August 18, 2013

Damon Albarn and Noel Gallagher collaboration 2013

A recent interview found on the Sziget Festival website quoted Blur's Alex James saying that Noel Gallagher and Damon Albarn are working on a "lot of stuff" together. Blur bassist Alex James said the two former enemies are "like best mates now" who had been "working together on a lot of stuff" 


Interesting snippets from the article include:

Blur/Oasis britpop rivalry: "Damon and Noel Gallagher are working together on a lot of stuff, so whatever was back then is not relevant anymore. But we have to add that young bands today are all very nice. We were totally intolerable."

On the early Blur recordings: "
Last year we’ve released a collection in which all our previous songs got remastered and we’ve gathered an incredible amount of recordings from the past. We found a 9 minute recording from our very first jam session and if you listen to it you immediately know it can’t be any other band, we were Blur already back then. We got into a room, started to jam and it was this distinctive Blur sound from first moments. We are really happy that the chemistry between us works."

Change since the 1990s British music scene: "If we look back at it now, the 90s were the golden age of music. It's weird for us to look at it from the outside since we were a part of it. From the 60s and even from the mid 50s a lot of cool stuff happened in music."

Noel and Damon ended their long-standing rivalry which started between their bands Oasis and Blur in the 1990s earlier this year. They appeared on stage together for a Teenage Cancer Trust concert in London's Royal Albert Hall, performing an emotional six-minute version of "Tender". 


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However, in another radio interview conducted by NME, Noel Gallagher outrightly denied that he is collaborating with Damon Albarn on new music. 

In response to Alex James's comment, Gallagher said: "I read that Alex James said that - [but] it's news to me!" 

Fun fact: The heated relationship between the Blur and Oasis in the height of the Britpop era fuelled fans to term the bands "Blurasis".

Best name for a Blur / Oasis collaboration track
  



August 13, 2013

Blur confirms Tokyo for 2014 - Live in Budokan

The organizers for one of Japan's biggest music arenas, the Nippon Budokan known as simply Budokan have confirmed that Blur are back on the list for a show in 2014. Blur fans nearby can rejoice, as the chance to see Blur in Tokyo is here again despite a cancelled gig earlier in 2013.

Blur will head over to the other side of the world and visit Tokyo following the cancelled Tokyo Rocks show scheduled for earlier this year. Official confirmation came from Blur's Facebook page and the gig's organizers in Japan.

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The Budokan arena is where many "Live at the Budokan" albums were recorded, including those by musicians Bob Dylan, Blur and Ozzy Osborne. The stadium was originally used for judo competitions in the Olympics of 1964. The first rock group to perform in the stadium was The Beatles, who played a series of shows there in 1966.

The last time Blur played in Japan was ten years ago in 2003 at the Summer Sonic event and have since been waited upon by fans from all across the world who will be travelling to see them play live.

Date: Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Time: 7:00 pm - 11:00 pm
Location: Budokan, Tokyo, 2-3 Kitanomarukoen
Venue opens: 18:00
Ticket price: A seat ¥9,000,  S seat ¥10,500
Full show guide release date: October 5 (Sun) 10:00 am
Organizer: Creative Man

Blur also released a two-disc live album in 1996 titled "Live at the Budokan" which comprised of recordings from a live show in Japan during their The Great Escape Tour of 1995. Up until 2009, "Live at the Budokan" was the only official live Blur album. Listen to the whole album (including Damon speaking broken Japanese) for free below.



Blur have extended their 2013 tour to the early months of 2014. Will more venues in Asia follow? What will be next for Blur in 2014? All that is known for now is that Japan will be the second venue confirmed and will precede the recently announced Blur concert in Australia, set for January next year.

For more information: www.creativeman.co.jp/artist/2014/01blur/

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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August 12, 2013

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."

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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!

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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

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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

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.


August 7, 2013

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."

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“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."


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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


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