BlurBalls - Throwing YOU the latest Blur, Gorillaz and Damon Albarn news

August 12, 2012

Blur at London Olympics Hyde Park - live pics & tweets

#blurhydepark2012

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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!

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- 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.

July 16, 2012

Graham Coxon talks about Orbit- Blur feud

Graham Coxon has finally spoken about the Blur and William Orbit feud in a recent press interview. The Blur guitarist did a short question and answer for Vulture, and spoke about the new Blur songs, new sounds, opening for Noel Gallagher of Oasis fame and why (or why not) Blur may do a new album in the future.

According to the article, Graham Coxon "personally seemed into the idea" of making a new Blur album. He said that the band were getting on "really well" these days, much better than during their comeback gigs in 2009. With regards to any possible new Blur album, here's what Coxon said:

Plans for a new Blur album seem up in the air at the moment.
Up in the air, yeah.

What would you say is the biggest obstacle to the band recording a new album?
I don’t know. Maybe it’s time or the guts or pressing the fucking button and going, "Come on, let’s just bloody do it." It’s maybe the committing to it. It’s a frightening thought, because there’s kind of a pressure on us to record another one, and of course we quite like the idea. But what's stopping us is the pressure. People are saying they want [an album], and that’s making us panic. We like to create our stuff in a relaxed way. It’s no good trying to force stuff just because people want to hear it. It would be a big decision. Because we know what’d be coming after the recording: We’d have to do a lot of traveling and playing. Which is great fun, but it’s a big commitment, obviously.

Who's the holdout? Which band member is the hardest to convince? It sounds like you're into the idea.
I tell you what — we’re all into the idea. There’s nothing wrong with the idea, it’s just the practicalities that get slightly scary. And if we do something, it’s got to be really good.

If you decided against an album, would you consider just releasing singles or EPs?
I think that’s probably not a very good idea, to keep doing that. I’m old-fashioned. I like an album to be a big slice of a time and place, and have a lot of development of ideas. These singles were recorded pretty quickly — too quickly for my liking — and I still get worried. I still come up with ideas for stuff after it's released. Taking our time on an album, that’s what I would like to do. I’d be really into making a record, but [sighs]. If people leave us alone to do it, I think it would be cool.

Coxon also talked about ex-Blur producer William Orbit's (album 13) recent angry tweets about Damon Albarn being a "pig" to the rest of Blur. The mystery of his twitter attacks is finally revealed - Orbit had a go at producing the band's new track 'Under the Westway' but it turned out to be "not what [Blur] were after". So, that was what happened back then.

Blur was in the studio a few months ago with William Orbit for a session that ended acrimoniously, at least according to his tweets. What happened?
We had a go at "Under the Westway." And we just didn’t like the way it turned out. We were just like, "Shit, this is not what we’re after." And we decided to go it alone.

What did it sound like?
I don’t know. [Laughs.] I don’t know what it sounded like, really. I didn’t hear it.

Click here to read the rest of the interesting interview, with more on Under the Westway, The Puritan, Noel Gallagher and also Graham Coxon's New York tour.

Also, check out William Orbit's version of 'Under the Westway' HERE and give it a listen. The producer posted this up on Soundcloud recently for all to hear. Like it or hate it - it's undeniable that both tracks sound and feel very different.

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!

June 28, 2012

Did Blur let their future album plan slip out ?

BBC Radio 6 Music will be premiering Blur's new single "Under the Westway" on July 2nd, but today they let something shocking slip on their Facebook page.

They posted about the single, made an announcement saying that host Steve Lamacq will be "talking to Blur and listening to tracks from their forthcoming album 'Under the Westway' "

blurbbc, blur radio, blur bbc6, blur interview, blur new album

Wait a minute - this can't be right. There's no plans of an album is there? At least the Blur members are not saying anything or have even hinted they've finished recording one.

But yet - this post was deleted minutes later and replaced with one that says "...will be talking to Blur as he has the world exclusive first play of their new single 'Under the Westway' " .

Could the age-old rumour of Blur recording a new album in 2012 be true? Or is this just a slip of the hand by a BBC staff?

It's a mystery, but this definitely makes us excited. Remember to tune into BBC 6 at 6:15pm (UK time) for Blur. Also, do not forget to download the tracks from itunes after the live, one-off roof top show where Blur will play their single live.

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!

May 18, 2012

Speculation on the new Blur - Britpop re-emerging with a completely new sound ?

