Blur drummer Dave Rowntree has hinted there should be a future for the band, regardless of them showing to announce that they’d performed their final ever present.
The Britpop band performed at this yr’s Coachella Pageant, throughout which frontman Damon Albarn mentioned, “that is in all probability our final gig”.
That got here after Albarn acknowledged in December that the band can be occurring a hiatus till additional discover, saying “it’s an excessive amount of for me”.
“It’s time to wrap up this marketing campaign,” he mentioned. “It’s an excessive amount of for me. It was the precise factor to do and an immense honour to play these songs once more, spend time with these guys, make an album, blah-blah-blah.”
He continued: “I’m not saying I received’t do it once more, it was a stupendous success, however I’m not dwelling on the previous.”
However now, in an interview with the Each day Star’s Wired column, Rowntree has provided renewed hope that there should be extra to return from the group.
“There’s nonetheless tons of stuff we might do,” he teased. “It’s about discovering a suggestion that’s very exhausting to say no to.”
“Once we first received again collectively in 2009, we had been very glad to be the primary individuals to play what has develop into the British Summer season Time pageant at Hyde Park. Then we had been requested to headline the occasion to finish the 2012 Olympics, and you’ll’t say no to that.”
“So there’s completely no cause why we couldn’t think about one other fascinating concept, if we’re all out there,” he added. “However there’s completely nothing within the diary for Blur in the meanwhile.”
Blur are on the centre of two new movies in the meanwhile: Blur: Stay At Wembley captures the band’s large reunion reveals on the iconic London stadium final summer time, whereas Blur: To The Finish finds the band reflecting on their legacy forward of those self same reveals.
Stay At Wembley is launched in UK and Irish cinemas on September 6 – discover ticket data right here – and earlier right now, the trailer for the movie was launched. Starting with an aerial shot of the venue, we hear a roar erupt from the huge crowd, whereas Blur are seen within the wings earlier than making their strategy to the stage. “Good night, Wembley,” Albarn says to greet the viewers.
That trailer coincides with the discharge of the accompanying stay album, which is out right now. See the trailer and hearken to the document beneath.
To The Finish, in the meantime, noticed its cinematic launch final week (July 19). NME gave it the complete 5 stars, describing it as a “religious sequel” to 2010’s No Distance Left To Run that “reveals a band merely supporting one another”. It added: “Whether or not they return once more or not stays to be seen. However even when they don’t, this was one hell of a ultimate fling.”
Each characteristic movies had been directed by Transgressive Data founder Toby L, who mentioned that To The Finish captures the band’s “friendship dynamics and brotherhood”.
Chatting with NME in regards to the movies and the band’s future, Toby mentioned: “The rationale it issues every time that Blur make a document or play reveals is that all of them need it to but it surely additionally feels just like the final time. That’s one thing the movie flirts with: ‘is it the tip?’ I sort of really feel like that’s irrelevant. So long as we’ve received the second and the music, that’s all that issues. We’re all obsessive about placing a fairly ribbon on issues, however generally it’s a bit extra advanced than that.
“Regardless of the band select to do sooner or later, issues are presently in one of the best place they’ve ever been for them.”
“What I like about Blur is that there have been so many occasions the place I believed it was over,” he added. “I do not know. On the finish of the movie, there are allusions as as to if it might proceed or not. Once more, it’s ambiguous. That’s what’s nice about this movie and the stay live performance film from Wembley: no matter what occurs, these are great souvenirs that can at all times exist.”
“The band at all times have life and that impetus in them. I hope there’s extra to return, however you’d need to ask the nice males themselves.”
Alex James, in the meantime, has simply introduced his new e-book Over The Rainbow: Tales From An Sudden 12 months, which he says will talk about Blur’s reunion and the Wembley reveals.
The e-book is about for launch on December 5 through Penguin Random Home and is out there for pre-order right here.
Rowntree, in the meantime, failed in his bid to develop into the Labour MP for Mid Sussex on the latest basic election, dropping out to Alison Bennett of the Liberal Democrats.
