Listen to a new Blur interview featuring Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James and Dave Rowntree talking about their new album The Magic Whip and its makings, and the role Graham Coxon played in shaping their new direction.
March 27, 2015
New Blur interview about their new album Magic Whip and 2015 tour
February 20, 2015
New Blur Single- Go Out lyrics
Blur- Go Out lyrics
Oh, oh, oh,oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
I get this stand alone
Dancing with myself
We go get a gong
Luxury of style
I've seen you in the hall
Dancing with myself
I get into my bed
I'll do it to myself
To the local
oh oh oh oh
'Go Out' - New Blur Single of 2015 released
Review- Go Out by Blur
The new Blur single 'Go Out' sounds like something right out of Blur's earlier album. The song, featuring a single repetitive drum beat signature of Dave Rowntree's style, is similar to the earlier, younger Blur of the 1990s when they were still in the hey-days of Britpop.
Fans will instantly recognise the sound of Blur in 'Go Out', where Damon Albarn sings "We go into the local... We go into the local, oh oh" and chants his "oh oh oh"s similar to their earlier songs in the album "Blur" and "Think Tank". The lyrics include references to Hong Kong and the band's outings around the city in China, one of the biggest destinations for experiencing the East and West mix.
Interestingly, the music video also features a women making homemade-ice cream. The song reminds us of "Advert" in Modern life is Rubbish, where Damon sings about the disillusionments with modern TV advertisements and commercialism. We can't help thinking Damon is trying to recreate some of the social critiques that his earlier songs have going on, only with a different sound. It's a very multicultural video, reflecting perhaps what's to come in the album The Magic Whip, due to be released on the 27th April 2015.
The song's guitar riff in the middle is reminiscence of the band's latest album Think Tank, where there's a move towards more of a rock style. The song ends abruptly, leaving us wanting more.
Overall, this is a catchy, interesting but simple song by Blur, whose return is much welcome in the world of British pop. They've given us a new single with a unique sound, which reminds us of the 1990s and sounds very much like Britpop, although with less of the fancy instrumentals, xylophones and other instruments which Damon Albarn liked to use before.
The soundtrack for Blur's new 12 song album in 2015 will be:
- Lonesome Street
- New World Towers
- Go Out
- Ice Cream Man
- Thought I Was a Spaceman
- I Broadcast
- My Terracotta Heart
- There are Too Many of Us
- Ghost Ship
- Pyongyang
- Ong Ong
- Mirrorball
Blur announce a new album The Magic Whip in 2015
Blur has officially announced their new album titled "The Magic Whip" to be released on April 27 is available to pre-order from today.
Featuring a distinct Chinese theme, Blur announced their first album as a four-piece in 16 years at a live streamed Facebook event from Chinatown in London.
According to Blur, the recordings began during a five-day break in touring in Spring 2013 at Avon Studios in Hong Kong. Last. November Graham Coxon revisited the tracks and, drafting in blur's early producer Stephen Street, he worked with the band on the material. Damon Albarn completed the songs by adding his lyrics and thus produced this new album.
This is fantastic news for Blur fans, as no one expected a new Blur album to be released at such an early date. Previously, the band announced a comeback but had scheduled it for 2016/2017.
The band also announced they will headline British Summer Time Hyde Park on Saturday 20th June 2015. Tickets go on general sale at 9am, Friday 27 February from www.bst-hydepark.com.
The soundtrack for Blur's new 12 song album in 2015 will be:
- Lonesome Street
- New World Towers
- Go Out
- Ice Cream Man
- Thought I Was a Spaceman
- I Broadcast
- My Terracotta Heart
- There are Too Many of Us
- Ghost Ship
- Pyongyang
- Ong Ong
- Mirrorball
February 4, 2015
6 things you didn't know about Gorillaz
With all the news about a new Gorillaz album in 2015 or 2016, here are 6 facts that you didn't know about the band's tumultuous and interesting history.
- Damon Albarn formed Gorillaz after his last Blur album, having settled down with his girlfriend and even becoming a father. Gorillaz was the first product of Albarn's rebirth, which was the project fronted by four cartoon characters.
- Jamie Hewlett was the artist with whom he shared a house in between the end of his relationship with ex-girlfriend Justine Frischmann and the decisive start of his life with current girlfriend Suzi Winstanley. Essentially this was a roommates' collaboration.
