July 15, 2013

Interview with Dylan Moore - on his new Blur book

England, Damon Albarn and the Art of Melancholy is a new Blur book which explores Damon Albarn’s musical career by detailing his various bands, projects, rivals, inspirations and influences, paralleling Albarn’s music with English sub-culture and current affairs.

This interesting book also traces Britain across time- Britpop nineties, English binge-drinking, the shrinking village green, fall of English seaside towns, explores London’s musical halls and all the aspects of the 'lost England' that seems to be at the heart of so many Albarn compositions.


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The book is available on Amazon (US) (UK) for the Kindle Store, Kindle Fire, Kindle Paperwhite, Kindle, iPad, iPhone and Android ($6.99 / £3.96)

We recently interviewed author Dylan Moore, who told us all about his writing process, how Britain influenced Blur’s music, travelling to Essex and faraway places to research, his excitement for a new record and devotion to all-things Albarn.

1) Why did you write the book ? 

Primarily because I am a huge fan of Damon Albarn's music, whether that's Blur, Gorillaz, The Good, The Bad and The Queen or any of his other projects. But also because I cannot believe that nobody else has written seriously about him! There are a few books about Blur, including the excellent one by Stuart Maconie, and one devoted to Damon, but mostly these are round-up type books that are more like extended articles in the music press.

There's nothing wrong with these types of books of course, but if you look at figures like Bob Dylan and David Bowie, or a band like The Beatles - and I rate Damon, and Blur at that stratospheric level - there are whole libraries of devoted scholarship, books that contextualise the music and treat the musicians in the same way that you might write about a poet or a novelist.

I think Damon Albarn's body of work not only stands up to that of any musician, but also documents certain aspects of Britain as well as any novel or artwork in the last quarter of a century. So naturally I wanted to be the first to get some real 'Albarn scholarship' out there; in ten years time, I think there'll be whole shelves of books about Damon.

2) What the book is about?

England Damon Albarn and the Art of Melancholy Dylan Moore, dylan moore interview, damon albarn book interview, blur book interview, new blur book, damon albarn english, author dylan moore, blur biography, The book explores Damon's life and work, with a particular focus on his relationship with England. I travelled to many of the places that have been important to him over the years: the village of Aldham, in Essex, where he grew up, which is much more rural than you might think, and Walton-on-the-Naze, and Colchester of course. 

Also Hallsands in Devon, which is really important: that's where the book starts. There he had the idea for the lyrics to 'This is a Low' and also for Gorillaz' 'Plastic Beach'. And there's a TGTB&TQ B-side called 'Hallsands Waltz', because that band started up at Damon's Devon retreat as well. So basically I use places to get under the skin of the songs. 

I'm writing about Damon, but also about England. Of course, there are chapters about Africa and America and China too, but what I argue is that everything comes back to Damon's love for England, which he himself has called 'irrational'.

3) What is your favourite Blur song and why?

Go for the jugular, why don't you! You know that's nigh on impossible! There are so many of course, but ultimately I don't think you can look past 'This is a Low', especially in the context of my book. It's got everything in terms of English melancholy it's so emotional and the best bit is Graham's solo towards the end.

4) Who's your top Blur member? 

Damon, obviously. Although Coxon is a genius too.

5) Tell us your favourite part of the book ? 

I'm not sure I have a favourite bit, although I found some bits harder to write than others. I would've loved to travel to Hong Kong and Mali, particularly, to take notes in the same way I did for the chapters closer to home.

I suppose the prologue and epilogue are both quite unique, as what I decided in the end was to structure the book as though it had all been written last summer, between July 7th when I went to see 'Dr Dee' at the ENO and the Hyde Park concert to close the Olympics. It allows the book to finish with Damon leaving the stage, a union flag under his arm, which is quite poetic.

6) Have you ever seen Blur live ?

