Blur: Celebs Rumors

The WAEVE‘s Graham Coxon and Rose Elinor Dougall have spoken to NME about how raising a daughter together shaped not only their view of the world, but their second album ‘City Lights’.The Blur guitarist and Pipettes singer’s second studio album swiftly follows the couple’s 2023 self-titled debut, and comes driven by what Dougall referred to “a bit more sleep deprivation”. It is inspired by their lives with young daughter, Eliza May – who has a song in her honour on the record.“We felt that we’d built a bit of momentum up with the first one, and wanted to be sure that it didn’t drop off,” Dougall told NME.

Blur and Oasis.Reportedly titled The Battle, the upcoming play is currently in development, and set to be headed to London stages by 2025.The plot will chart out the tense rivalry between the two Britpop icons, which ran throughout the ‘90s as each one rose to prominence and took over the UK music scene. It’ll also centre on the summer of 1995 – when fans went head to head, debating whether Blur would top the charts with ‘Country House’ or whether Oasis would seal the victory with ‘Roll With It’.Blur went on to win that battle, but the band’s Alex James later said that Oasis won the war.It has been written by humorist and writer John Niven – an A&R executive and former indie rocker – and it is being produced by Simon Friend, who has also worked on productions like Ghost Stories, The Girl On The Train, Life Of Pi and more.The latter spoke to Deadline recently, announcing the news of the upcoming Oasis/Blur production.

Graham Coxon has spoken to NME about Blur‘s new Live At Wembley Stadium concert film, the headlines that surrounded their Coachella performance, and what the future may hold for the band.July saw the release of To The End – a documentary directed by Transgressive Records founder Toby L. It followed the reunion of Coxon with Damon Albarn, 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.

Blur: Live At Wembley Stadium is in cinemas now, but what songs do the Britpop legends play in the film? Read on for all the details.The feature length film is released in UK and Irish cinemas today (September 6), and you can find ticket information here.An official synopsis reads: “Blur: Live At Wembley Stadium, the new cinematic two-hour concert film immortalising the band’s historic 2023 show which saw Blur perform their iconic and much-loved songs for 150,000 fans across a transcendent, once-in-a-generation performance weekend that delivered a sweep of ecstatic 5 star reviews.”“Directed by Toby L, Blur: Live At Wembley Stadium captures the band in full flight at the biggest show of their career, featuring electrifying performances of hits from across their celebrated songbook, including tracks from 2023’s acclaimed, chart-topping album ‘The Ballad Of Darren’.”In a five-star review of Blur’s first Wembley concert, NME wrote: “This two-hour performance shows that Blur have soundtracked the audience’s lives with real emotional impact.”The concert film follows on from the recent Blur: To The End documentary feature, which found the band reflecting on the legacy of their three decades together.NME recently spoke to director and Transgressive Records founder Toby L about that film, which he said captures Blur’s “friendship dynamics and brotherhood”.NME gave To The End a full five stars, calling the film a “spiritual sequel” to 2010’s No Distance Left To Run that “shows a band simply supporting each other”. It added: “Whether they return again or not remains to be seen.

Ezra Collective have shared new single ‘Streets Is Calling’ and spoken to NME about the importance of social activism and Damon Albarn’s influence on the group following drummer Femi Koleoso’s stint in Gorillaz.Last year, the London quintet became the first jazz act to walk away with the prestigious Mercury Prize. What has followed has been a whirlwind of acclaim and further accolades.

