Blur Live in Dublin Ireland - Reviews and Run Down

Blur played a concert in Dublin, Ireland exactly ten days ago on August 1st 2013. This marks the second time Blur landed in Ireland; they performed in the Royal Hospital in Kilmainham almost exactly four years ago. For fans who are overseas or have missed the show, scroll down for highlights, images and exclusive videos of the concert.

As quoted from a MusicNews review which described the concert: "Blur rifled through nearly twenty of their finest tunes over the course of the next hour and forty-five minutes, with almost every word Albarn sang repeated back to him by the capacity crowd.

Albarn isn't really one for on-stage banter but the smile that was plastered across his face for much of the evening suggested that this show was about as big a deal for him as it was for the masses in attendance."

For the song 'Parklife', Blur were joined on stage by Phil Daniels, who wrapped himself in an Irish flag before singing the vocals.

Fans had differing opinions about the gig. Commenter Heidi remarked: Damon was great, so enthusiastic throughout. I was a bit freaked out after the gig by the crowds of people trying to walk through an arched stone doorway that wasn't designed for mass exit. Perhaps IMMA need to review this. It's a wonder nobody got hurt.

However, Blur fan Alan criticised the volume of the crowds and said that people talking affected his listening experience: Blur were very good, but the sound was very very poor. Couldn't hear vocals or guitars for the first 4 or 5 songs at least. On top of this, there were people having full conversations with their mates at a high volume throughout, even the quieter songs. I paid money to hear Blur, not everyone else yapping away!

Setlist: 
Girls & Boys 
Popscene 
There's No Other Way 
Beetlebum 
Out of Time 
Trimm Trabb 
Caramel 
Young & Lovely 
Coffee & TV 
Tender 
To the End 
Country House 
Parklife (with Phil Daniels) 
End of a Century 
This Is a Low 

Encore: 
Under the Westway 
For Tomorrow 
The Universal 
Song 2



Image Gallery - Blur live in Dublin, Ireland 2013

More images from the gig (54 photos) can be found HERE.

Video Gallery - Highlights: Blur Live in Dublin 








Reviews for the gig are plentiful since it was fully covered by the Irish press. State Magazine reviewed the live concert with a sense of humour, as did Musicscene.ie (click to read). Check out a long but comprehensive review of the entire concert by Dublinconcerts.

Photos credited to catmaccy, cheryl.lenane, stephstarkey1975, unavoidable-collision, louise.johnston.33, jonathan.mcgonnell.3, anne.steffens.39, clarisasc, may_______may, andrssk, stephstarkey1975, Weepsie, mary.arundell, lynnwheatley

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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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's new rumoured concert in Florida USA

Blur are rumoured to be playing in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA, on Saturday August 10th 2013 (12:00 a.m). The news was brought up by a fan, who saw a notification on Pollster about this new show.

The gig is listed to be held in 200 W Broward Blvd, the address of a local concert and musical venue Revolution Live. The website Tktsnow also posted a sales link for the Florida concert one day ago. The new show has also been listed in various other gig websites.

Blur have just finished a concert in Budapest, Hungary on August 5th 2013 for the Sziget Festival. The rumoured new date in Florida does not clash with the band's hectic schedule, as the band are currently on a month-long break in-between touring. Blur's next big show will be on September 6th-7th in Germany.

However, no further information about a possible USA date can be found on search engines, websites or the band's official social media pages. It also seems unlikely that Blur will fly over to the USA again after playing in Coachella a few months ago.

The ticketing website also looks incomplete, with the outdated picture and the gig listed as "sold out".

Blur live in Florida - True or Not ?
	True
	False
	Don't think so
	Don't know / Don't care

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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Milky joins Blur on stage in Milan, Italy Concert

Strange things have happened in past Blur concerts, whether it be during the Britpop heydays or the recent Blur 2013 World Tour (notably the Damon Albarn mask, which interestingly, Damon Albarn wore for a large portion of the Russian gig on July 13th). 

