Laddish, precocious and versatile; English group Blur were one of the defining bands of the mid-90s Britpop craze and one of the few which have maintained both critical and commercial appeal beyond this period.
Blur started with a shoegazey sound but soon adopted a Kinks and Beatles-referencing tone that struck a chord with fans and other bands in the mid-90s. Modern Life is Rubbish (1993), Parklife (1994) and The Great Escape (1996) were all critically acclaimed and huge commercial hits in the UK. In particular, Parklife was considered their seminal album, and it really kick-started Britpop, along with Oasis’ Definitely Maybe.
In the British media, Blur were often contrasted with rivals Oasis. Blur were said to represent ‘the south’ (of England), students and ‘arty types’, while Manchester’s Oasis represented ‘the north’ and the ‘working class’. This hype reached its peak in 1995 when a chart battle with Oasis became a national news story: Blur won, when “Country House” topped the charts ahead of “Roll With It” at No.2. Opinion is divided on who won the war: during Britpop Oasis were commercially more successful, but it is said Blur retained more credibility. Today on Amazon, most of Blur's albums show Oasis albums were frequently bought by owners and vice versa, so whatever irreconcilable differences the media claimed to see, it passed many music fans by.
As Britpop declined, so did the attempts to draw comparisons between the bands. Oasis continued to peddle the same sound while Blur moved off in a different direction. Now influenced by American alt-rock, Blur (1997) and 13 (1999) were praised by the press and featured more hit singles: “Beetlebum”, “Song 2”, “Tender” and “Coffee and TV”.
Just before the band’s seventh album, Think Tank (2003), it was confirmed that lead guitarist Graham Coxon had left the band. Coxon and lead singer Damon Albarn had been the creative forces within the band, but now their musical tastes were diverging and arguments about Blur’s future direction were causing problems. Blur’s first album without Coxon marked another change in style, incorporating electronic and world music influences. Most critics welcomed the new sound and praised the album, and it topped the album charts again.
Until rumours of a reconciliation between Albarn and Coxon began towards the end of 2008, Blur were on an indefinite hiatus while members pursue other projects. Albarn formed virtual band Gorillaz, and worked on a collaborative project yielding The Good, The Bad & The Queen (2007). Graham Coxon pursued a successful solo career which has so far encompassed six albums. Alex James and Dave Rowntree kept lower profiles with lesser-known bands.
In 2009, Blur reunited to play a series of gigs which became one of the highlights of the UK's summer festival season: beginning with Glastonbury, followed by two dates at London's Hyde Park, and culminating in headlining Scotland's T in the Park. At T in the Park, Albarn announced to the crowd that this would be their final gig as a band. The hiatus resumed, but this time with the band on better terms.
