BLUR NEWS:It's official -Blur
is not over!Furthermore,
Gorillaz will record another record in the future, even though the date is not
announced yet; Jamie Hewlett and Damon Albarn has repaired their relationship and amended differences and all seems bright and well.
The
Metrofeatured a plain,
no-nonsense interview with Damon Albarn, frontman of Blur and Gorillaz (amongst
other projects) and it seems very positive. The interview is printed with
little authorial intervention, and is in a question/answer format.
Albarn spoke out about Blur and Gorillaz's future, stating (quote
fromMetro)
:
Are Blur and Gorillaz both
finished?
No. That comes from an article which was
an interesting take on a very long conversation. I don’t know how we’ll feel
when we play Hyde Park. Some days I feel one way and other days I feel the
other. If you don’t see something as a career but as an important part of your
life, you don’t know how you’re going to feel about it. We want to put on a
great performance but nothing’s been said between us about the beginning or the
end.
What about Gorillaz?
When Jamie [Hewlett] and I have
worked out our differences, I’m sure we’ll make another record.
Will that be difficult?
I don’t think so. We’ve been through too
much together for it to be that big of a mountain to climb. We’ve just fallen
out like mates do sometimes. I’m not the only person to fall out with mates and
then make up again – everyone does it.
Are you looking forward to the
Hyde Park gig in August?
Very much so. I love playing with Blur –
it’s one of the best feelings I’ve ever had. At the same time, though, I don’t
want to cock it all up by staying around too long and making a fool of myself.
At 44, there’s a little trepidation about jumping around on stage but I love
it.
Were you happy with your
performance at the Brits?
Yes. I went there to thank our manager,
Chris Morrison, and to have a laugh. I enjoyed myself. We take ourselves a lot
less seriously now in the context of things like awards.
What’s the worst gig you’ve done?
There have been a few but when things
did go wrong we immediately rectified them for the next night. One stage inSpainwasblownawayinastormbutweweren’tonit,thankfully.
What are you proudest of
achieving?
Pride isn’t something I indulge in. I think everything could have been better. I could
definitely improve on my interview technique.
Have you visited Alex James’s
cheese farm?
Yes I have. I’ve tasted his cheese. It’s
very good. What can I say? I’m not a
cheese expert but it tasted like cheese
to me.
What are people’s
misconceptions of you?
That everything that comes out of my
mouth is serious.
What’s been your most extravagant
purchase?
I’ve bought a lot of bicycles over the
years but mainly because they keep getting nicked. I don’t go too high-end,
just keep it basic. I usually buy them from a shop on Golborne Road [west
London] and they’ve seen a few of my bikes cycling down the road with someone
else on them. Every time they see it happen, they say: ‘Damon will be in again
to buy another one.’
His new interview with the Metro is quite a positive for Blur and
Gorillaz fans. It offers a bit more hope amidst the recent rumours that
Blur are splitting up again. These rumours were fuelled by myriad of comments
from Damon, Graham, Dave and Alex about the uncertain future of Blur and the
group’s “last’ gigs.
The Band, all together, with a fan
Plus, Gorillaz is not over...yet. Is Damon saying that there will
be a new Gorillaz album? Then he and Jamie Hewlett’s arguments are over? Or
will Damon continue to change his mind, in each separate interview he does? It
seems all positive here, yet again.
The thing is, Damon seems insecure in recent
interviews. He has to stop thinking Blur's all about jumping around and making
a racket on stage - it's about the music. Sure, stage antics are fun to watch,
and jumping around does show energy. But Damon, it's ok if you just sing, and
play "music for the ears".
Maybe it all depends on Damon’s mood – feeling low?
No more Blur. Feeling alright? Blur and Gorillaz are back. Or perhaps the “Blur’s
future” response “hat” that Graham talked about recently exists. Pick and
choose your answer.
Feeling moody, Damon ?
However, this interview definitely sparked new hope
in fans, who thought that the band’s over for good after Hyde Park 2012. It’s a
much more hopeful piece of evidence that Blur’s still going strong.
It just goes to show that, with Damon,
anything really, really could happen.
Download and listen to the full Damon Albarn / Stuart Maconie
interview byCLICKING HERE(credits to Gorillaz Unofficial).
Damon talks about Blur and Dr Dee.
Click HERE to read the full Metro interview, where Damon speaks more on Dr. Dee
Leave a comment below and vote in our poll - what do you think of Blur's return - is it truly "to the end", or will they remain musically "young and lovely" ?
Read Damon's full Guardian interview deeming the end of Blur HERE
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If you missed old news, visit the NEWS ARCHIVE to read about past news!
The London Olympics start in less than 100 days, and one of the key players in the event, Damon Albarn, has revealed that there will be a third London 2012 Olympic related project.
