10 Things You Never Knew About Blur

Blur is an iconic English rock band that has been active for over 25 years. Despite their popularity and longevity, there are still some things about the band that are not widely known. Here are ten facts about Blur that you may not have known.

1. Damon Albarn and Graham Coxon are the only original members of the band. While Dave Rowntree and Alex James have been with the band since the start, they weren't part of the original lineup. 2. Graham Coxon left the band in 2002, but returned for their 2009 reunion tour. 3. The iconic album cover for "Parklife" was taken outside a London pub, The Eagle. 4. Blur's greatest hit, "Song 2," was released as a single in 1997 and reached number two on the UK Singles chart. 5. The band has sold over 25 million records worldwide. 6. Blur have been nominated for seven BRIT Awards, including three for Best British Group. 7. The band's second album, "Modern Life Is Rubbish," was released in 1993 and was not immediately successful. However, it has since become one of the most acclaimed Britpop albums of all time. 8. Blur's song "Chemical World" was featured in the opening scene of the cult classic film "Trainspotting." 9. The band was named after the slang term for a blurry photograph. 10. Blur have released eight studio albums and have been cited as an influence by many other bands, including Oasis, Arctic Monkeys and Kasabian.

These are just a few of the things you may not have known about Blur. With a career spanning over 25 years and eight albums, the band has had a long and successful career. With such a long and varied history, there's still plenty more to learn about this iconic rock band.

5 Facts You Never Knew about Damon Albarn

The Blur frontman has always been a bit mysterious and aloof with his personal stories. But here are 5 fun facts that you probably never knew about the man himself.

1. After his breakup with Justine Frischmann in the late 1990s, there are rumours he dated Melanie C from Spice Girls (Sporty Spice) and Shaznay Lewis from All Saints. He has been seen with them together in house parties hosted by Albarn and Jamie Hewlett in their pad in London during his recovery days. He has always had an open relationship with Justine Frischmann and was caught kissing an Australian DJ back in the days.

2. Blur and the gang used to play a "Punching Game" with each other, where they'd take it in turns to hit each other as hard as they can. Alex James recalls: “There was one tour in America that I had two black eyes,” James claimed. “One from Graham and one from Dave. And Damon broke my nose once. But you know… there was never any question we would split up. We were tighter than ever.” “Dave used to play this game called the Punching Game,” James continued. “We all took it in turns to punch each other. I remember playing it with the bass player from Dinosaur Jr… he was fucking massive. Taller than me. He lumped the shit out of everyone.” In case anyone needs ear infection treatment, heads up to Auris Ear Care a London clinic who does just that and more! 

3. Damon finally admitted to using heroin in his latest autobiographical album Everyday Robots (2015). The song "You and Me", referencing Justine Frischmann and his heroin use, found him admitting his 5-day-a-week regime. He has said that it's a relief that it can all become out in the open, since he was "mysterious" about his heroin usage during the 1990s.

4. Damon has a really close relationship with his daughter Missy Albarn. He always writes songs for her and according to him, she "cries" with embarassment. He also admits that his collaborations in the latest Gorillaz album Humanz is based off Missy's choices and favorites. What a dad!

5. Damon is a perpetual suitor when it comes to collaborations. How he managed to get Lou Reed, the Velvet Underground star on the old Gorillaz album was because he sent in hundreds of songs but were all rejected by Lou Reed. He said the secret to his success is to never give up on pestering the great musicians of his time.