Now that Damon Albarn & Graham Coxon are bestest friends again (above), Blur seem to be setting themselves up for the summer festival circuit. So in an announcement bound to be conflicting for Evil Bob, the band have been confirmed as one of this year's Oxegen headliners. Blur will join Kings of Leon, Bloc Party, Snow Patrol, The Script, Katy Perry and (according to some reports) The Killers on the 2009 bill. Now for an amusing few days of watching Bob hum and haw over whether or not to play it safe and buy an Oxegen ticket, or just keep his fingers crossed in the hope that they'll announce for Glastonbury.
Tickets for Oxegen go on sale Friday March 6th, but are open to pre-sale for those registered at oxegen.ie from Wednesday February 26th.
The mystical Jim Carroll has made some predictions on other acts we can expect to see added soon enough, and as we all know, Jim has a tendency to be right about these kind of things. Here's his list: Franz Ferdinand, Keane, Kaiser Chiefs, Passion Pit, Glasvegas, Doves, Maximo Park, Justice.
Blur For Oxegen
Blur Reunite: Fuck Yeah!!!
Although they never really officially broke up its always good to see a band completely reforming with all original members intact. Those of you who are tutting their heads right now are thinking back at the dirge that was Country House and clearly aren't familiar with all the top notch stuff that they brought out under the radar, particularly in their last three albums which proved once and for all that they beat the shit out of Oasis as far as properly musically diverse bands go, despite Damon Albarn being a bit of a cock too.
So far only one large Hyde Park show has been announced but hopefully they'll drag their asses over here or even to Glasto. The last time they played here was the Olympia in December 2003 which was a fairly small scale show for a band like Blur. I can see a likely headlining show at Oxegen for one.
Click in the read more for a reminder/introduction to some of their great tunes
Popscene
Out of Time
Good Song
Sing
LIARS pick the egoeccentric Hangover Mixtape Vol. 22
Another week another hangover mixtape and this week its none other then LIARS who are playing Andrews Lane tonight (now that synergy kids) all the track where picked by Angus from the band.
tracklisting and download link in the read more
Have used this hangover mixtape myself one morning when i wasn't feeling the best and you know what it worked so on with the picks.
1. Bauhaus - All We Ever Wanted
2. Neil Young - On the Beach
3. Grace Jones - Private Life
4. Dire Straights - Private Investigations
5. Blur - Strange News From Another Star
6. The Doors - Summer's Almost Gone
7. The Breeders - Off You
8. Syd Barrett - Terrapin
9. Michael Franks - Down in Brazil
10. The Knife - Behind The Bushes
11. Murder City Devils - Tell You Brother
click here to the download page
And as i said before Liars play Andrews lane see theres the poster.
And to get you in the mood for LIARS tonight some Videos
LIARS - Let's Not Wrestle Mt. Heart Attack (in Whelans last December)
LIARS - Plaster Casts of Everything
LIARS - There's Always Room on the Broom
Blur are dead. Long Live Blur.
Although they haven't been active now for about four years its been announced recently (by the NME at least) that any hope for a Blur reunion has been scuppered, allegedly because the other three hate Damon Albarn too much. And so ends another one of my all time favourite bands.
Blur first came onto my radar in 1993 when a girl in summer camp played me the single of For Tomorrow but it wasn't until Girls & Boys came out the following February that I took notice. They were most popular through their Parklife and The Great Escape albums which ultimately proved to be their weakest points musically, and consequently you won't find anything from The Great Escape on my list of favourite Blur songs which you can see after the jump. The great thing about Blur was that after their Brit-Pop days (a scene they more or less invented) their albums were actually getting better and better and indisputably far more interesting than the output of their rivals Oasis.
Click below to see and hear my favourite choices of Blur songs.
Blur had a quite a fair bit of stuff that some people might have regarded as 'Crap' but they certainly knew how to fuck around with tunes and sounds etc. and when they wanted to they could write quite the haunting and even rocking tune. Here's a few of the best.
1. Sing (from Leisure. Also Trainspotting Original Soundtrack)
Much of Blur's first album was a combination of the dying shoegazing sound and the discovery of THAT Brit-Pop sound. This track encompasses the former quite a bit.
2. Wear Me Down (from Leisure)
More shoegazing but this time with easier vocals and a very melancholic, and at the same time catchy, chorus.
3. Popscene (single only)
The song that created Brit-Pop. Should have made Blur huge. Instead it was released at a time when everyone was listening to Nirvana and grunge and as such nobody wanted to know, which is a shame because its catchy as hell.
4. Advert (from Modern Life is Rubbish)
Evidence that Blur can do thrashy songs with great little riffs and singers counting out the number of break-down bars with a megaphone.
5. Resigned (from Modern Life is Rubbish)
The Finale of Modern Life and more evidence that Blur can write touching songs. Stick around after it ends and hear one of their finest random moments.
6. Trouble in the Message Centre (from Parklife)
Something about the combination of thrash and synth in this song never gets old in my head. Dunno why.
7. This is a Low (from Parklife)
A great melancholic yet uplifting song that Blur ended their most famous album with. And many of their gigs as well.
8. You're So Great (from Blur)
Okay its pretty much the first Graham Coxon solo song but its on a Blur album and it really highlights what an eclectic song-writer he is.
9. Death of a Party (from Blur)
Also known as "Blur do their own version of The Specials 'Ghost Town'" from the album also known as "Blur listen to Pavement a lot in an attempt to ditch their Brit-Pop sound". Successfully.
10. Bugman (from 13)
Blurs possibly greatest album opens with one of their biggest try-to-hard singles (Tender) but quickly moves into this rocky little thing. Listen to the break-down about half way through where it all descends into noise and starts back up again like an engine.
11. Battle (from 13)
Proof that the Blur of the Brit-Pop years was dead and buried and a new experimental type was coming into effect.
12. Caramel (from 13)
And further and further away they go. So fucking aching and waily that Sigur Rós would be proud.
13. Out of Time (from Think Tank)
Another excellent album proving that Blur could still knock them out (HUHUHUH!!!). This single is simply a damn fine haunting little number.
14. Brothers & Sisters (from Think Tank)
Gorillaz was very much on Damons mind as you can see from this funky thing that wouldn't have been out of place on Demon Days.
15. Jets (from Think Tank)
Epic and lo-fi as fuck with an awesome sax solo to boot. If Blur had not ended we might have got more of this.
In the future history will look more favourably upon Blur and will prove me right that they were worthy of a lot more recognition than they were given.
