Blur have no current plans to record together again, despite confirmed reports of a full band meeting earlier this month.Damon Albarn, Alex James and Dave Rowntree are understood to have held a reunion lunch last week, with estranged guitarist Graham Coxon.

The group have now released a statement confirming the appointment but denying that it will lead to new music from the definitive line-up.

It reads: “In light of recent press speculation, blur.co.uk would like to confirm that Alex, Damon, Dave and Graham met for an enjoyable lunch on Monday, but there are currently no other music plans for Blur.”

The last Blur album, 2003’s “Think Tank“, was the first not to feature Coxon, who left during sessions for the album, choosing to pursue his solo career.

via Yahoo! Music

Damon Albarn has made a rare public reference to his former band Blur, during his indie rock supergroup The Good, The Bad and the Queen’s headlining set at Latitude Festival tonight (July 14).

With the recently reported news that the original line up of Blur are due to reconvene in the studio for the first time since 1999, Damon Albarn took the opportunity to reference their classic single, “Song 2″ while introducing The Good, The Bad & The Queen song, “A Soldier’s Tale“.

“I met a squaddie who’d been in Iraq,” he told the Obelisk arena audience at Latitude.

“He told me that they used to play ‘Song 2‘ before… you know” –the suggestion being before they went into combat — “so I guess this is for him.”

The Good, The Bad & The Queen - featuring Clash member Paul Simonon, played their debut album in its entirety, closing the second night of this year’s sell-out Latitude festival.

via Uncut

Some people have said Alex James is being too ambitious by stating that he wants Blur to make one final album with their original line-up.

Guitarist Graham Coxon left the indie band in 2002 after being told his services were no longer required - and since then has frequently said that he has no plans to do anything with the rest of them.

But James, who covered for Nemone this afternoon (10 November) on 6 Music, says it’s looking likely that things will get going next year. James was joined on air with another fellow band member, David Rowntree, who claimed that if it was up to him then the band would already be back together:

“The days of Blur doing a tour will not happen, most of the band have kids now, and when you’re a touring band you have to make a choice, so there will never be a return to that, but we have been talking about doing an album next year, we have even set a date for it.”

Previously James said that Graham was also warming to the idea:

“I think we’d all like to make another record. We’d all like to do it with Graham, we may have to beg him a bit though.”

Blur’s members are known for their side projects. Damon Albarn has recorded as Gorillaz plus The Good, The Bad and The Queen, while Coxon has a solo career and James has worked with Stephen Duffy and Keith Allen among others; Rowntree reckons with all that going on it’s too difficult to say what a revived Blur will sound like these days,

“There’s no master sound for how a bands or albums will sound, it’s not like Harry Potter, we didn’t have the concept first and then go and write the books!”

via BBC - 6 Music

Damon Albarn has been speaking to Xfm about his plans for a brand new “aggressively laid back” Blur EP to be released before the end of the year, plus the possibility of some low key live dates.

Following reports that the new Blur material will be more lo-fi and stripped down than their previous work, Albarn spoke to Xfm and explained that fans will probably be able to hear new material from the band pretty soon (if they can find it).

“I think we’re gonna do an EP first, sometime by the end of this year,” he confessed, “But you probably won’t know about it. It’ll just ‘come out’. It’ll be so, sort of, underplayed. It’ll come out but you won’t know it’s us as it’ll be so, well, not us.”

“We’ve got the songs but we’re gonna record them in a few hours and just be very laid back about it. But not musically laid back. It’ll be aggressive. Aggressively laid back. It’s the total opposite of Gorillaz.

“I can’t really make another Blur record that’s a big landscape sort of thing, due to my very basic guitar ability. Cos I want to sing and play so it has to be three chords. I can only do three chords and not look at the guitar.”

Albarn also kyboshed the idea of getting a new guitarist to replace the long departed Graham Coxon saying, “What’s the point? We’d never be able to get one as good as Graham.”

He also admitted that Blur would be playing some live dates towards the end of the year, saying they’d, “Probably do a couple of pubs round Christmas. To be honest with you, it’ll be nice.”

Xfm

Blur have announced that they will record their next album as a trio after Graham Coxon decided to remain solo, with the lack of an extra guitarist meaning a change of sound.

Albarn is reported by NME.com to have said “There is a Blur record at the moment but it’s very basic.

“The reason why it’s so basic is we decided that if we’re going to make another record it’s just got to be the three of us and I’ve got to play guitar.

“And because I’m such a rudimentary guitarist it has to be really stupid and basic punk rock.”

But the follow up to ‘Think Tank’ will not be Albarn’s only concern. Already involved in the Gorillaz project, he is also currently working on his debut solo album, which will have a global element.

“I’m halfway through a record that I started in Nigeria last year,” he said.

“I suppose will end up being my first solo record, although I hate the term ’solo record’.”

And speaking to Hong Kong station RTHK3, Albarn also said that Gorillaz will reveal their human identities during a five-night stint in Manchester in November.

Virgin.net