Blur in the park
Matthew d'Ancona 11:55pm
Been meaning to post all day a hat-tip to our very own Alex James who - before he was a Spectator columnist and celebrated cheese-maker - used to play the bass in a rather successful little group called Blur. Last night, reunited and re-energised, they played their final UK gig in Hyde Park. And, whether or not you were around first time to enjoy these great songs, it really was rather special.
From the opening chords of "She's So High", it was clear that the band which defined "Cool Britannia" do not intend to fade into obsolescence with that New Labour-infected moment, nor to go through the motions like a nostalgia act, reforming occasionally to ensure an annual pay day from their grown-up and now-professional fanbase. They still mean business, thank God.
Damon Albarn may be 41 and no longer a plausible enfant terrible but he still knows how to grasp a crowd by their collective throats and take them on a Britpop journey. Dave Rowntree on drums, Graham Coxon on guitar and Alex himself have lost none of their zest and power. Indeed, a few years away from each other's company seems to have done them a lot of good. Blur are no longer outraged art school youngsters trying to burn grunge out of lazy British culture. But they still look good in plain T-shirts and Fred Perry, a reminder that British pop is about more than reality TV competitions. And a terrific song is a terrific song whether it's played in 1993 (the year in which the band's second album, Modern Life is Rubbish, was released and we realised how truly fabulous they were) or in 2009. The music endures.
So we sang along to all the greats: Chemical World, End of a Century, To the End, Girls and Boys, There's No Other Way, and a heartstoppingly lovely rendition of Tender. Phil Daniels brought a smile to thousands of faces by coming on stage to do his turn on Parklife. Damon told everyone to look at the moon. The light began to fade across the park, the colours of central London growing unimaginably lovely with it. The band said good night. And then - of course - came back on to do a series of encores framed round the almighty Song 2 with its two-syllable, rabble-rousing refrain.
As this great British foursome gave it their all, I remembered how thrilled I was when I first heard their music, and how often I have listened to it over the years. Like all true culture, it is one of the threads which run through a life. My life, anyway, and millions of others I suppose. Which is both wonderful and tinged with melancholy. Because then - of course - they were gone again. Will they be back? Is that it?
Oh, come on. What do you think? Woohoo!
Previous
JohnAnt
July 5th, 2009 12:20am Report this commentPop Music. Oh Yawn!
Sam Armstrong
July 5th, 2009 12:31am Report this commentThe most original and innovative band of the nineties.
Nobby
July 5th, 2009 2:40am Report this commentIt sounds like a good one but I couldn't stand Blur, mainly because I fancied Justine Frischmann like mad. Not that I could do anything about it because while everyone else was Britpopping in the 90s a few of us were Britbatting in various benighted locations. Stone Roses were the best soundtrack bar none to Sarajevo et al. No idea what the soundtrack is these days - Lady Gaga doesn't quite fit Musa Qala.
Verity
July 5th, 2009 3:44am Report this commentJohn Ant - "Pop music. Oh Yawn."
I'll see ya and raise ya.
biggestaspidistra
July 5th, 2009 3:48am Report this comment"As this great British foursome gave it their all"
words fail me.
Fergus Pickering+
July 5th, 2009 4:22am Report this commentWhat is this stuff about Pop music? It started with that prat who compared the Beatles to Schubert. And the drivel we have had to endure about Michael Jackson! I want to go all pretentious about such great cultural monuments as 'Red Sails in the Sunset' and 'The Love Bug will Bite You if You Don't Watch Out' and 'How Could I believe You When You Say You Love Me When You Know I've Been a Liar All My Life?', and certyain lyrics by that GAY ICON (my Lord!) Little Richard. The thing about MODERN pop is that you can never remember how anything actually goes. What happened to Hum Along? Blur? I must have been looking the other way.
RW
July 5th, 2009 8:06am Report this commentOh dear. It's all a bit like Brown pretending to be an Arctic Monkeys fan, isn't it?
Free Thomist
July 5th, 2009 8:24am Report this comment"The most original and innovative band of the nineties."