Only about eight or nine times, including quite a lot of festival headline appearances. My biggest regret is not seeing them earlier. A few of my friends saw them at Mile End in 1995. I was only fifteen at the time and living in Mid Wales I wasn't allowed to go, so I had to listen to it on Radio 1. The first time I saw them was at V97 in Leeds, not long after 'Song 2' came out; I remember the front of the NME had the headline 'We're the Woo-Hoo Band Now'. 
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The saddest show was at Benicassim 2003, without Graham; they were brilliant, but it just wasn't right. The best shows were the last night at Hyde Park 2009 and at Reading, which I can't believe was ten years earlier, where I clasped hands with Damon during 'To the End'; I sent my friend a postcard just to tell her - ah, the days before mobiles!

7) What do you think of Damon's new album plans ?

Well, apart from the fact he's said it's 'folk-soul', for which I read 'Dr Dee meets Bobby Womack', I don't know too much about it. I'm glad he's finally putting a 'proper' solo record out, and hopefully it will be good for the book, with people finally recognising his individual genius. Having said that, I'm far more excited about the prospect of a new Blur album, which has kind of built into something like a mythical creature over the years.

8) Tell us- what makes your book special ? 

It's serious. In the best sense of the word. It treats Albarn as a true artist and gives him the respect he deserves, without fawning. And it's not just about Damon; it's about all sorts of things… seaside towns, music halls, village greens; all the aspects of the 'lost England' that seems to be at the heart of so many Albarn compositions.

9) Tell us about a special Blur memory

When 'Fool's Day' came out in April 2010 for Record Store Day, it coincided with my best friend's 30th birthday. We’re both massive Blur fans and kind of became friends through swapping taped Britpop albums. There were only a thousand copies made, and I decided it was the perfect present. I queued up outside Spillers Records, 'the oldest record shop in the world', which has now moved from its old location on a street called The Hayes in Cardiff, from 5 o'clock in the morning.

I was the first in the queue and there were two girls just behind me who both wanted the Blur single. We talked Blur for four hours waiting for the shop to open while the queue got longer and longer. About twenty minutes before nine, we were interviewed for local radio about what we were doing.

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When the doors opened, it was all over in a flash. I got the first Blur single and the girl behind me got the second; when the other girl asked she was told they'd sold out! I felt so sorry for her (she had to settle for The Beatles instead - ha!) but so happy I'd managed to get 'Fool's Day' for my friend. When I gave it to him and told him the story, he said there was no way he'd have done the same for me!

A funny little addition to the story was about a year later when I was out in a bar and a girl recognised me as the man who had beaten her to a Blur single! 

10) Did you face any difficulties writing the book ?

Well, there were a few obstacles, but I won't go into all of them! The main problem was the practicality of attempting to keep up with someone as busy as Damon! Just when I thought I'd managed to think about all his projects as a whole, he announced 'Rocketjuice and the Moon' and the Africa Express train, amongst others. But that was all part of the enjoyment.

And I was lucky enough to see the Africa Express gig in Cardiff with my now-girlfriend, so Damon Albarn continues to soundtrack my life in all kinds of ways! He played 'Apple Carts', 'On Melancholy Hill' and 'Tender', which is just a taste of the immense back catalogue he'll have at his disposal for these solo gigs he's promised. 

I live in Valencia now, so if he doesn't come to Spain, I'll have to sell enough books to fly back for that tour!

Read an extract:

This is something that concerns Albarn in all of his work. On ‘Blue Jeans’, he sings plaintively of his vague but general satisfaction with life as we are given an insight into his early days in London, buying the Dr Martens that were to become his trademark during that early Britpop period at the Saturday flea market on the Portobello Road.

This song captures not only the acoustic guitar and cracked-vocal melancholy that was to become an Albarn trademark, but a time in the singer’s life before the pressures of fame and its trappings and the speed of his own life began to take their toll on his own mental health.

Author Bio: Dylan Moore is a teacher, broadcaster, writer and editor for the Wales Arts Review. He also contributes to theartsdesk.com and had been featured on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Wales television. His work had appeared on The Daily Telegraph and New Welsh Review.