Blur drummer Dave Rowntree has expressed his delight to see Oasis back together, sharing that he would be “first in the queue” to see the band live.The two Britpop bands were locked in an infamous rivalry throughout the 1990s, but it seems the Blur drummer is holding no grudges as long-feuding brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher announced last week that they would be reuniting as Oasis for a series of 17 summer stadium gigs across the UK and beyond.Tickets went on sale over the weekend and sold out at 7pm, though the dynamic pricing structure and price fluctuation has caused much controversy and may even breach consumer law, according to experts.In a new interview with the BBC, Rowntree – who last year told El Pais that the bands now “all get along well” – said he would “definitely go and see” the Gallagher brothers’ long-awaited comeback tour next year.The drummer, who also ran as Labour’s MP candidate in Mid Sussex in the general election, added that he would be “first in the queue”, since he had never seen Oasis perform live before.“Blur and Oasis combined changed what the pop music genre meant, and that doesn’t happen very often,” he added.The musician went on to explain how people often applied “their particular prejudice” when it came to the apparent rivalry – which he said served as “helpful media hype” – between the two bands.“So people wanting to see England as a North-South divided country could lay that on there, people that wanted to view it in terms of class could do that,” he added.Rowntree’s comments come after Blur frontman Damon Albarn last year said the “road is clear” for an Oasis reunion.

Jenna Ortega has weighed in on the classic Blur vs Oasis argument after it was announced the Gallagher brothers would be reuniting.Last week, Noel and Liam Gallagher announced they would be reuniting as Oasis for a series of massive summer stadium gigs across the UK and beyond.Tickets went on sale on Saturday (August 31) with fans having to contend with technical issues and dynamic pricing, before every date of the tour sold out in a matter of hours.However Jenna Ortega only found out about the reunion during a sit-down interview with NME to promote Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. “I had no idea they were back,” she said before asking her co-star Catherine O’Hara for her take on the classic Blur and Oasis rivalry.“I don’t partake in taking sides,” she replied, with Ortega then asked for her pick of Britpop titans.“Can I be honest? I actually just heard ‘Wonderwall’ for the first time a month ago,” she revealed.

Graham Coxon and Rose Elinor Dougal‘s The Waeve have shared a new single, ‘Broken Boys’ – you can listen to it below.The song serves as the third preview of the Blur guitarist and Pipettes singer’s second studio album ‘City Lights’, which is out on September 20 via Transgressive (pre-order/pre-save here).Produced by James Ford, the Cabaret Voltaire-inspired track opens with distorted guitar, and finds the duo leaning into a gritty, garage rock sound.“Fuck your party/ You make me wanna throw my soul away/ Left in the dark so I never/ No, never/ Find the way out,” Coxon sings. “You’re dressing up just to take them down/ Oh/ You’re dressing up just to take them down.”‘Broken Boys’ is accompanied by a suitably dark and disorientating official visualiser, created by Tom Pallant.

Blur bassist Alex James said he hopes the band will keep going for “a very long time” in a recent interview.The bassist of the Britpop group, who is releasing the memoir Over The Rainbow: Tales Of An Unexpected Year later this year, has said he is eager to continue collaborating with his bandmates.When asked about the band’s future, James shared with The Sun newspaper: “Last year was truly magical. I hope we can keep doing it and keeping it special for as long as we live.

Damon Albarn’s architect father, Keith, has died, aged 85, it was announced today (August 13).The father of the Blur frontman was an expert in art and design, having written many books and articles on the subject, as well as appearing on many TV and radio shows.Keith passed away on July 25 after being diagnosed with cancer. As per an obituary in The Times, Keith was best known for his academic research into patterns and was a trustee at The Minories and Colchester Arts Centre.

Dave Rowntree has reflected on Blur’s discography, and named the album he thinks is the band’s strongest “by quite a long way”.During a new interview the drummer had with Super Deluxe Edition, the drummer looked back at the huge milestones the band have accumulated over the past year – including their two massive shows at London’s Wembley Stadium, and the release of their brand new documentary, Blur: To The End.In the discussion, Rowntree elaborated on how the members took a similar approach to their reunion shows as they did on their latest album, 2023’s ‘The Ballad Of Darren’.“There was a conscious decision to strip things back, both on the tour and ‘The Ballad Of Darren’. In the shows, we didn’t have a string section and we only had a choir on ‘Tender’,” he explained.“We didn’t have brass or the other things that make a bigger sound and can artificially enhance everything.

