Blur are nominated for the "Best Reissue of the Year" prize in the Artrocker Awards 2012. Blur 21: The Box is up against four other reissues for the award.
Stemming from the old NME Brat awards (which Blur won in 1995 and 1998 and were part of frequently in the 90s), the second annual Artrocker Awards will be live on Friday 7th December 2012 at the Sebright Arms in London’s East End.
The Artrocker Awards is best known for it's honest guide to new music. To reflect this, music lovers can vote in this year’s Awards online –
If you think Blur should win, vote for them by clicking here.
December 2, 2012
Vote for Blur in Artrocker Awards 2012
December 1, 2012
Blur- Q Magazine November Issue 2012
November 29, 2012
Deftones, Ale-J confirmed for Reading Leeds Festival - but where is Blur ?
Blur are confirmed to be amongst the 6 new acts to headline the READING FESTIVAL 2013.
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 news was broadcasted to the public on February 5th 2013, live on the BBC Radio 1 Zane Lowe show at 7:00pm. Other confirmed acts included Fall Out Boys, Eminem, Biffy Clyro, Deftones, Sub Focus and Alt-J.
Blur are also 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 go on sale on Friday 30th November. To buy tickets (priced: GBP 197.50 for the weekend) for Reading Festival from Seetickets - click here.
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.
November 28, 2012
Alex James turns 44 !
November 27, 2012
Graham Coxon - There is No new Blur album for 2013
Graham Coxon tweeted on his official twitter page on November 26th 2012 that there will be "no" new Blur album in the future. The guitarist replied to a fan on twitter who asked whether there will be a new album in the near future with Damon Albarn, Alex James and Dave Rowntree.
Graham's reply was a two-lettered one: No.
There has been rumours surrounding the band since their reform in 2009 and following their landmark Hyde Park gig for the London Olympics this year. They are also set to play several European festivals for their Europe Tour 2013, including headlining some big-named musical gigs in Spain, Portugal, Belgium and Poland.
Graham recently wrote a song for Channel 4's Fresh Meat programme, performed by Kingsley. He said he agreed to write the song because he learned that Blur was Kingsley actor Joe Thomas's favourite band. Listen to his new song here.
Check out Graham Coxon's twitter page to read his tweets. The guitarist is known for being sporadic, unpredictable and surprising with his tweets. He even tweeted us on BlurBalls several times. Can we take his comment this time as a serious one, or is it just a remark about Blur's current flexible stage ?
It's hardly anything definite since all we have is Graham Coxon's one-word tweet. Yet, is this a sign that Blur have no plans to record anything in time for their European tour in 2013 ? They have confirmed so many dates, but will they be living off their former glories and just play old songs? These are questions that have no answers yet.
Here are some interesting comments from Blur fans about this (Source: NME - names have been removed):
November 24, 2012
New Graham Coxon Interview - Fresh Meat 2012
Graham Coxon was featured on Channel 4's program Fresh Meat this November. In this interview, there are some of the usual guitar questions and music related topics, and some bizarre and random questions about dogs' body parts.
Graham Coxon has also written an "angst-ridden" song for Fresh Meat. Listen to the full new Graham Coxon song, performed by Kingsley and titled "Implodium Implodes" below.
Graham Coxon was also featured on BBC 6 Music Radio's Legends Week on the morning of November 16th 2012. The host Shaun Keavney interviewed Graham Coxon and posted some new pictures of the Blur guitarist in the studio, with his guitar, telecaster and winter outfit.
Graham talked about quitting smoking and trying a new method - electronic smoking, amongst other endeavors. Listen to the show on BBC iPlayer here.
November 20, 2012
Interview with Blur Artist: Julia Aurea Stein
Julia Aurea Stein is a talented artist from Brazil who creates some of the most detailed, colourful and snappy drawings of Blur's Graham Coxon and Damon Albarn that we have seen. Many of her works feature and were inspired by musical icons including The Beatles, Peter Gabriel, various Gorillaz characters and the two main members of Blur.
We interviewed her recently about her love of art, coffee, TV, Graham Coxon and Blur.
'Abandon Us In Love' - Julia Aurea Stein |
How did you first get into Blur ?
Oh, haha! Came across them through a bit of a random reference really! It was this friend of mine from the Genesis community (I am a fan of Genesis also) who introduced me to Blur! Round 2009 I believe, I watched Clockwork Orange for the first time and being a fan of Kubrick I loved it.
I told this one friend from the community I had seen and loved it, and so he sent me this link, and it was The Universal clip! Ta-da! Adored it and asked him right away who those were, he explained it was his favourite clip from the nineties and that he very much enjoyed Blur back then. And so that was it! I was introduced then, and from then on I got to explore and discover and love!
Why did you start drawing Damon Albarn and Graham Coxon ?
You know, that's a funny question...I’m not sure why I kept drawing them, and Graham in particular...But it was an experiment at first. Come to think of it, the first one of my "idols" that I ventured doodling was Peter Gabriel. I'd never before tried drawing The Beatles nor Joni nor any other because I never felt secure enough about my drawings to try drawing people who I admire so much...
But back in 2010, I was given a sketchbook for a university assignment to try and represent music or "sound" graphically. This was where the Coffee & TV and The Universal doodles came from! I ended up liking the results of those sketches as I was very much into Blur and Graham, especially those days when it seemed only natural that I continue doodling them.
'Graham Doodle' |
Tell me about your style - how would you describe your art ?
Hmm, I don't know really, I've been drawing ever since I can remember! It's sort of a vital activity for me really, it's my major outlet...I've no pretensions about or with it though as well...It's just the way I express myself when I feel the urge to.
