Blur announce details of new live album
Blur have confirmed they plan to release a live album this summer which chronicles their two heroic shows at Wembley Stadium in London last year.
Appropriately, the upcoming album is titled, Live At Wembley Stadium, and is scheduled to be released on July 26th through Parlophone Records. The forthcoming LP is a celebration of a seismic year in Blur’s history, which saw them make a triumphant comeback, and release the chart-topping record The Ballad of Darren.
Additionally, Blur are set to release a new documentary, To The End, which is set to arrive in select cinemas on July 19th. The forthcoming film, directed by Alex P, promises to provide an “intimate glimpse into relationships, motivation and mortality, the sights and sounds of longterm friendship unearthing a fresh new conquest to overcome together,” according to the filmmaker in a previous statement.
Alex stated how the band’s history is “so well documented”, it was necessary they needed to “tell a new story” with To The End rather than simply treading old ground.
Meanwhile, the band’s bassist, Alex James, admitted they “barely communicated” during the decade prior to their reunion but claims the film shows that “it’s just exactly the same as it was when we were all 19”.
At this stage, it remains uncertain whether the upcoming live album and documentary will mark the end of Blur’s story or simply the end of another chapter. Earlier this year, they performed at Coachella Festival in California, but don’t have any further dates listed in the calendar.
During the show, after being met with silence when trying to start a singalong during ‘Girls & Boys’, singer Damon Albarn told the crowd, “You’re never seeing us again, so you might as well fucking sing it. Know what I’m saying?”
While his on-stage comments allude to Blur going on another extended hiatus, nothing has been confirmed at this moment in time.
Outside of Blur, all of the members have other commitments, such as Graham Coxon’s musical project, The Waeve and Alex James’ dairy farm. Furthermore, drummer Dave Rowntree is set to stand as a Labour MP in the Mid Sussex seat at the upcoming general election on July 5th.
If Rowntree is successful in his political pursuit, this would make touring with Blur difficult, at least for the next five years.
Upon being selected as a candidate in March, Rowntree 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.”
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