Blur (band)

Blur
Blur at Wembley Stadium in 2023. From left to right: Graham Coxon, Damon Albarn, Dave Rowntree and Alex James
Blur at Wembley Stadium in 2023. From left to right: Graham Coxon, Damon Albarn, Dave Rowntree and Alex James
Background information
Also known asSeymour (1988–1990)
OriginLondon, England
Genres
Discography
Years active
  • 1988–2003
  • 2009–2015
  • 2023–present
Labels
Spinoffs
Spinoff ofCircus
Members
Websiteblur.co.uk

Blur are an English rock band formed in London in 1988. The band consists of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bass guitarist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Their debut album, Leisure (1991), incorporated the sounds of Madchester and shoegaze. Following a stylistic change influenced by English guitar pop groups such as the Kinks, the Beatles and XTC, Blur released the albums Modern Life Is Rubbish (1993), Parklife (1994) and The Great Escape (1995). As a result, the band helped to popularise the Britpop genre and achieved mass popularity in the UK, aided by a widely publicised chart battle with rival band Oasis in 1995 dubbed "The Battle of Britpop".

Blur's self-titled fifth album (1997) saw another stylistic shift, influenced by the lo-fi styles of American indie rock groups, and became their third UK chart-topping album. Its single "Song 2" brought the band mainstream success in the US for the first time. Their next album, 13 (1999) saw the band experimenting with electronic and art rock styles, and featured more personal lyrics from Albarn and Coxon. Their seventh album, Think Tank (2003), continued their experimentation with electronic sounds and was shaped by Albarn's growing interest in hip hop and world music, featuring more minimal guitar work. Coxon left the band early in the sessions for Think Tank, and Blur disbanded for several years after the album's tour.

In 2009, Blur reunited with Coxon and embarked on a European reunion tour. In the following years, they released several singles and compilations and toured internationally. In 2012, they received a Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. Their eighth album, The Magic Whip (2015), was their first in twelve years and the sixth consecutive Blur studio album to top the British charts. After the Magic Whip tour, Blur went on hiatus until the release of their ninth album, The Ballad of Darren, in 2023.

  1. ^ Lanham, Tom (August 2002). "Answer Me". CMJ New Music Monthly. p. 8. Retrieved 1 October 2023. Sneering at Blur leader Damon Albarn's recent Gorillaz tour, where the spinoff group performed behind a program of projected cartoons, Oasis ...
  2. ^ "Blur spin-off announce shows". NME. 17 November 2006. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  3. ^ Williams, Murphy (20 January 2007). "Songs of experience". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  4. ^ "Brit What". The Independent. 2 February 2003. Retrieved 6 November 2023.