Credit: Reuben Bastienne-Lewis

Blur’s Graham Coxon was “a bit scared” about announcing comeback shows

Wed 24 May 2023 18:56, UK

Blur guitarist Graham Coxon has admitted he was “a bit scared” ahead of announcing the band’s comeback shows at Wembley Stadium and whether there’d be sufficient interest from fans.

During an appearance on Absolute Radio, presenter Andy Bush asked the group if there was any “trepidation” within the camp before the gigs went on sale. Singer Damon Albarn bluntly replied, “Not really,” before Coxon added: “I was a bit scared, you’ve got to be a little bit. It’s a bit like the dream when you go to school in your pyjamas. It’s a big place, and it did sell out so fast, it was amazing.”

Bassist Alex James noted: “You never really know if anybody still cares unless you put a show on sale, and I was flabbergasted that it sold out so quickly.” Blur are set to play Wembley Stadium on July 8th and 9th. Their special guests at the pair of shows include Paul Weller, Self Esteem and Jockstrap.

The Wembley concerts offer Blur a chance to preview material from their new album, The Ballad Of Darren, released on July 23rd. The LP is the band’s first since 2015’s The Magic Whip and was written by Albarn in secret during the most recent Gorillaz tour.

The frontman recently revealed: “I recorded in a lot of conference rooms but I did actually have a wonderful moment in Montreal. Opposite my [hotel] room was this fantastic mural of Leonard Cohen. I just didn’t think about it, I wrote from the heart. When I got back we just started and we crashed into the studio in January.”

Albarn continued: “I think the most amazing thing is we managed to write a record, rehearse it and put a tune out two weeks after finishing it. And then put an album out so close to the whole thing.”

Watch the interview with Absolute Radio below.