Blur | The Guardian (original) (raw)

August 2024

I’m excited about Oasis, but sad about the fate of venues that took a chance on them

Letters: Only 11 of the 34 venues that the band played on their first tour in 1994 have survived, writes James Kirkham, while Warren Brown challenges the Britpop supremacy of both Oasis and Blur

June 2024

Blur: To the End review – sentimental journey for four likely lads on their way to Wembley

The latest documentary about the Britpop Monkees finds them reassembling for a stadium gig, though we’ll have to wait to hear complete songs

April 2024

Mad fer it! The young musicians flying the flag for Britpop

Artists from Dua Lipa to Nia Archives are tapping the boisterous energy of mid-90s music – and even embracing the union jack. Can they avoid the genre’s laddish lows?

March 2024

Blur drummer Dave Rowntree selected as Labour candidate for general election

Brit awards 2024 – full list of winners

January 2024

Rise in vinyl sales at concerts gives indie artists a vital lifeline

Coachella 2024 lineup: Lana Del Rey, Doja Cat and Tyler, the Creator to headline in April

December 2023

Taylor Swift and Rolling Stones drive Christmas surge in UK vinyl sales

More than 250,000 vinyl records were sold last week, the most since the turn of the century

Best music of 2023
Blank space: how Taylor Swift – and an aching sense of loss – dominated music in 2023
Away from Swift’s joyous, record-breaking successes, the year’s most acclaimed albums were concerned with death and absence

Best music of 2023
The 50 best albums of 2023, No 8 – Blur: The Ballad of Darren
Blur’s ninth album is a perfect combination of middle-aged regret with swooning pop, a powerful career summation

November 2023

The best vinyl album covers of 2023

The annual Art Vinyl prize for the best designed vinyl album cover has announced its shortlist. Here’s a selection of the best

August 2023

Kitty Empire's artist of the week
Liam Gallagher review – when he does eventually smile, it’s perfect
The reliably aloof ex-Oasis frontman mixes old favourites and (Oasis-y-sounding) solo anthems – and fuels speculation about a reunion

July 2023

‘On reflection, it’s very uncool’: readers’ scrapbooks of pop fandom

With the Wham! documentary showcasing Andrew Ridgeley’s mum’s scrapbooks of their career, readers share their own shrines to Roxy Music, Metallica, David Bowie and more

Kitty Empire's artist of the week
Blur: The Ballad of Darren review – mature melancholia spiked with adventure
Comparing it to a surprise baby, late-life Blur’s ninth album finds them on eloquent, emotional form, casting a wistful eye over past glories while pushing forward musically

• Alexis Petridis's album of the week
  Blur: The Ballad of Darren review – middle-age regrets voiced in gorgeous tunes

  • Blur review – glorious reunion buzzes with energy and ragged joy

  On my radar
  On my radar: Graham Coxon’s cultural highlights

May 2023

Ranked
Blur’s 20 greatest songs – ranked!

Blur: The Narcissist review – a band finally at ease with themselves

January 2023

The best original photographs from the Observer
Original Observer Photography
The best original photographs from the Observer commissioned in January 2023

About 345 results for Blur