Blur and Ghost are currently going head-to-head in the battle for this week’s UK Number One album.Both bands released live records last Friday (July 26). Damon Albarn and co’s ‘Blur: Live At Wembley Stadium’ precedes the Britpop group’s upcoming concert film of the same name, with Ghost’s ‘Rite Here Rite Now’ serving as the soundtrack to the Swedish metal outfit’s recent movie.According to the latest Official Charts update, Blur are ahead in the race to the top spot.

Blur drummer Dave Rowntree has hinted there may still be a future for the band, despite them appearing to announce that they had played their last ever show.The Britpop band played at this year’s Coachella Festival, during which frontman Damon Albarn said, “this is probably our last gig”.That came after Albarn stated in December that the band would be going on a hiatus until further notice, saying “it’s too much for me”.“It is time to wrap up this campaign,” he said. “It’s too much for me.

Blur have shared the official trailer for their new concert film, Blur: Live At Wembley Stadium – watch below.The video coincides with the release of the Britpop band’s new live album of the same name today (July 26).Directed by Toby L (who also helmed the new Blur documentary To The End), the upcoming feature-length project captures Damon Albarn and co’s huge reunion shows at London’s Wembley Stadium last summer.The trailer for the movie begins with an aerial shot of the venue. As a roar from the massive crowd erupts, Blur are seen in the wings before making their way to the stage.

Blur‘s Alex James has announced his brand new book Over The Rainbow: Tales From An Unexpected Year.The bassist of the iconic Britpop band took to his official Instagram to reveal the news of his forthcoming book, explaining that it will discuss “the story of an extraordinary year” including Blur’s reunion and their massive Wembley shows.“It chronicles the mayhem of exactly what happened when I hooked back up with my Blur brothers,” James wrote in the caption of his post. “It’s eight years since we last made a record and I’d forgotten how much I love them.

Graham Coxon has revealed that he is open to the idea of Blur getting a hologram show similar to that of ABBA Voyage, but on one condition.The Britpop guitarist discussed the potential of the band getting their own avatars made as part of a hologram show during a new interview with Radio X. In the discussion, he revealed that while he is open to the prospect, he would only want to entertain the idea if it captured the band when they were “a little younger”.“Well Damon’s sort of tackled that a bit with Gorillaz, ain’t he?” Coxon responded when asked about the idea, referring to frontman Damon Albarn’s other band.

Damon Albarn has reacted to Robbie Williams and Danny Dyer covering ‘Parklife’ at BST Hyde Park this year.Williams and the EastEnders actor teamed up for the surprise collaboration at Williams’ headline set at BST Hyde Park on July 6. Dyer performed the Cockney spoken-word parts originally performed by Quadrophenia actor Phil Daniels.Now, Damon Albarn has reacted to the cover in an interview with BBC Breakfast. Albarn confessed he “fell in love with Danny” after watching his Who Do You Think You Are? episode, which revealed that Dyer was related to King Edward III. Albarn hailed the episode as “the best one ever.“It was a true revelation he was a member of the Royal Family – for him and for everybody,” he said, adding: “He’s definitely from the East End, he’s a Cockney, we’re all Cockney.”Albarn went on to reference the ‘Parklife’ cover, commenting: “It’s a song for us, it’s good.

Blur’s Damon Albarn has shared that he does not agree with Bob Dylan’s mobile phone ban from his upcoming tour.The discussion arose following the folk-rock icon announcing details of an upcoming UK tour, which will see him play a total of 10 shows across the country this winter.It was also confirmed that a phone ban would be implemented on all dates, and attendees would be made to switch off their phones and place them into a Yondr pouch that would be locked by staff at the venue.Visitors then keep the pouch throughout the gig, however, it can only be re-opened either at the end of the show or if they try to leave the building beforehand.Now, in a new interview with BBC, Blur and Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn has shared his opposition to the approach, and said that he thinks fans having phones adds to the atmosphere of live performances.“If you start banning things where does it end? I think you’ve just got to turn up and do your thing,” he told the outlet. “People won’t want to be on their phone if you’re engaging with them correctly.”He also went on to reflect on his huge summer shows at Wembley Stadium with Blur last year, and said that the Sunday gig was their favourite-ever performance.