For the band's show in Italy's Rock in Roma event held in Milan on July 28th, there was yet another surprise on stage. A fan dressed up in a milk carton inspired by Blur's music video for the hit single 'Coffee and TV' jumped on stage and joined in the band, dancing along as Damon sang the lyrics to the audience. 

The picture was taken by none other than Dave Rowntree, Blur's drummer, who was undoubtedly in a prime position to shoot the epic moment from his view behind the drum kit. Dave Rowntree regularly tweets (@Dave Rowntree) images from the backstage of Blur shows to the fans. 

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. 

Scroll down to watch footage of Damon Albarn singing alongside Milky during the song 'Coffee and TV'. 

Past bizarre Blur concert moments 

• Extra-large Milky Carton on show during Hyde Park 2009

• Damon Albarn wearing a cut-out mask that he borrowed from a fan in Afisha Picnic, Russia 2013 

• Damon crying more than usual during Glastonbury '09 

• Damon Albarn loses his special bracelets in Spain and threatens the crowd

The setlist was reported to be:

Setlist:

   (Theme From Retro)
   Girls & Boys
   Popscene
   There's No Other Way
   Beetlebum
   Out Of Time
   Trimm Trabb
   Caramel
   Coffee & TV
   Tender
   To The End
   Country House
   Parklife
   End Of A Century
   This Is A Low
Encore: 
   Under The Westway
   For Tomorrow (Visit To Primrose Hill
      Extended)
   The Universal
   Song 2

Read a lively review (in English) of the Blur Italy show by Indie Nation here. Alternatively, check out a local review (in Italian) here.

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

SUBSCRIBE NOW!

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

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

Win TWO pairs of free Blur Sunglasses !

We are launching a series of very cool new Blur giveaways - this month's giveaway is for not just one, but TWO pairs of free, extremely cool Blur sunglasses made by Iamkamty, a stylish online shop. 

To celebrate Blur’s first live performance in Hong Kong in May 2013, Hong Kong based designer Millie Chiu has created this set of hand-drawn Blur shades! These colorful plastic sunglasses have tiny holes on them. So not only can you to see through them, the tiny holes actually can help short-sighted or long-sighted vision by filtering out indirect light sources – the result being sharper vision! 

The winner will be able to win two pairs of the exclusive, one-off Blur sunglasses made by Millie. The design features the artwork of the 'Blur The Best Of' CD and comes in four colors, one on each eyepiece of the sunglasses. 

Seeing how Damon Albarn loves fan-made masks and milky-outfits on stage in the recent tour gigs, these glasses would make excellent eyewear for fans who want to stand out in future Blur concerts. 

Iamkamty.com is an online shop based in Hong Kong. Millie would like to create fun and unimaginable things out of ordinary objects. She thought to herself, “what if sunglasses could be colorful and vibrant instead of plain black shades?” And so, these wacky hand-drawn shades are created!

The shades are available in a wide range of cute, outrageous, vibrant designs, including Space Invaders, Pac Man, TV color bar and much more!

Check them out at her Etsy shop (iamkamty): https://www.etsy.com/shop/iamkamty . Like the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/iamkamty. 

Millie created the Blur sunglasses especially to celebrate Blur: Live in Hong Kong on May 6th 2013. 

You can also see more of her work and buy any of the sunglasses from the Etsy shop if you can't wait to see if you have won the competition. 

Enter now in the Giveaways page.

Remember to tune in every month for the chance to win a fun new Blur item! 

Damon Albarn Jamie Hewlett: "We have a kind of monkey madness" (Vanity Fair)

The August 2013 edition of Vanity Fair magazine features an exclusive interview and photo-shoot with Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett, both of whom talked about the relaunch of their opera 'Monkey Journey To The West' in Lincoln Centre, New York this July. 

(Vanity Fair - Aug. 2013 (Click to enlarge. Scan by grahampls)

The production, created by Damon Albarn and his Gorillaz partner Jamie Hewlett, originally premiered at the Manchester International Festival in 2007. The new set of productions will be Monkey: Journey To The West's New York debut.