As for my style...I don't know how I could explain it much too. It has changed considerably throughout the years. As I've never had any methodological or you know, any kind of education or guidelines in terms of drawing technique and such. Sometimes I am afraid that my style and my "art" is just purely amateurish expressions, though I did acquire a certain background in university here and there...
'Damon and Graham II' |
What influenced your art ? Tell us about your biggest influences.
I believe that my parents and my musical and artistic childhood background have been the major influences in my art. Both my parents were into quite a "hippie-sh" "alternative" scenario when younger. My mother is very skilled at handicrafts, for as long as I can remember she's been drawing her mandalas and making her mobiles and kaleidoscopes; And my father is mad about music, he's like a walking encyclopaedia on almost every band from the beginning of the past century up to the early eighties. For as long as I can remember he has been playing his guitars!
As I was brought up in that atmosphere, it's only natural that reminiscences of those influences would find their way out through my own style...The thing with the patterns and arabesques and such I love to draw so much, for instance, that's something that remits to those roots and infancy imprints.
'Coffee and TV' (top); 'Oochy Woochy' (bottom) |
Your drawings are so colorful ! Do you color them by hand or by computer ?
It depends. Depends on my mood, on what I mean for the piece, as in whether it's a free piece or for a university commission. I used to colour all by hand, up until a couple of years ago when I started playing around with vectors, and I got to use them instead for colours.
I scanning the original pencil work and colour it in with vector patches. I'm keen on experimenting more with watercolour these days though. It's been long I don't use it and I used to love it as a child. Vectors are very practical, for I like plain opaque shades and vectors give the work a more defined and solid look, whereas paintbrush or colouring by hand provides a more irregular touch, which is nice too.
Damon Albarn doodles ; Graham Coxon doodles |
How long do you take to draw each piece ? It's so detailed!
Again that depends. Sometimes I get to draw some very quick sketches in less than an hour, and I am very satisfied with them. But I must say that happens rather seldom. I usually take ages for drawing. You know, when I'm in the mood and inspired, provided I have a record playing on the background, I can and will spend the day at my desk doodling away.
To draw a piece such as the posters I drew of Blur and Graham for Coffee & TV, Bonfires and so, I take around a week or so to get done with the pencil drawings alone, and colouring them must take some good three to five days in the very least as well. It usually takes several sketches for me to get to the one composition I find acceptable. For instance, for the drawing of Graham and Damon I drew three different versions for every small picture, till I got to one I actually liked!
Damon or Graham ?
Easy: Graham all the way! No doubt.
'Bonfires' (top); 'Love Travels' (bottom) |
Hmm, that's a bit tricky...I can't pick only one favourite! That's cruel! But for a few, some of my most beloved tunes would be: Peach, Luminous, Inertia, Oily Water, Tender, You're So Great, She's So High, Bang, Mellow Song...Agh! Too many others to be fair!
Same for albums, can't name my one favourite. But my top three would be 13, the self-titled and Modern Life Is Rubbish, followed by Leisure!
Final words ?
Check out more of Julia Aurea Stein's fabulous Blur illustrations on her Flickr page (we can't get enough of this set) and on her Deviantart page.
November 16, 2012
Blur confirmed to headline Poland festival 2012
A new Blur headliner act for their upcoming European Tour has been confirmed just moments ago - and this time Blur is going to play in Poland's Heineken Open'er 2013.
The Heineken Open-er Festival is one of the Poland's biggest music festivals. It takes place at the Gdynia-Kosakowo airfield, Gdynia, Poland from 3rd to 6th July 2013. The 80-hectare airfield space contains 7 massive stages and can feature 120 artists. The location is also a festival town with campsites, a beach, sports grounds and various other merchandise areas suitable for activities and music performances.
Bjork headlined the Open'er festival last year. Mumford & Sons, New Order and Orbital were amongst the other acts who played in the four-day music festival last year in 2012. This year, it will be britpop band Blur's turn on the stage.
So far, Blur have confirmed several countries for their European tour 2013. The locations are Primavera Sound in Spain and Portugal, Rock Werchter in Belgium, and now it's Heineken Open'er in Poland. They are also rumoured to play in France, Australia and Japan, as well as UK's Coachella, Reading and Leeds festivals, although no official confirmation has been issued.
Will this come true ? |
A four-day Open'er festival ticket (from 03/07 – 06/07) cost approximately £71 and a four-day ticket with 6 days of camping (from 02/07 – 07/07) costs approximately £84.
Order your special early bird tickets for Heineken Open'er Poland by clicking HERE. The tickets are available from now until January 15th 2013 while stock lasts.
Poland's Open'er Festival boasts a massive grand location and atmosphere |
Stay tuned for more up-to-date updates on Blur's European Tour in 2013. It's going to be a big year for the iconic band.
Damon Albarn's new composition to hit BBC airwaves
Damon Albarn's newest composition, named "2LO London Calling" has hit the airwaves across 55 BBC Radio stations globally at 5:33pm , on Wednesday, November 14th 2012. The new song has played across national radio, World Service and the local UK radio stations to mark the 90th anniversary of the BBC yesterday.
Damon created a comissioned musical collage for this special event. It was a mixture of soundbites of radio listeners from all ages all across the UK. More information was revealed via The Guardian's feature:
Listen below for Damon Albarn's new song debut. It is an interesting piece of audio, and sounds like a mixture of messages from across the times.
After all, the estimated audience worldwide for the stream was 120 million and each has heard Damon Albarn's 3 minute composition. We particularly liked the ending when music started and the speaking stopped.
Listen and watch the full Damon Albarn interview about his project, inspiration, process and excerpt from the special radio program below. He explains how he tried to collate the soundbites and what it means for him. He even talked a little about Nigeria and his feelings on each sound on the track.