Damon Albarn has stated in a BBC 4 interview that his new project after the summer Hyde Park gigs will be called the "African Express Train". The ensemble of African musicians, along with Albarn and others, will "travel across the UK" and play music in places including Doncaster and Bradford. They will be playing "concerts in the evening" and be visiting schools.
African Express is Albarn's side projects, and its noted for it's diverse mix of Western and African talents. It's the epitome of Albarn's collaborative spirits, and love of African music which grew after the last Blur album Think Tank, in 2003.
So, it seems that Damon is getting on with Dr Dee and it's album release, playing with Blur this summer and then start touring with African Express - it seems 2012 will be, as usual, a varied year for Damon's many projects.
If the African Express Train tour is in place, it is likely that Blur, Albarn's first commercially successful band, may not be making any new material for a long time.
Where's the Blur train heading too? Has it already reached it's final destination, the Olympics 2012 ?
Listen to his interview HERE (from 9:00 - 13:00 mins)
Read Damon's full Guardian interview deeming the end of Blur HERE
Read all about Blur being BASHED AT THE BRITS (Adele!) HERE
Read all about Blur talking about their bleak future HERE
New "tear jerker" song HEREand check out their newest track Under the Westway HEREand read our REVIEW HERE.
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If you missed old news, visit the NEWS ARCHIVE to read about past news!
Damon Albarn performed and showcased his new opera Dr Dee at Onefest on April 14th 2012. The full length album of the opera, inspired by mathematician John Dee, will be available in stores on the 7th May 2012. For fans who didn't go, one can view some well-shot pictures of the festival HERE.
Credits to Derren Nugent, Safeconcerts
The album's sounds are different to any other Albarn projects in the past. Critics have described it as a folk-ish album with mixtures of The Good, The Bad and The Queen (Damon's previous take on more traditional English music) and the piano-ballad styles of Blur's new track Under The Westway.
Damon also gave an exclusive track by track commentary of his new release. He talks about each song and it follows with a little snippet of the individual track. You can listen to it on DIY's website (click here).
And finally, Damon Albarn will appear on the Stuart Maconie show TONIGHT (April 22nd 2012) at 8:00pm UK time, to speak about his eclectic musical contributions, Blur, and present an exclusive live on-air performance of his Dr Dee opera.
As quoted from the BBC4
page: First premiered at last year's Manchester International Festival, Dr Dee
tells the story of John Dee; mathematician, astronomer, occultist and advisor
to Elizabeth I. Recorded last year in Salford with the BBC Philharmonic
Orchestra, the opera sets Dee's story to a sonic backdrop of early English
period instrumentation, African beats, and Renaissance flourishes, described by
Albarn as "strange, pastoral folk".
Tonight, Stuart will
talk in depth to Damon about the opera, his recent production work with Bobby
Womack, his collaboration with Tony Allen and Flea from The Red Hot Chilli
Peppers - Rocket Juice & The Moon - and most importantly, the
future of Blur.
You can listen to the show at 8:00pm UK
Time by clicking HERE.
Read Damon's full Guardian interview deeming the end of Blur HERE
Read all about Blur being BASHED AT THE BRITS (Adele!) HERE
Read all about Blur talking about their bleak future HERE
New "tear jerker" song HEREand check out their newest track Under the Westway HEREand read our REVIEW HERE.
SUBSCRIBE NOW!
If you missed old news, visit the NEWS ARCHIVE to read about past news!
BLUR NEWS: An exciting announcement on Blur's official Facebook page...
To celebrate 21 years since the release of Leisure... a new box set is to be released along with expanded remastered albums & a new vinyl box. There is a lot of info to take in with 21 discs of material (over 3 hours of unreleased material) included in box alone - so we've created a page which gives you more in depth info.....#blur21
Blur 21: The Box A deluxe 21 disc set, featuring
All seven newly expanded Special Editions
Four discs of rarities, exclusive to this set. Includes 3½ hours of previously unreleased material
Three DVDs including over 2 hours of previously unreleased footage. Includes two pivotal live shows and an exclusive disc of video rarities.
Collectable 7" single of the rare and previously unreleased live recording of the Seymour-era Blur song Superman.
Deluxe hard-bound book telling the story of Blur's 21 year career with extensive liner notes based on a brand new interviews with the band, illustrated with imagery of the era, including some previously unseen photos.
Blur 21: The Vinyl Box
All seven vinyl formats of the Blur albums are collected together for The Vinyl Box and housed in a sturdy hard case, presenting the definitive collection of Blur vinyl.
Special Edition boxes of all seven studio albums, each with bonus disc of material that includes previously unreleased extras, exclusive Blur artwork postcards, expanded booklets including previously unseen photographs and liner notes based on a brand new interview with the band.
The set is out on July 30th 2012. Pre-order your box set or vinyl set HERE!