The duo had much to say about the opera and music, as quoted from Vanity Fair: 

“Like all that has folk resonance, something from its past has carried forward and been delivered in a new way,” says Albarn, who composed the score, which sets traditional Chinese instruments against a contemporary electronic backdrop. “The first song inspired my daughter to start learning Mandarin.” Albarn, who is finishing a solo record, co-produced R&B singer Bobby Womack’s 2012 comeback album, The Bravest Man in the Universe, and headlined the Coachella music festival, in Indio, California, in April with Blur, his own award-winning band. 

"We have a kind of monkey madness"

Jamie Hewlett on his relationship with Damon Albarn

Hewlett, who co-created the comic book Tank Girl in 1988 and won Britain’s Designer of the Year award in 2006 for his work on Gorillaz, created both Monkey’s animation and the fantastical costumes. “Suddenly you realize,” he recalls, “that all these costumes you designed have to be worn by somebody who has to leap 10 feet in the air, stand on somebody’s shoulders while he is singing, and do kung fu.”

Jamie has been busy promoting the opera for various media outlets, including conducting live Q&As on Monkey Journey To The West's official Facebook page. He was also recently interviewed by Inside Hook and Flavorwire.

Monkey: Journey to the West is showing at Lincoln Center through Sunday, July 28. Click here for the full timetable. Click HERE to visit their Facebook page and see the latest updates, pictures and rehearsal snapshots from the opera. 

It's monkey business all the way for the duo - but one question that lingers is when will Damon monkey-around and make a new Gorillaz album? Will Damon change his mind yet again? 

Visit THIS page to see more fantastic images of Jamie Hewlett. 

Blur- Splitting up was best thing we ever did

Blur bass player Alex James says that that best thing the band ever did was split up and that Damon Albarn and Noel Gallagher are now best mates who smoke cigars together.

Blur bass player Alex James says that that best thing the band ever did was split up and that Damon Albarn and Noel Gallagher are now best mates who smoke cigars together.

Speaking ahead of Blur's gig at IMMA, Dublin on Thursday, August 1st with support from Bat for Lashes and The Strypes, James told Today FM's Ray D'Arcy about his new life as a cheesemaker and farmer.

"Blur came to an end in 2003 and at that point we'd been doing the same thing for 15 years and after that amount of time it does become cyclical," he said. "We needed to go off and do other things. 

"We've all worked with other people since then. I think splitting up was the best thing we ever did." 

During the interview, D'Arcy recalled having the old Blur vs Oasis argument with his friends "in Snaffles Nightclub in Kildare" and asked James who did he think eventually won The Battle of Britpop.

"It's funny because these days Damon and Noel are best mates," James said. "They go off and smoke cigars together. I think we realised we were all on the same side eventually."

 The 44-year-old father of five now lives on a farm in Berkshire and makes cheese. "People throw cheese at me when I'm on stage. Some musicians get underwear," he said.

"Ireland is a fantastic place for cheese. I was over there last year looking at Bries. "There are so many great Irish cheeses. Did you know Brie was invented in Ireland? The French monks took it back to Normandy. They stole it!"

Asked what was the most rock `n' roll thing he'd ever done, James said, "We sent a spaceship to Mars."

(Source)

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

SUBSCRIBE NOW!

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

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Blur live in Russia - Photo and Video Gallery 2013

On July 13th 2013, Blur took the Main Stage in Moscow, Russia for the legendary Afisha Picnic Festival. Afisha Picnic is a one day outdoor festival in the area of Kolomenskoye, a state-owned nature reserve and cultural site located near Moscow's city centre.

Attracting over 50,000 people per year, this is one of Blur's biggest gigs in their 2013 World Tour. Blur previously played in smaller venues across France, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Spain and Portugal.

Drummer Dave Rowntree had been DJ-ing in Moscow's Projektor bar the night before the show. The other members of Blur were also there.

The highlight of the night was when Damon Albarn put on a fan-made paper mask of his own face during the song 'Country House", entertaining and pleasing the crowd . Damon also performed a segment of "Intermission" before singing the track "Under The Westway".