Yes, the future's been so different while we're gone...

Feature Article by BlurBalls.com

We are going to try to speculate about Blur's future sounds, and future plans, albeit the limited information out there in the Blur-o-sphere. Read on to find out our theories and analysis.

Blur is, essentially, making our brains foggy. There has been a bombardment of news, interviews and mixed information about Blur's prospectus in the year 2012. Blur may make new material. Wait- actually Blur may not make any new material at all. Blur are also, definitely, going to be playing one of their most important gigs ever this year- the Olympics Hyde Park summer shows.

So what is in store for us fans, who have followed, anguished and screamed in excitement about the band we know and love?

To start off, there is some great news for all Blur fans out there. Damon Albarn has revealed that Blur, far from their rumoured disbanding/ splitting up/ fall out, is actively back in the studio recording new tracks.

Damon Albarn appeared on the Andrew Marr show on BBC Radio 1 in the morning of May 13th 2012. He said that Blur were doing some recordings "next week" or "the week after", and that there could well be more than one new song played at the Hyde Park Olympic summer shows.

"A couple, maybe a couple. We're going to do some more recording" - Damon Albarn, May 13th 2012

This recent development is certainly generating great hype amongst Blur's fan base. Could this, once again, be another comment to throw fans off another direction? Or is it genuine, positive news?

The Blur camp has been full of emotional ups and downs lately. Moods have been soaring sky high with the announcement of the Olympics Hyde Park summer gigs (when it was thought 2009 was their last). Moods dipped to an all time low when previously, Damon Albarn announced Blur are 'over', and that they will quit after the summer gigs.

Damon have also said Blur will not record new songs. The Guardian did a revealing interview where Blur were made to sound like it's over permanently. Damon Albarn later seemingly changed his mind (or perhaps it was the biased reporting) and quashed his statements in ShortList magazine. He, apparently, "completely lost it" when he made those statements.

Damon on the cover of The Guardian interview, which rocked the Blur fan-base

Guitarist Graham Coxon and Drummer Dave Rowntree also made several statements deeming the bleak future of Blur. Bassist Alex James also said many varied things about the band's prospects, and not all of it was positive. Who can we believe?

Another revealing new development: William Orbit (producer of Blur's 13) made a harsh tweet calling Damon Albarn a 'pig' recently. Straight off his twitter feed was the agressive remark:

"Blur. Awesome band. Damon, brilliant. No question. + hard working as can 100% relate. But as a person, turned out to be a pig."

Could this be the beginning of a feud between Blur and the super producer? We speculate that perhaps Damon and the band recorded several new tracks with Orbit at the beginning of this year, but some how, things did not work out for the collaboration. Maybe Damon was fickle in his choice and opinions, ideas and music talents clashed.

Quite possibly, the news that Blur are "recording again" means that they were re-recording the tracks they recorded with Orbit after being displeased with the results. Orbit is appearing on BBC Radio 6 to speak about this fall-out - but we have to ask, why is he making public attacks on Damon Albarn? Why the bitter remarks? Is this another random massive fall out between strong minded people of the music business?

Damon with violin - back to Modern Life is Rubbish / The Great Escape orchestral, wispy sounds?

Or, Blur could be reuniting with their early producer Stephen Street for a different sound. After all, Street is producing and remastering the whole Blur catalogue for the 'Blur21' massive compilation box set, set for release in July 2012. They could have chosen anyone otherwise if nothing was up.

No one knows what is going to happen yet this year. Blur, being Blur, keeps us guessing - imagine Damon taunting: "It really really could happen" and then changing his mind!

A very young Blur - will their new tracks sound 'Leisure'-esque?

After all, Blur is an unpredictable band that changes constantly. The sounds range from early Indie tunes like in ''Leisure', to the Britpop sounds of 'Modern Life is Rubbish' and 'Parklife', to the American Rock sound from 'Blur', melancholic / sonic sounds from Orbit's '13' and finally, the low-fi rock of 'Think Tank'.

Maybe Blur decided they have outgrown Orbit's sonic, psychedelic sound of the early 2000s and want to embrace something new. Or perhaps Damon's leaning towards more of a 'Fool's Day' feel, the ballads that matches drums and piano tunes together in an almost 'The Good The Bad and The Queen' style. Damon's new opera 'Dr Dee' definitely shows traces of his love for folk, piano ballad pop, which seems to be cropping up a lot in Damon's post-Blur projects.