More likely to be "Pavement" Sam-Blur unashamedly ripped them off.
idle
July 5th, 2009 9:30am Report this commentI woz there, and what a night. 10/10. These songs are as exciting and attractive as they were 15 years ago.
I've never seen such a happy crowd. I'm 47.
JR
July 5th, 2009 9:43am Report this commentTwas a great gig on Thursday. A wonderful day in the park and a wonderful band.
Jeremy
July 5th, 2009 10:01am Report this comment"Damon Albarn may be 41 and no longer a plausible enfant terrible..."
Loved that.
Yes, I liked Blur too. As much for the style as for the substance. They were a sort of post-mod Mod band - very literate, in terms of pop culture. They made all of the right references and they did celebrate British culture, in their way.
So far as the combination of music and images went, I really liked "The Universal" - an epic pop song (of the sort for which I am a sucker) married to Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange". Perfect.
Although I sometimes wish that pop bands would leave their youthful perfection intact and not reform as oldsters. You cannot really recreate that sort of beauty - both physical and aesthetic - in middle age.
Bored of Borington
July 5th, 2009 10:27am Report this commentBlur - average and mediocre "progressive" 90's pop band.
Why would anyone pay attention to a rehash of this mediocrity?
Dog Snob
July 5th, 2009 1:12pm Report this commentJeremy.
'they did celebrate British culture, in their way.'
What way was that then?
Tiberius
July 5th, 2009 1:49pm Report this commentWhile I shall always be grateful to Matt for his post a couple of years ago which sparked my interest in Amy Winehouse, I can't get excited over Blur.
Good ST piece today, though. We all need to consider where Labour will be policy-wise post-Mentalist.
Verity
July 5th, 2009 2:12pm Report this commentIf life is too short to peel a grape, it is definitely too short to read about some reformed pop group that one hadn't even heard of the first time round, but I do have a question. Why are the Speccie posts littered with dark green blobs over some of the words, rendering them unreadable and the post thus unintelligible?
Those blobs weren't there yesterday.
J R Hartley
July 5th, 2009 2:54pm Report this commentTiresome mockneys - they were naff at Glastonbury. Their reception here says more about the lack of new talent than their place in pop history. The HP gigs are full of Amex Centurion card-holders and middle-class liggers social-climbing in the front pens. The antithesis of what Blur once pretended they were...
Oasis haven't aged with much innovation but their first time around was more exciting than the pap served up by Albarn.
Yawn...........
Ray
July 5th, 2009 3:30pm Report this commentI'm told Albarn has since deeply regretted his triste with New Labour in 1997. Surely he offers living proof that, just as politicians should never try to appear cool by enthusing about rock music, likewise rock musicians should never try to appear saintly and smart by dabbling in politics. Bono take note.
Mog
July 5th, 2009 4:27pm Report this commentGosh, with all the yawning one would think it's past bedtime. Pop music, how tiresome! How plebeian! How rude of the Spectator to sit me down and make me read about it! I fear my scintillating intellect may never recover.
THX1138
July 5th, 2009 7:04pm Report this commentThis post "gives me a sense of enormous well being"
Sam Armstrong
July 5th, 2009 7:08pm Report this commentVerity - life for you is clearly not so short that you could take the time out to write 2 comments about an article on "some reformed pop group that one hadn't even heard of the first time round".
Verity
July 5th, 2009 9:02pm Report this commentSam Armstrong - I wasn't writing about the pop group. I was commenting on the people who give a crap.
Chris
July 6th, 2009 11:19am Report this commentJohnAnt got it right. Pop music is not really for grown ups. Its long term cultural significance is zero.
chloeanne
July 10th, 2009 8:57am Report this commenti was there on the friday and it was a brilliant night ive been a blur fan since i was little and if you don't like blur why comment and read the articles. silly people.
Jim
July 12th, 2009 5:44pm Report this comment'Pop music not having and long term cultural significance'... Where have you been for the past 60 years??
I have to admit that I wasn't thinking of the long term cultural worth of blur last friday night at Hyde Park. Too busy having a good time :-)
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