Got a question? You can get in touch with Dylan on twitter (@_DylanMoore)

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July 14, 2013

New Blur Book: England, Damon Albarn and the Art of Melancholy

For die-hard music fans, there’s nothing more enjoyable than being able to find out more about your favorite band and it’s members. Whether it is the lead singer, the roadies, groupies, bodyguards, managers, producers, spouses or the other band members’ high-school classmates, the roadies, groupies, girlfriends, boyfriends, wives-husbands-kids, the list can go on to include all the people who have been part of a musician’s career.

Music is people-orientated – we create the music. However, one thing that is often overlooked is the importance of physical places that influence a band’s musical style. Geography matters- whilst The Beatles launched into a new musical direction after visiting India, Blur’s front man Damon Albarn similarly experimented with new sounds depending on his geographical location.

England, Damon Albarn and the Art of Melancholy (By Dylan Moore)

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Kindle Price: $6.99 (£3.96)

A new Blur book titled England, Damon Albarn & The Art of Melancholy is the first full-length study and analysis of one of Britain’s greatest talents. 

The book is a combination of geographical analysis, cultural commentary and biography, exploring each of Damon Albarn’s bands, collaborations and projects (Blur, Gorillaz, Mali Music, The Good, The Bad and The Queen, Dr Dee).

About the Book  

In the summer of 1995, Damon Albarn seemed to have Britain at his feet. Blur had been awarded a record four Brits, Parklife had sold a million records and new single ‘Country House’ had won a much-publicised chart battle with rivals Oasis.

But within months, relationships within the band and Albarn’s personal life had begun to fray. Blur’s subsequent change of direction, a new relationship and subsequent fatherhood, and a trip with Oxfam to Mali were to mark the beginning of an artistic renaissance that was to see Albarn emerge as one of the most critically-lauded musicians in the world. Gorillaz, a cartoon concept band, were to sell more than Blur ever did, while The Good, The Bad and The Queen – a song-cycle about London – confirmed Albarn owed as much to William Blake as to David Bowie.

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Framed by the events of England’s glorious summer, what Albarn has called ‘the golden twilight’ of Queen Elizabeth II, England, Damon Albarn & The Art of Melancholy traces the decline of the English seaside town and the disappearance of the village green, documents the boredom, binge-drinking and violence of suburban commuter-belt towns, explores the layered histories of London’s music halls and examines how even Albarn’s globetrotting sojourns – to Iceland, America, China and Mali – always seem to evoke a very English melancholy.

The book is available on Amazon (US) (UK) on Amazon's Kindle Store, Kindle Fire, Kindle Paperwhite, Kindle, iPad, iPhone and Android. 

An exclusive interview with the author talking about why and how he was inspired to write the Blur book will be available soon. 


July 12, 2013

Blur live in France- Eurockéennes Festival Photo Gallery

Blur played a live show on the Grande Scène Stage in Belfort, France on the evening of 7th July as part of their continuing 2013 World Tour. The show was part of one the Eurockéennes Festival, one of France's biggest annual musical events.

One might think that Blur are newcomers to France, but Blur are no stranger to the country- Damon Albarn and the band played in the Eurockéennes Festival exactly 18 years ago on 7th July 1995.

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French band 'Skip The Use' performed a cover of Blur's famous "Song 2" at the festival. 

User Cold War kid from the official Blur forums describes the France Eurocks show:

"I was a the concert they played in France, the day before yesterday. It was great, Damon obviously had a very good time. He played the outro of Coffee & TV for a really long time and talked a lot in French. I don't know what happened before the gig but Graham Coxon was in very bad mood. Or was it just because his guitar was out of tune during tender?

The crowd in the first 15 rows were packed... It was pretty intense. I still can't believe that those very young kids and many small girls made it to the end without fainting. I had to step back a little bit after Country House/Parklife. But apparently people were very quiet in the back.

The setlist was perfect. Many people complain here about the lack of originality in the setlist, but when you are in the crowd, you just want them to play 'Parklife', 'Tender' or 'Song 2' so that the crowd can go berserk and not 'Trailer Park' or 'Battery' in you leg. I don't think it would work well in festivals and blur should save them if one day they play proper gigs again. It was fantastic to see them again and can not wait for the next time."