- Jamie Hewlett hated Damon Albarn at first- quoting Jamie: "Damon was very competitive, and I had the whole Tank Girl thing going. Then in the late Nineties I split up with Jane, around the same time Damon broke up with Justine, and for some reason we decided to get a flat together. We'd spend hours watching MTV and wondering why everything on it was so terrible. I think Damon was tired of being the frontman for Blur, and I was just aghast at how boring most pop groups are when they're interviewed. Look at them, on television, all sat on the couch with nothing to say. So we said, "Let's make up a fake band".
- In 2010, the two co-founders had yet another fallout. Jamie stated that he felt that people were starting care more about the music and less about his characters and art. The two creators had many disagreements while on tour in 2010 and were growing apart. Although they didn't split then, it spurred rumours about the split several years later.
- In 2011, Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett had an argument, which led to the news that row "basically ended things" for the group. They have been hit with rumours of break-ups and split-ups, with some insiders commenting that Gorillaz are always "dogged with angry rows".
- Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett have broken up a few times over 2011-2015, allegedly over personal issues. Damon also once said that he was "less than impressed with Jamie’s party lifestyle."
January 31, 2015
Gorillaz announce official comeback in 2015
Jamie Hewlett, the cartoonist of virtual band Gorillaz confirmed the band’s return in a series of new Instagram posts in his personal account earlier today.
He posted three new coloured sketches of the band members, two of bassist Murdoc and one of guitarist Noodle. In the comments below the first image he posted, he said simply: “Yes. Gorillaz Returns.”
Damon Albarn, the frontman of the band, ruled out any return of Gorillaz last year. Yet in another interview before, Damon Albarn said that he was prepping a new album and was “in the process of reactivating” the group for a potential 2016 release date. Since the promised a return of his animated Gorillaz project last October he has remained silent on any further plans. Meanwhile, the singer has been busy staging a musical in Manchester and promoting his solo material.

The new drawings show an edgier, less green Murdoc holding a gun and wearing a religious necklace. It also shows Noodle wearing a Japanese-styled Kamikaze jacket, air goggles and brandishing a weapon resembling a samurai sword. This may mean that the new Gorillaz album contains a war theme, or features an adventure back to Japan or a faraway continent.
The last album Gorillaz released was 2011′s mini-ipad album The Fall.
Great news for all the fans- it looks like there will be new Gorillaz material released sometime this year! Stay tuned for more news.
Check out Jamie Hewlett's Instagram account HERE.
January 13, 2015
Design inspired by the Brit Pop era
The Brit Pop
artists of the 1990s produced music that was inspired by their illustrious precursors
of the 60s, 70s and 80s. It was ‘Brit’ and it made a statement, not least of
which was that it rejected the Grunge music that had originated in Seattle in
the US in favour of homegrown music. It was inspired by the guitar pop music of
the 1960s – bands such as The Beatles – the glam rock of the 1970s – for
example David Bowie, Iggy Pop – punk rock – such as the Sex Pistols – and Indie
Rock of the 1980s – which included bands such as The Stone Roses and Inspiral
Carpets. Mix these genres together, add tons of working class attitude, and an
even larger amount of British culture, and you have a flavour of what Brit Pop
is all about. Brit Pop influenced a generation and it continues to inspire design
today and influence our everyday lives, both back then and now.
January 6, 2015
Dress like a Britpopper
Ever wanted to dress like a celebrity? Ever found your fashion idol online and wanted to look exactly like him or her? Maybe you have been inspired by singers like Damon Albarn or Graham Coxon, and want to dress in their special jacket or outfit that you once saw on Blur's music videos!
While it may be a bit harder to dress like a male celebrity, it's easier than you think for female singers. Dresses are often custom made to fit a certain style of celebrity fashion, e.g. Britpop chic,vintage dresses, Katy Perry styles, you name it, someone out there has made something like it for sale in a boutique store or what not.
There are so many custom made dresses online that one doesn't have to worry about a lack of choice in our age. From British-styled vintage pieces to chic modern styles, there's a lot to offer from online shopping. For music fans, you can even dress like your favourite celebrity or rock star, simply by buying online!