Blur documentary To The End is released into cinemas today (July 19), but what songs do the Britpop greats play in the film? Read on for all the details.The film will ““follow the unique relationship of four friends and bandmates of three decades – Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James and Dave Rowntree – as they came together in early 2023 to record new songs ahead of their sold-out, first-ever shows at London’s Wembley Stadium in July last summer.”Earlier this month, the band released a clip from the film that chronicles the moments before the quartet took to the stage at Wembley, as they huddle together sharing a laugh.Albarn narrates: “I don’t allow it to get to me ’cause I accept if my voice can’t sing all those songs then that’s just the way it is. If I was really neurotic about things like that, I’d be shitting myself.” The clip ends with Blur walking onstage to deafening applause.

Graham Coxon has opened up about Blur‘s Coachella 2024 performance and addressed the lacklustre and “bored” crowd.The Britpop icons took to the Californian festival’s mainstage back in April and delivered a career-spanning set, including fan favourites like ‘Song 2’ and ‘Popscene’. During their performance of ‘Girls & Boys’ the crowd appeared pretty tame which visibly irritated frontman Damon Albarn.“You can do it better than that,” he told attendees at one point while trying to conduct a sing-a-long to the 1994 track, which was met by a quiet crowd. When he still didn’t get the desired response, the frontman said: “You’re never seeing us again, so you might as well fucking sing it.

Blur and Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn has been awarded an honorary degree from the University of Exeter.Presented to him yesterday (July 17), the musician was recognised by the university for his “creativity, innovation, and commitment to environmental causes.”The degree was also awarded in celebration of “the impact of his diverse talents and innovative spirit, and the way he has continuously pushed the boundaries of contemporary music, opera, composition, and collaboration.”In footage shared online, Albarn is seen being presented the certificate and standing on a stage while onlookers cheer. He also gave a speech at the ceremony, where he told others receiving degrees on the day to be proud of what they accomplished and open-minded about their futures.“The last time I came to Exeter was to receive my driving theory certificate.

Alex James has shared that he thought Blur might “never happen again” ahead of their 2023 reunion.The bassist spoke about the dynamic of the Britpop band ahead of the release of their brand new documentary, Blur: To The End, and revealed that ahead of their comeback last year, he had doubts about whether the members would ever join forces once again.Speaking with Rich Clarke of Heart Kent last night (July 17), James looked back at their eight years apart, and what it was like to reform for some huge shows at London’s Wembley Stadium last summer, the huge 2023 comeback album ‘The Ballad Of Darren’ and the feature-length film.“It premiered last night in the West End, and it was really great to see all the boys. I’m really glad we captured all that fun and games,” he said.

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.

Danny Dyer joined Robbie Williams on stage at BST Hyde Park yesterday (July 6) for a version of Blur’s ‘Parklife’ – watch the footage below.The unlikely pairing came together midway through Williams’ set at the British Summer Time show on Saturday, the lone UK festival appearance for the ‘Rock DJ’ singer in 2024.“It’s the double act you didn’t know you needed in your life!” exclaimed Williams as the song began.Dyer took up the cockney spoken-words parts of the 1994 song, first made famous by Phil Daniels, with Robbie taking the place of Damon Albarn and the pair being backed by the Coldstream Guards.

Blur have shared a new clip from their upcoming documentary, To The End – watch it below.On July 5, two weeks ahead of To The End‘s cinematic release in the UK and Ireland, the band shared a new clip that chronicles the minutes before Damon Albarn and co. took to the stage at Wembley last year.In the clip, we see throngs of fans at the sold-out Wembley Arena, as Albarn, Alex James, Dave Rowntree and Graham Coxon huddle together before heading out on stage, sharing a laugh.Albarn narrates: “I don’t allow it to get to me ’cause I accept if my voice can’t sing all those songs then that’s just the way it is.

