Director of Blur’s new film ‘To The End’: “This is about friendship and brotherhood”

nme.com:

Blur‘s new documentary To The End has spoken to NME about the emotional process of making the film – and what the future might hold for the band.The film, directed by Transgressive Records founder Toby L, follows the reunion of Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James and Dave Rowntree on their return to record 2023 comeback album ‘The Ballad Of Darren’ ahead of a tour culminating in pair of shows at London’s Wembley Stadium last summer.However, with Albarn reeling from his split from his long-term partner Suzi Winstanley after 25 years, and some struggle for other members to return to being in an arena band, the road back isn’t as smooth at first as they’d hoped.In a five-star review of To The End, NME concluded: “They bicker, they hug, they call each other c**ts, they get the job done.

While Blur’s last doc and accompanying live movie No Distance Left To Run was a portrait of a band celebrating their legacy and giving a nostalgia-hungry world exactly what they craved, this spiritual sequel shows a band simply supporting each other.

Whether they return again or not remains to be seen. But even if they don’t, this was one hell of a final fling.”Check out our full interview below, where Toby L told NME about what went into making it, the joy of seeing Blur live, Albarn originally not wanting to play two Wembley gigs, and what’s next for the band.NME: Hello Toby.

Tell us about how you came to make this film. Were you aware that Blur were coming back from the start?Toby L: “Yes, I found out that Blur were coming back in a slightly unconventional way, in that I’ve been doing projects with Damon and Graham over the last few years via my record label, Transgressive.