October 30, 2014
Damon Albarn receives blue plaque at Leytonstone
Damon Albarn has received a new blue plaque at his former Leytonstone home.
According to The Guardian, the Blur singer visited his childhood home at 21 Fillebrook Road, Leytonstone, this week.
The singerlived in the house until he was nine-years-old and attended George Tomlinson Primary School, in Harrington Road.
He said: “Its multi-racial population had a very profound effect on me, and the borough has a very particular feel to it, given the proximity to Epping Forest and places like Hollow Ponds.
“I remember cows coming down this road on a regular basis. You wouldn’t believe it now what with the A12 extension, but memories like that obviously stuck with me.”
Albarn’s recent Mercury-nominated album, Everyday Robots, recalls his early childhood living in Fillebrook Road and one of the songs is named Hollow Ponds.
Councillor Clyde Loakes, Deputy Leader of Waltham Forest council, said: “This borough has produced talented people from all walks of life and given Damon is such a huge name in the world of music it was right that we should celebrate him as a son of Leytonstone too.
“Having been privileged to have met him, it is obvious that he has a real affection for the borough, as anyone listening to Hollow Ponds on his new album can hear.
This marks a new place to visit for any Blur fans who is eager to visit Blur-related landmarks around London and the UK.
October 29, 2014
5 Reasons why Britpop won't die
1. Parklife still exists - everyone's jogging in the park these days

2. We all know someone who is the girl who are boys who like boys to be girls

3. Damon Albarn's still a Britpop man- just look at the way he dresses


4. Milky's a UK icon

5. Gorillaz sounds a bit like Blur - seriously, just listen to Tomorrow comes Today
October 23, 2014
New Damon Albarn song- Sister Rust
The cinematic song features on the soundtrack to the action film starring Scarlett Johansson.
The majority of the music in the film was provided by composer Eric Serra. Lucy is released in the UK on August 22 but is already out in America.
October 22, 2014
Gorillaz confirmed to make a new album in 2016
We've got great news for all Gorillaz fans. Damon Albarn has just revealed in a recent interview with The Sydney Morning Herald that his animated band Gorillaz will make a new album i 2016.
In the interview, he mentioned that Gorillaz is already in the process of "reactivating" for a potential 2016 album. This means that fans will be hearing brand new Gorillaz songs as early as next year, and possibly enjoy a full Gorillaz world tour in 2016 after their album release.
If Gorillaz produces a new LP, it would be the band’s fifth album, and first since 2011’s ipad-recorded The Fall.
But what about his other band Blur? Of this, Damon Albarn said: “I would imagine there’s some kind of future,” he said in the interview, “but at the moment there’s no time for the future – only the present. Who knows? I’m reluctant to say anything, because if I do, it just gets taken out of context and then I’m accused of being a wind-up.”
October 21, 2014
Bingo plays the music
April 26, 2014
Aiden Grimshaw- Tender cover (Blur)
Former X Factor contestant and solo singer Aiden Grimshaw (or commonly known as Aiden ) has covered Blur's classic 'Tender' to mark the 20 year anniversary of Britpop. Scroll down to watch his cover.
The 'Is This Love' star was just 3 years old when Britpop began in 1994, and only 8 when Blur released 'Tender' in 1999. Grimshaw has delivered a strong rendition of the track, however, with only a guitarist to accompany him.
April 22, 2014
The real reason why Blur cancelled on Australia's Big Day Out
A Big Day Out promoter says Blur pulled out of this year's music festival because members of the reformed Britpop act were having "fisticuffs" (fights) while on tour last year.
It's the latest round in an ongoing dispute between the band and the annual Australasian music event that started when Blur pulled out of their headlining slots, despite having their own personalised stage built at every venue.
Two weeks ago, Damon Albarn told TimeOut Blur cancelled over fears the shows - which he said would have been Blur's last - wouldn't be as "spiritually conclusive as we hoped they would be".
"They [the organisers] weren't being straight with me about things, which they needed to be, and at that point I became disillusioned because I didn't want what we'd done throughout the year, with Blur, to be undermined or tarnished in any way, by a show that wasn't going to be what we wanted to do," Albarn said.
