-m-a, an active fan on the forums, sends in an exciting piece of news - Blur have answered some of the fan's private messages saying that there will be a South America date for Blur in November 2013. 

Blur announced that they will be headlining Coachella in California, USA just this week. The news was met with cheers from the fans who are in America. However, fans in other parts of the world have not been too pleased with the news. 

For months before, fans from around the world have been petitioning Blur to perform in South America as part of their 2013 semi-world tour. 

Facebook petitions such as 'BLUR Tour North & South America - Petition' have been making an online presence within the fan community. The group also met success with a campaign to push the hashtag #BlurArgentina and #BlurLatinoAmerica2013 to trend on twitter earlier this month. 

And the efforts seem to be working - Blur has replied "We hear you" to the fan's private messages and words for a new tour venue. 

The Blur fans from Chile and Argentina also managed to get their own trending topic, asking Blur to visit them again. 

Photo credits to the Blur fan from Argentina

Sara-m-a, an active fan on the official Blur forums, is one of the main leaders of the petitions. She speaks a little about why the cause is important to her and her fellow fans:

"Since Blur gave us hints that the band could do a extensive tour, the long forgotten and neglected fans from Latin America have been making several campaigns on the internet. It's remarkable the number of fans club and webpages dedicated to the band. 

It seems that people are trying to get their pleas to the band all the way from South America. Lets not forget that Blur visited México just twice and Brazil and Argentine just once, during '99 tour. No wonder latin fans feel ignored."

Since the Blur tour dates have already been decided long ago by their management, it is not surprising that the announcements are rolling out in a controlled, one-by-one basis. Having heard all the positive energy from the fans' online campaigns, the management has slipped out another piece of good news for the band - a new tour date to wrap up 2013. 

Stay tuned and remember to subscribe for more details about this new tour. 

To join in on discussions and other Blur-related chat, check out these Blur fan pages and fan clubs: 

Blur México

Blur USA 

Blur Colombia 
Blur Argentina / Group 
Blur Chile / Group
Blur Perú 
Blur Brasil 

Comunidad De Blur 

Blur Tour 2013 - Full dates and rundown  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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