Danny Dyer has spoken about his recent collaboration with Robbie Williams on stage at BST Hyde Park for a version of Blur’s ‘Parklife’.The unlikely pairing came together midway through Williams’ set on Saturday (July 6), with Dyer singing the cockney spoken-words parts of the 1994 song, first made famous by actor Phil Daniels.Speaking about the collaboration, Dyer told Radio X that he was approached by Williams during a recent Soccer Aid event.“I was like, what? Are you sure about this?'” said Dyer. “And he went, ‘I’ve never been more sure of anything,’ So I said yes, and then I thought, ‘Oh now I’ve got to do it.’“So, you know. I love the tune.

Danny Dyer joined Robbie Williams on stage at BST Hyde Park yesterday (July 6) for a version of Blur’s ‘Parklife’ – watch the footage below.The unlikely pairing came together midway through Williams’ set at the British Summer Time show on Saturday, the lone UK festival appearance for the ‘Rock DJ’ singer in 2024.“It’s the double act you didn’t know you needed in your life!” exclaimed Williams as the song began.Dyer took up the cockney spoken-words parts of the 1994 song, first made famous by Phil Daniels, with Robbie taking the place of Damon Albarn and the pair being backed by the Coldstream Guards.

UK general election yesterday (July 4), Blur drummer Dave Rowntree was unsuccessful in his bid to become MP for his Mid Sussex constituency.Rowntree was beaten to a seat by Alison Bennett, the candidate for the Liberal Democrats.When he announced he’d been selected as Labour candidate last March, he said: “I’m delighted to have the opportunity to become Labour’s first Mid Sussex MP. Residents have their best chance in a generation to make their vote count and return a Labour MP to parliament.”If you want to get rid of the @Conservatives in Mid Sussex, vote @UKLabour #Win24 pic.twitter.com/ZGcXM1bhRd— Dave Rowntree (@DaveRowntree) June 29, 2024Sir Keir Starmer has now fulfilled that aim, with Labour sweeping hundreds of seats across the country and ending 14 years of Conservative rule.The FAC, for whom Rowntree is an Artist in Residence, have extended their commiserations to the X drummer, but have said they look forward to working with “a new influx of MPs” following the Labour win.At the end of year FAC AGM in 2023, which NME supported, Rowntree highlighted the financial difficulties musicians were facing because of streaming.“Our Blur album ‘The Ballad Of Darren’ on week one in the UK sold just over 44,000 units – including 22,000 vinyl albums, 13,000 CDs, 3,000 cassettes and 2,000 sales-equivalent streams,” he said.“In fact, the album had tens of millions of streams on Spotify alone but the cassette sales had a bigger impact on our chart position.

Bombay Bicycle Club on stage at Glastonbury on Friday (28 June), Blur frontman Damon Albarn addressed the crowd about Palestine and “the importance of voting” in the United Kingdom’s general election next week.The indie band brought out Albarn for their evening set at the Other stage to perform ‘Heaven’, a cut from their latest album ‘My Big Day’ on which Albarn features.After thanking Bombay Bicycle Club frontman Jack Steadman, Albarn took a moment to address “three things” with the crowd, asking them to show him how they felt about Palestine. “Are you pro-Palestine?” he asked, to cheers.

Bombay Bicycle Club have brought out Damon Albarn during their Glastonbury 2024 set as a surprise guest.The Blur frontman came out during the band’s performance of ‘Heaven’. “This next song is from the new record and I feel like it sums up this whole weekend very nicely,” Bombay Bicycle Club frontman Jack Steadman told the crowd before jumping into the song.“Glastonbury, give it up for Mr.

Bombay Bicycle Club are rumoured to bring out a special guest for their Glastonbury set today (June 28) – and there’s good chance it might be someone from Blur.The band are due to take on the Other Stage today, and there’s been speculation they might have some surprises up their sleeves.NME heard the rumour in the media area that the band would be joined by someone from an act that has headlined multiple times.Fuel was further added to the flames when Radio X‘s Sunta Templeton asked the band whether any guests would make a special appearance for their performance. Guitarist Jamie McColl reportedly replied: “There is, but we can’t say who I’m afraid!”, further confirming the guest would be someone from their most recent album ‘My Big Day‘.The only collaborator from the album who has headlined Glasto multiple times would be frontman Damon Albarn, who last performed at the festival with Blur in 2009.