In excerpts of the interview, which is billed as "exclusive" and hasn't yet been published in full, Maddah also claims Blur were being paid A$5 million (NZ$5.4m) for their shows - an amount he labelled "ridiculous".
Blur were replaced by Deftones, Beady Eye and The Hives, and more than 41,000 people showed up for the festival's first show at Western Springs in Auckland - just under a sell out capacity of 45,000.
Source: nzherald.co.nz
April 18, 2014
Blur Special at the O2 Academy
April 16, 2014
How to turn your bedroom into the groupie’s paradise
10 ways Britpop changed Manhood - Blur feature
The Telegraph recently featured a great article on the 10 ways Britpop changed modern Manhood. The brilliant piece features Blur, Damon Albarn and lists the top ten ways in which the Britpop musical era shaped modern Britain and it's people.
Some notable excerpts include:
1. It made us patriotic: Pre-Britpop, we looked across the Atlantic for cool, exciting new stuff: be it grunge or hip-hop, action blockbusters or cult Tarantino films, Friends or The X-Files. But for five halcyon years in the mid-90s, Blighty was where it was at: Blur vs Oasis, Cool Britannia, Euro ’96, TFI Friday, Lock Stock, Spice Girls, Young British Artists, Trainspotting… We were reminded of the greatness on our own doorstep.
9. It made us culturally cleverer: Britpop is often stereotyped as lumpenly thuggish but it made young men smarter too. In their lyrics and interviews, Damon Albarn, Brett Anderson and Jarvis Cocker were our literate, art-schoolish big brothers in the way Morrissey was a decade earlier.
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| "Art-schoolish big brothers" |
April 13, 2014
Damon Albarn may make new album with Noel Gallagher
Damon Albarn has announced that making a new album with former Oasis frontman Noel Gallagher is a "distinct possibility" in future.
In a recent NME article, Albarn revealed that he and Gallagher have discussed the idea of making music together "at least once".
He said: "I still see Noel from time to time. We text a bit." When asked if the pair would be making a record together, he replied, "I can imagine that being a very distinct possibility at some point in the future. But, as yet we haven't really talked about it, although…"
Albarn further added that: "OK we have a little bit. We're talking. It's not anything to get excited about yet. I mean, he's doing his thing. He's finishing a new record. I've got my record coming out, but the principle of us making music together is something…you know, it would be fair to say, we have discussed it at least once."
Last year, the pair put two decades of Britpop rivalry behind them when they performed together at London's Royal Albert Hall for a charity Teenage Cancer Trust concert. Damon Albarn will release his debut solo album 'Everyday Robots' on April 28 2014.
April 10, 2014
There will be new Blur and Gorillaz shows- Damon Albarn
March 26, 2014
Damon Albarn- Everyday Robots Documentary: Watch
Watch the 30-minute documentary on Damon Albarn and his first solo album "Everyday Robots". In the short film, Damon Albarn tells us where he grew up, talks about his music and describes what it is like being a world-famous artist.
Everyday Robots is the first solo debut studio album by Damon Albarn. It is to be released on 28th April 2014. It was produced by Albarn and Richard Russell of XL Recordings and was recorded over a three-month period in Albarn's personal studio in London, although production itself began in 2011, the album didn't officially start production until 2013. Albarn and Russell, had previously worked together on Bobby Womack's comeback album The Bravest Man in the Universe.
Scroll down to watch the full documentary below or watch it HERE.
March 24, 2014
Happy Birthday Damon Albarn
January 20, 2014
Everyday Robots- Damon Albarn's New Solo Album
Damon Albarn is set to release his debut solo album "Everyday Robots" on April 28th 2014. The album's title track and lead single will see a March 3rd digital and vinyl release.
Albarn celebrated the announcement with the release of a new trailer for the album- a short movie clip featuring moving shots of landscapes and urban shots, ending with the hashtag #everydayrobots.
2. "Hostiles"
3. "Lonely Press Play"
4. "Mr. Tembo"
5. "Parakeet"
6. "The Selfish Giant"
7. "You and Me"
8. "Hollow Ponds"
9. "Seven High"
10. "Photographs (You Are Taking Now)"
11. "The History of a Cheating Heart"
12. "Heavy Seas Of Love"






















