British Britpop band Blur are heading off on a massive tour around Europe in summer, with two major concerts at Wembley Stadium in July.
The news of the upcoming gigs predictably delighted fans – these London gigs looked set to be Blur’s first headlining performances since 2015.
But what’s even more thrilling is that Blur have now announced four intimate “warm up shows” that will be taking place in Colchester, Eastbourne, Wolverhampton and Newcastle next month.
“In 2012 I was amazed to find Blur playing an intimate warm up gig for a stadium tour in Wolvo civic hall up the road. Was MIGHTY. Turns out they have a huge affinity with the place from the old days. Well, they’ve done it again !” tweeted one excited fan.
in 2012 I was amazed to find Blur playing an intimate warm up gig for a stadium tour in Wolvo civic hall up the road. Was MIGHTY. Turns out they have a huge affinity with the place from the old days. Well, they've done it again ! 2 tickets procured for the Civic for next month !
— Sarky Puppy (@sarky_snake) April 26, 2023
The band has been on a hiatus of sorts for years, with its lead singer, Damon Albarn, being busy with his other super-successful band, Gorillaz, and its lead guitarist Graham Coxon otherwise occupied with his solo career.
Coxon left Blur in 2002, but, after reportedly rebuilding his relationship with Albarn, returned to the band in 2008 for the beginning of their seven year long series of “reunion” performances.
Bassist Alex James, meanwhile, has his own cheese farm, while drummer Dave Rowntree has also been focusing on his solo career, releasing his first solo album, Radio Songs, in January this year.
Now they’ve announced some intimate gigs
Just announced 🚨 blur warm-up shows in Colchester, Eastbourne, Wolverhampton and Newcastle.
— blur (@blurofficial) April 25, 2023
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General sale starts 10am on Friday 28th April. pic.twitter.com/HCWoRq8IvW
This week Blur announced the series of intimate gigs, which will take place at Colchester, Eastbourne, Wolverhampton and Newcastle in May.
Kicking things off, the band will first play at 300-capacity Colchester Arts Centre on May 19, followed by Eastbourne WInter Gardens on May 21, at Wolverhampton The Halls on May 26 and Newcastle O2 City Hall on May 28. Tickets can be found here.
Albarn, Coxon and Rowntree all grew up around Colchester in Essex which is almost certainly why one of the handful of gigs will be played there.
Plus, last November Colchester Council’s culture boss Pam Cox said to the Daily Gazette, “I’m a massive Blur fan. I saw Albarn at Latitude festival a few years ago and it was amazing... It would be great for us if they performed here before next year’s [London] gig[s].” Maybe they listened to Pam?
Where else are they playing?
The rock pop band will also be playing across Europe over the summer, with stops including the Barcelona and Madrid editions of Primavera Sound , Dublin’s Malahide Castle, Roskilde, Beauregard Music Festival, Vieilles Charrues Festival, Lucca Summer Festival, Lokerse Feesten Festival, Way Out West and Flow Festival, to name a few.
What’s all the fuss about?
The London gigs at Wembley Stadium will not only be the band’s band’s first headlining performances since 2015 - remarkably, it will also mark the first time the band has ever performed at the legendary venue.
“We’re a band that’s done almost everything it’s possible to do… what an iconic place, what an iconic venue. It’s just incredibly exciting,” said Rowntree to Sky News about playing at the 90,000 capacity venue.
“It’s one of these iconic places that are secretly up on your bucket list, even though you pretend they’re not,” he said. “I sincerely hope we are a band that can fill a stadium like that. I don’t want there to be four people and a dog.”
But Rowntree needn’t have worried. In November, Blur’s first London date on July 8 completely sold out. A second date added due to the huge demand, will now take place the following evening. The first performance will be supported by rapper Slowthai, singer Self Esteem and electro-pop duo Jockstrap, with support for the additional date to be confirmed.
How can you get tickets?
Tickets for all of Blur’s upcoming gigs, including the intimate gigs, a pair of London Wembley Stadium shows, and the band’s many festival appearances, can all be found on Blur’s website here.
Tickets for the warm up shows will go on sale at 10am on Friday April 28.