Hot off BBC 6's twitter - What's up with Billy Orbit ?

Blur's latest song 'Under the Westway' certainly seems to be heading towards the general direction of what we mentioned above. Slow, sad and reflective... could this be Blur's new sound? Piano ballads? 'Apple-Carts'-esque tunes? If so, then it would be very interesting to hear what new tracks Damon and company are currently recording. Maybe Dave's drums will only feature on limited tracks.

That's not to say that Blur will release a new album any time soon. There seems to be no album plans in store for the immediate future. At most, perhaps we will get a few new tracks from the band. Or will these "new tracks" and recordings even see the light of day? What if Damon changes his mind yet again?

Damon, after all, did say he was recording with Graham Coxon again recently (click to read). Is he planning some sort of solo album with Graham only? Certainly, he seems to be getting on with the guitarist very well lately, more so than "the other two" ? Is a Graham Coxon/ Damon Albarn album in the works? Note- Dave and Alex had little to say in the media recently about their band.

Future two man show ?

Listen to the latest Blur interview chat below (credit to Gorillaz Unofficial for the recording) where Damon revealed there may be more than 1 new song and feel free to leave a comment, vote on our poll and tell us your views on what you think of all the new developments.

Blur can now move on to many possible roads- it's up to the boys to decide which road to take. Which one would they choose ?

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!

January 26, 2012

Graham Coxon A&E Cover Art Revealed

Graham Coxon's newest album A+E unveiled its album cover today, very different, unique and a just a little bit unsettling. This cover seems to pay homage to older, 80s, oldies, retro styled bands like Talking Heads, especially the font type, and features a low-resolution image of legs and an accident.

ae graham coxon, a+e, graham coxon new album, a+e artwork

One fan even suggested that "Graham cut himself shaving", and has interesting typefaces of red and black on the top and bottom of the cover.

Similar fonts to Talking Heads ?

Here's just a comparison to his previous 7 albums, all of which feature Graham Coxon's own original artwork and paintings. His 8th album has a very different color, and according to Graham, has a very different theme and style in music too. He also mentioned in an interview that he wanted to experiment with photo manipulation and editing, and it's no surprise that this cover features a photography instead of any drawings.

graham coxon art, coxon albums, coxon artwork

To promote A+E, Graham Coxon will play:

13 Oxford O2 Academy
15 Gateshead Sage
16 Edinburgh Liquid Rooms
17 Glasgow Garage
19 Manchester Sound Control
20 Sheffield Leadmill
21 Nottingham Rescue Rooms
23 Brighton Concorde
24 Cambridge Junction
25 London HMV Forum
27 Gloucester Guildhall
28 Bristol Trinity
29 Exeter Phoenix and 30 Falmouth Princess Pavilions

Watch the teaser videos for the new album here:

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August 29, 2011

Damon Albarn to make first solo album for 2012

Damon's going to make a solo album! Exciting news everyone!

DAMON Albarn's done a lot in his 20-year career in music but he's still missing one thing from his lengthy CV – a proper solo recording (The Sun)

Now the Blur and Gorillaz man has pledged to follow fellow Britpop hero Noel Gallagher and spend most of next year recording an album of his own.

But Damon has three albums to get out first.

One is a project by Africa Express – a collective of Western and African musicians – recorded in the Congo.

Another is a collaboration with Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers and drumming legend Tony Allen.

The third is a recording of his Elizabethan opera.

After that he'll get to work on his first solo disc so it's ready for release some time in 2012.

A source said: "Damon's finally ready to make a solo album after years of hiding behind cartoon band Gorillaz and working with collectives of musicians.

"He's looking forward to it and his label bosses at EMI are pleased as it's sure to sell by the bucketload."

Although it's bad news for fans holding out on a full Blur reunion – a Damon solo disc is still an exciting prospect.

August 12, 2012

Blur at London Olympics Hyde Park - live pics & tweets

August 3, 2012

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

July 16, 2012

Graham Coxon talks about Orbit- Blur feud

June 28, 2012

Did Blur let their future album plan slip out ?

May 18, 2012

Speculation on the new Blur - Britpop re-emerging with a completely new sound ?

January 26, 2012

Graham Coxon A&E Cover Art Revealed

SUBSCRIBE NOW!

August 29, 2011

Damon Albarn to make first solo album for 2012

Damon's going to make a solo album! Exciting news everyone!

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