Blur have paid tribute to their former collaborator Françoise Hardy, who has died at the age of 80.The French singer-songwriter, actor and model’s death was confirmed by her son Thomas Dutronc on Tuesday (June 11).A cause of death has yet to be disclosed. However, Hardy shared in 2021 that she had been diagnosed with laryngeal cancer in 2018 following a lymphoma diagnosis in 2004, and said she felt “close to the end” of her life.Hardy worked with Blur in 1995 on a reworked version of the band’s single ‘To The End’ – the original of which appeared on their third studio album, 1994’s ‘Parklife’.The team-up ultimately became a duet, ‘To the End (La Comedie)’, and it was subsequently serviced as a single in France.

Benedict Cumberbatch has revealed to NME what he has been listening to on Spotify recently, including an eclectic range of new and old music.The BAFTA-winning star of Doctor Strange and Sherlock is also known as a music lover, and in a new interview with NME’s Alex Flood, he has shared his most recently played tracks.Cumberbatch named Elbow’s new album ‘Audio Vertigo’ as a current favourite. “Guy is a friend and I love him to bits,” he said.

Blur have announced their new ‘Live at Wembley Stadium’ album, which will accompany their brand-new documentary and concert film – find all details below.The band took to social media to share the news, posting a teaser trailer of their huge Wembley gigs that took place last July. While there, Blur played to over 150,000 fans across two nights at the stadium.

Blur are set to receive the O2 Silver Clef Award at the annual charity gala ceremony this year.Per Music News, the Britpop legends will be honoured on July 5 with the event’s biggest prize, alongside the other newly-announced prize winners of the night in AC/DC, Chaka Khan, Loyle Carner, Mark Knopfler, Young Fathers and Jacob Collier.With this award, Blur joins a league of past awardees that includes David Bowie, Oasis, Paul McCartney and Kylie Minogue.“Making music with my brothers in Blur has been one of the great gifts of my life,” said bassist Alex James in a statement.“We are absolutely chuffed to receive the O2 Silver Clef Award and help raise awareness for [music therapy charity] Nordoff and Robbins, a brilliant organisation.” Last year’s recipient of the O2 Silver Clef was Stormzy.In a statement, AC/DC expressed that they’re “over the moon” to receive the Amazon Music Legend Award for their lengthy run as a recording artist and live touring act.“As a band, we’ve been dishing out our own brand of music therapy for the past five decades,” said vocalist Brian Johnson, “so to hear all about how Nordoff and Robbins helps the young and the old with the power of music is something that we understand and salute.

Blur’s Alex James has revealed that he is underway with trying to create a giant Frazzle in time for The Big Feastival 2024.The bassist for the iconic Britpop group – who has also turned his sights to the food and beverage industry – confirmed that he was looking to make a huge, culinary version of the vintage British crisp during a new interview.Speaking on the Chris Moyles Radio Show yesterday morning (May 29), the musician looked at the upcoming 2024 instalment of his very own festival, The Big Feastival, and discussed his plans for this year’s edition.According to James, he has been looking at the issue of disposable plates at live events, and has been attempting to develop a massive version of a Frazzle that, one day, may work as an alternative.He explained that the idea has been in the works since last year, and he even spoke about it with his Blur bandmates before they embarked on their reunion tour dates.“There was a point where we first met to discuss touring again last year, and Damon [Albarn, frontman] was like, ‘So what you doing then Graham [Coxon]?’ And Graham’s doing a film score with Jess Butterworth. ‘What you doing Dave [Rowntree]?’ Dave’s doing a film score for Disney…“Then he said, ‘What are you doing Alex?’ I was like, ‘I’m actually trying to make a really big Frazzle’,” he explained.