As one of the main representatives of Britpop, Blur is considered to be one of the most successful bands in their music genre. After a six-year hiatus from their music career (2003-2009), now Blur keeps performing in various parts of the world. Although Blur’s last album was released in 2015, the band’s contribution to the world’s rock music remains significant even now.

Blur Bio

Young and ambitious guys, Damon Albarn and Graham Coxon, who were Goldsmiths College students of the liberal arts and played together in the Circus band, decided to create their own team. In 1988, the Seymour band was formed. At the same time, two more musicians joined the band: Alex James, who was a bassist, and Dave Rowntree, who played drums.

However, the name “Seymour” did not stick for long. During one of their live performances, the musicians were noticed by the talented producer Andy Ross. Their professional musical career began with this acquaintance. The group was invited to work in a recording studio and was advised to change the name.

Since that time, the band has been called Blur. As early as 1990, the group went on tour across Great Britain. In 1991, the first album, Leisure, was released.

Members

Blur’s main members —  vocalist Damon Albarn and guitarist Graham Coxon — met in 1980 in the English town of Colchester. The guys were 12 and 11 years old, respectively, went to the same school, and were both fond of music. On this basis, they became friends and even put together a couple of “amateur ensembles” that did not have much popularity with the public.

After school, Coxon entered Goldsmiths College in London, and there he met the third member of the future Blur band, Alex James. There, Coxon again met Albarn, who was taking music lessons at the college. At that time, Albarn wanted to organize his own group, changing its composition and name. Graham Coxon joined his band Circus and then introduced Albarn to James. The fourth member of Blur’s upcoming roster, Dave Rowntree, was also brought in by Coxon to Circus.

Interesting Facts

Here are some facts about Blur that have taken place throughout their music career.

• Blur did not choose to go on their US tour on their own. By 1992, they had $100,000 in debt, and in order to pay off their debts, the guys were forced to tour the United States.

• In 1996, at the Sanremo Music Festival, the band performed in an unusual lineup: instead of guitarist Graham Coxon (who “just got fed up with TV live”), there was his plywood figure, and instead of bassist Alex James, there was the band’s bodyguard.
• Blur split in 2003, but the band reunited more than once to play the show as a full lineup from time to time. One of their biggest performances was at Great Britain’s 2008 Summer Olympics, where they headlined the closing ceremony.
• In the summer of 2009, Blur returned to the stage after a long silence and performed triumphant concerts at the Glastonbury Festival, Hyde Park, and other venues. In 2010, the band released their highly anticipated single, Fool’s Day, for the first time since their last single, Good Song, had been released in 2003.

Two years later after the Good Song release, Blur presented just one single, Under the Westway/The Puritan. It included two eponymous songs, and it did not manage to claim high positions in music charts.

Albums: Discography

• Leisure is Blur’s debut album that was released in 1991.

• This was followed by the second album Modern Life Is Rubbish, which the audience had a chance to hear in 1993.
• In 1994, the band’s landmark album Parklife was released.This is a record that is associated with the Britpop style. 

• The Great Escape album was released in 1996 in the wake of the success of the Britpop movement.
• The album named after the band, Blur, which was released in 1997, opened up new sides of the musicians’ talent.
• In 1999, the album 13 was released — again, very different from what Blur had done earlier.
• Think Tank (2003) is the last album before their hiatus.
• In April 2010, Blur’s first new track, “Fool’s Day”, was released.
• The band’s latest album to date is The Magic Whip, which was released in 2015. 

In total, the discography of Blur counts eight studio albums.

Awards

The hugely popular songs “Beetlebum” and “Song 2,” influenced by indie rock and low-fay, took the first lines of the charts and were illustrated with video clips. They were the nominees for MTV and NME Awards.

The singles To the End and Parklife allowed the band to emerge from the shadows of the competition and become a musical sensation. Blur has received four iconic awards (for Best Group and Best Album) from the BRIT Awards.

For their 10th anniversary, the Blur group organized an exhibition dedicated to their work, and a book about the history of the band was also published. Nowadays, the musicians continue to perform and receive awards in the nominations for “Best Single” and “Best Video Clip.”