Rumors have been circulating for weeks, and on Monday Blur finally confirmed their authenticity: on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of their epochal album PARKLIFE, the Britpop band will be giving a concert at Wembley Stadium on July 8, 2023. As part of the announcement, drummer Dave Rowntree and bassist Alex James gave an interview to radio station BBC 6Music on Monday (November 14) – and spoke about possible new music, among other things.
Fun and horror from Blur
Moderator Steve Lamacq explained that he couldn’t imagine that the group was sitting in a room with Damon Albarn and he couldn’t think of anything new. “I literally never know what’s going to happen to Damon next,” Alex James replied. He continued: “It could be the last show, it could lead to a new album. That’s part of the fun of it. I literally never know what’s going to happen.” His bandmate Rowntree laconically added, “That’s part of the scare of being in Blur.”
Pandemic prevented concerts
The two have also talked about the upcoming Wembley gig. “We’ve been trying to get something done for a while but Covid has thwarted us – the shadow of Covid as all the venues have been booked for who knows how long,” said Rowntree. Now you want to go back to your roots.
Young people discover Blur for themselves
Elsewhere in the interview, James spoke about his surprising finding that Blur is resonating with younger audiences. “What amazes me is how much Blur is present on social networks.” It’s crazy how many 18 to 24-year-olds like his band – after all, you can see that from the data. “The multitude of people who come up to me and say, ‘Blur is my daughter’s favorite band,’ or ‘My son is trying to learn how to play the bass on ‘Song 2.’ The music seems to have found a new audience,” says the 53-year-old.