(Note: This is a piece I wrote in July 2023 for intended publication on an indie website following my attendance of the aformentioned concert. It never ended up coming through, and the piece has sat unreleased for a while. I was just reminded of its existance so decided to dust it off and post it here for posterity.)
For over 30 years now, Blur has been sending out music, and it seems that even now they haven’t lost their edge, if the single “The Narcissist” from their upcoming 9th album The Ballard Of Darren is any indication. Even if those bursts of creativity have been growing steadily infrequent since their heyday in the 90s, it seems they’re not out of the woods yet.
One of the band’s biggest strengths has also always been their live act. Damon Albarn has always had a talent for captivating an audience, and with the likes of Graham Coxon, Alex James and Dave Rowntree backing him up, it can make for a great evening. They’ve performed at some of the most prestigious venues the world over, but one they had not yet graced was London’s own Wembley Stadium. They had played at the original stadium, which was demolished in 2003 to make way for an updated venue, but they’ve never returned to grace the new and improved iteration until now.
That all changed in November 2022 when they announced a 2-day set of gigs there on the weekend of the 8th-9th of July, to ring in a brand new reunion for the group after their last tour in 2016 in support of The Magic Whip. Additional dates were soon added to the roster, and eventually a whole new album to go along with it, but the Wembley shows were by far the most hotly anticipated as the group’s grand return. This was both to the world of music as a whole after a period of inactivity, but also to be able to add another venue to their vast list of appearances.
Naturally, the tickets sold out extremely fast after the announcement had been made, and soon the day of the first show on the 8th had arrived. Even before the doors had opened to fans at 5pm, people were already congregating outside of the stadium, picking up T-shirts and other merch, ready to see the band.
Before Blur could perform, however, the warmup acts were given the spotlight first. First up was Jockstrap, the Electropop duo consisting of Georgia Ellery and Taylor Skye. Having released their debut album last year, their short set showcased Ellery’s vocals and acoustic guitar backed and often digitally manipulated with Skye’s elaborate electronic production. Following that were Sleaford Mods, featuring vocalist Jason Williamson and Andrew Fearn. Against Fearn’s minimalist electronic backup, Williamson delivered an intense and abrasive vocal performance that dabbled in elements of spoken word and rap. Finally came Self Esteem, the stage name of former Slow Club alumni Rebecca Lucy Taylor, who appeared backed by an elaborate live band to deliver a solid set of pop music.
At last, at 8:35PM, Blur arrived on stage to the song “The Debt Collector” from Parklife, and for the next two hours the stadium was theirs. Damon, Graham, Alex and Dave took their places and kicked off their set with their latest single “St. Charles Square” from their upcoming album, followed by a curated selection of songs from across their discography. These ranged from their earliest years (1991’s “There’s No Other Way”) to more recent offerings (2012’s “Under The Westway” and recent single “The Narcissist”)
Naturally, the band bought out the big hits that their fans expected, like their breakout US hit “Song 2”, and their landmark 1994 masterwork “Parklife”. Compounding the excitement was the appearance of Phil Daniels from a prop house partway through the set, the original singer from the studio recording of “Parklife” to lead through the track live.
This was not just a “greatest hits” type show, either. A fan of the band would be forgiven for just expecting the band’s singles to be played, but they instead augmented their big hits with a selection of album tracks and obscurer offerings. Deep cuts like “Tracy Jacks” and “Trimm Trabb”, which have endured as live staples, continued to find a home at Wembley. A couple songs were even dusted off for the first time in years, with “Lot 105” leading off the encore for the first time since 1994, and “Under The Westway” reappearing after being unplayed since 2014.
That being said, there were also a few omissions from the set that, while not bringing down the overall quality, may have been noticed by fans who had been expecting them. The group’s 1999 single “No Distance Left To Run”, which has been regularly performed live since, was not present, being perhaps their most popular track not to be played. Slightly odder was the complete absence of any material from their previous album, 2015’s The Magic Whip, being the only Blur album to go completely unrepresented in the setlist. Additional live show mainstays such as “Sing” and “Young & Lovely” were also absent, likely due to time.
Even if people had been hoping to hear these songs, though, they very likely were not too upset as the band easily proved their worth throughout the 25 songs played that evening. Graham Coxon gave as great a performance on guitar as he had in his prime, with Alex James keeping up the pace on bass and Dave Rowntree delivering on the drums, despite fears that a recent knee injury that had cancelled a festival appearance could cause issues. Damon Albarn was as powerful a stage presence as ever, engaging with the crowd and keeping the energy going right to the end of the final encore with “The Universal.”
What this Wembley performance proves without much doubt is that, even after three decades, Blur still has something to deliver to the world. With a new album around the corner and a passionate fanbase still around to support them, it may not yet be time to send the band to the nostalgia circuit quite yet.
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