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Fans could be heard saying "J'adore Blur!" in the front row during 'Parklife' 

Blur's Eurocks concert received generally positive reviews from both devoted fans and many local journalists. Many fans were "overjoyed" to be able to watch Blur live after the long wait. Afan commented: "I found the concert Blur quite magical, I was expecting something dusty but it was electrifying and joyful."

Photos and Images- Blur at Eurockéennes 


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See more photos from a comprehensive album HERE.

Setlist - Blur live at Eurockéennes Festival 2013

   (Theme From Retro)
   Girls & Boys
   Popscene
   There's No Other Way
   Beetlebum
   Out Of Time
   Trimm Trabb
   Caramel
   Coffee & TV
   Tender
   Country House
   Parklife
   End Of A Century
   This Is A Low

Encore:
   Under The Westway
   For Tomorrow (Visit To Primrose Hill Extended)
   The Universal
   Song 2

Video - Watch highlights from Blur live in Eurocks 

Enjoy a selection of fan footages from the gig and watch hits including 'Coffee and TV', 'Song 2', 'Country House' , 'Parklife' and more being performed.










French band Skip The Use' also performed a special rendition of Blur's biggest hit in America, 'Song 2'. The song was covered using a mix of French and English lyrics and featured the same tune and signature guitar riff as the original. Watch it below:



To find out more about the day of the festival, click HERE. Alternatively for those fluent in French, read a local review HERE.

Blur launched a new digital tour diary on their website to mark the commencement of the tour. Fans around the world are invited to create a scrapbook of memories from their 2013 tour. As quoted in the description, fans can add their memories by signing in to the site with Facebook. They are then given access to an exclusive 10% discount code, redeemable at the Blur store.

Alternatively, anything tagged with the appropriate gig hashtag on Twitter, tumblr, YouTube, Instagram and Soundcloud will automatically feed into the site, as each gig is unlocked throughout the year. Each gig is assigned a unique hashtag, which can be found on the site’s hashtag map.

The band will be heading to Russia tomorrow for a show in the Afisha Picnik festival on July 13th 2013. Don't forget to stay tuned and see more tour pictures on the fantastic Blur tour diary

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!

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July 10, 2013

Blur confirms show in Lima, Peru- Latin America Date 2013

Hola Peru! Blur have been officially confirmed to play in Lima, Peru at the Estadio San Marcos Stadium on October 29th 2013large-scaled Blur fan campaign pushing for Blur to come to Latin America have yielded much results: Before announcing Peru, Blur's management also confirmed one month ago via Facebook that they will be adding Brazil to their list of tour venues this year. 


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The message posted a few weeks ago goes: 

Calling all fans in Brazil! Your campaign has not gone unnoticed... Blur are coming to BRAZIL. 
Playing Planeta Terra Festival Sao Paolo on November 9th. 
More information to follow soon.

The band and their management team have been very receptive to call-for-action campaigns from fans this year, even going as far as personally answering fan mail and private messages via Facebook and Twitter. 

Blur visited South America 14 years ago as part of their 1999 world tour. This year marks Blur's most extensive tour of the region, covering countries such as Chile, Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil in a bid to please their fans. 


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Tickets for Blur live in Peru will be on sale from Thursday July 4th (11:00 am) on local Ripley and Phantom Music Stores. Those with a Ripley card can enjoy a 20% exclusive discount. 

Don't forget to head over to Blur Peru's Facebook page for more updates. 



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.


July 7, 2013

Win a free Blur t-shirt !

Enter our new Blur t-shirt summer giveaway! 


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Simply tell us - which Blur song is on the top of your summer playlist? Which Blur song is your summer anthem and why?

For a chance to win and enter now, leave a comment on this Facebook post

The winner will get a choice of four very vintage, cool Blur graphics t-shirt designs to choose from, sponsored by MyIconArt. Myiconart.com is an online shop based in Colchester, Essex. For the informed fans, there is an obvious Blur connection straight away. The shop sells T-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts and tote bags with cool, retro and modern popular culture-related designs.

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