And finally, the wait is over! Blur premiered their new tracks 'Under the Westway' and 'The Puritan' live on top of their West London Studio on Latimer Road, London on July 2nd 2012. This location was of course chosen, as it is literally, under the Westway.
A live twitter video was broadcasted on the official Blur website for all fans to watch. Some of the band also had short interviews with BBC Radio shortly before the host played the studio version of the new songs to the world.
The two songs are the only material Blur released since their 2009 single 'Fool's Day', and both new songs were met with very positive reviews.
The band performed 'Under the Westway' live first, with cheering fans watching eagerly below on the ground. The track is grand, elegant and sounds extremely like something from the early Blur days. It boasts an animated music video featuring moving lyrics, and also a very Beatles-esque touch.
There was an hour's break in between the first and second song. Blur took this opportunity to stage a twitter question & answer session, where fans could tweet questions to the band's members. Questions included one by us at BlurBalls - "Damon - what colour are your shoes today?", in which the reply from Alex James was "Red". Very informative indeed.
'The Puritan', a cheery track with a poppy sound and fast drums, was next. The weather was rainy and cloudy in London, but that did not stop the catchy song from radiating through to the crowd. The lyrics for this track is on par with Blur's earlier singles, and the song definitely has the "new sound" that Damon mentioned earlier in Blur interviews.
Could this possibly be a new direction for Blur? Could 'The Puritan''s sound become something prevalent in the next Blur project? Will there even be new Blur material in the future? These are questions that the band did not answer.
It seems though, according to Alex James and Damon Albarn (who did interviews on BBC Radio 6 and BBC Radio 1 respectively on July 2nd 2012), options are being kept open. Everyone's keeping an open mind about the great band's future.
Stay tuned for reviews of the tracks exclusively by BlurBalls.
Download both tracks via iTunes HERE
Expand the post to leave a comment below - do you like the new Blur songs? Which one is better?
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.
SUBSCRIBE NOW!