Damon Albarn wearing a cut-out mask that he borrowed from a fan 

Damon changed the lyrics for 'Under the Westway' from "watching comets" to "watching satellites"

The audience also played their part during the show. Whilst Blur performed the sixth track "Out Of Time", a few hundred fans waved signs that read"You're Our Love Song". There was also a firework display after the gig as the festival came to an end.

Photo Gallery : Blur live in Russia (Afisha Picnic 2013)

Credits: cobakapavlova, tanyapridchina, tanyapetrosyan, annie_phoenix, clonolivaw, annakhidesheli, pollyabnormal, shesgotspies, agrainel, shaplova

For more pictures, click HERE.

Video - Watch Blur live in Russia 2013










Setlist for Blur at Afisha Picnic, Moscow 2013 

 Theme From Retro
 Girls & Boys 
 Popscene 
 There's No Other Way 
 Beetlebum 
 Out Of Time 
 Trimm Trabb 
 Caramel 
 Coffee & TV 
 Tender 
 Country House 
 Parklife 
 End Of A Century 
 This Is A Low 

 Encore 
 Under The Westway 
 For Tomorrow (Visit To Primrose Hill Extended) 
 The Universal Song 2

Download the Audio

Missed the gig and want to catch up? The audio of the entire gig is available for download HERE (Credits to MrMagpie).

Don't forget to check out the Blur Tour Diary for more pictures and media from all the tour shows. Finally, if you want to check out what concert tickets are for sale in your local area, check out bigticketshop.co.uk to see what's going on around town.

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

SUBSCRIBE NOW!

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

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

New Damon Albarn collaboration track for Deltron 3030

Hip hop supergroup Deltron 3030's new album 'Event II' will include an exclusive track featuring Damon Albarn. The group's second album will be released on October 1st 2013, and will include a track "What Is This Loneliness" which features Damon and singer Casual.

Deltron 3030 is an alternative group comprising of three members- producer Dan the Automator, rapper Del the Funky Homosapien and Kid Koala. The trio frequently collaborates with various musicians in records, similar to how virtual band Gorillaz combines musicians together for their songs.

Apart from Damon Albarn, other iconic musicians that will be featured include Mike Patton, the Lonely Island, Rage Against the Machine's Zack De La Rocha, Emily Wells, and Jamie Cullum. There are also renowned film actors included in the album: David Cross, Amber Tamblyn, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and chef David Chang.

It's not a surprise; 'Event II' has been in production since 2004 so it seems that the group had plenty of time to scout out new collaborators. Featuring Damon Albarn is also an obvious choice, as the Blur frontman collaborated with Deltron 3030 for their first album in the track "Time Keeps  On Slipping". 

Albarn also worked closely with members of Deltron 3030 for Gorillaz. also worked Dan the Automator also produced Gorillaz's eponymous debut album. Del the Funky Homosapien collaborated with Gorillaz for two songs on their debut album - "Clint Eastwood" and "Rock the House"- both of which became chart-toppers and gained commercial success.

Deltron 3030: Event II -  Tracklist 

01 Stardate [ft. Joseph Gordon-Levitt]
02 The Return
03 Pay the Price
04 Nobody Can [ft. Aaron Bruno of AWOLNATION]
05 Lawnchair Quarterback Pt. 1 [ft. David Cross and Amber Tamblyn]
06 Melding of the Minds [ft. Zach De La Rocha]
07 The Agony [ft. Mary Elizabeth Winstead]
08 Back in the Day [ft. The Lonely Island]
09 Talent Supersedes [ft. Black Rob]
10 Look Across the Sky [ft. Mary Elizabeth Winstead]
11 The Future of Food [ft. David Chang]
12 My Only Love [ft. Emily Wells]
13 What Is This Loneliness [ft. Damon Albarn and Casual]
14 Lawnchair Quarterback Pt. 2 [ft. David Cross and Amber Tamblyn]
15 City Rising From the Ashes [background vocals by Mike Patton]
16 Do You Remember [ft. Jamie Cullum]

For more updates, don't forget to check out Deltron 3030's Facebook page.