Blur (band)
Blur
Origin
Colchester, Essex, England
Genre(s)
Alternative rock, Britpop, indie
rock
Years active
1989–2003 ; 2009–present
Label(s)
Food
Parlophone
Virgin
Associated
acts
Gorillaz
The Good, the Bad & the
Queen
The Ailerons
WigWam
Fat Les
Me Me Me
Website
www.blur.co.uk
Members
Damon Albarn
Graham Coxon
Alex James
Dave Rowntree
Blur are an English alternative rock band
that formed in London in 1989. The four
members of the band are singer Damon Al-
barn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex
James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Blur’s
debut album Leisure (1991) incorporated the
sounds of Madchester and shoegazing. Fol-
lowing a stylistic change—influenced by Eng-
lish guitar pop groups such as The Kinks, The
Beatles and XTC—Blur released the Modern
Life Is Rubbish (1993), Parklife (1994) and
The Great Escape (1995) albums. As a result,
the band helped to popularise the Britpop
genre and achieved mass popularity in the
UK, aided by a famous chart battle with rival
band Oasis dubbed "The Battle of Britpop".
In recording their follow-up, Blur (1997),
the band underwent another reinvention, in-
fluenced by the lo-fi style of American indie
rock bands such as Pavement. "Song 2", one
of the album’s singles, brought Blur brief
mainstream success in the US. The last al-
bum featuring Blur’s original
lineup, 13
(1999) found the band members experiment-
ing with electronic music and gospel music,
as Albarn wrote more personal lyrics. In May
2002, Coxon left Blur during the recording of
their seventh album Think Tank (2003). Con-
taining electronic sounds and more minimal
guitar work, the album was marked by Al-
barn’s growing interest in hip hop and Afric-
an music. Since a 2003 tour without Coxon,
Blur have done no studio work or touring as a
band, as members have engaged in other
projects. Blur confirmed in late 2008 that the
band will reunite in 2009 with Coxon back in
the fold.
History
Formation and Leisure:
1988–1991
Childhood friends Damon Albarn and Graham
Coxon met Alex James when they began
studying at Lond