9 posts tagged “damon albarn”

We all go out at 8.15 to watch the show.  This is what it has all been building to for Blur.   These two Hyde Park shows were the first to be booked and they feel like a spiritual homecoming, back in the heart of London, back the place Damon later tells us where he would walk and where he would be inspired to write "Parklife".   I struggle to draw them on the stage, like Sunday, it is a show you watch on the screens.    Damon is clearly overwhelmed by the size of the place, I can see him struggling to find the right words, he seems increasingly random in his remarks, which is quite sweet and funny.  They look great, he looks so damn fit, they have got stronger as they have gone on.
 There are plenty of young faces here.  So many people who were too young to have seen Blur first time round but who have bought their records and fallen in love.   I find that I love the slower songs now.   “Badhead” “Beetlebum”, “Tender” “For Tomorrow” they are the ones with the strongest resonance.   “Coffee and TV” is good and I have warmed to “Country House” as have the band.   They play and sing it a lot stronger than on the original recording and it really is a great song.
They encore with a magnificent “Pop Scene” and build into “Song 2” There is one last run of songs “Death of Party” I love, it has such a great groove.  But it is “The Universal” that again brings out the emotion as I stand there, palms facing the sky, so damn grateful this band came into my life and brought me so much, my career, my wife, my children.

We get a tube down to Brixton.   The Blur comeback tour continues with a show at the Academy.   When we get down there a huge crowd surrounds the venue.  We spot Jamie Hewlett with Ceri and Matt Longfellow.  Matt is with his two children and we remark on how it is great getting all the old gang back together with quite a few little editions.  We enter down at the stagedoor and find a place in the crowd near the front. Luckily I have my earplugs and the girls the huge ear defenders that Angie has leant me that enable us to stand right next to the PA for the show.  It means that the girls can sit on the crash barrier and get a good look at proceedings.
It is a different experience to last week up in Essex.   I guess I know what is coming in the set.   Plus I have two little girls to keep amused the whole time.   I am delighted that they have the opportunity to see Alex dong his day job, see what made him famous.  More to the point see the band that changed their parent’s life.  It is a lot to ask of them, to sit there and enjoy a two-hour set.  At one point I worry that we might have to leave as Scarlet is complaining about how the ear defenders are making her head sweat, but she calms down, taking them off between each song and she gets back into the swing of it.   Alex spots us, gives a big smile to the girls.   He is sporting a tight white T Shirt for the show, making the most of his new physique.  I love Damon when he is in his attack mode, all hunched up and taut during the more punk rock songs like “Jubilee”, “Popscene” and “Advert” Most of the crowd which includes Theresa from work are just here to enjoy the classics from Parklife.  We are treated to Phil Daniels who marches on and his lyrics are flying everywhere.   He looks cheekier than ever and it is fun to see the pantomime between him and Damon.  

I jump on the tube and head down to south London.   I am seeing a Blur rehearsal with Austin at the Brixton Academy.  I turn up thirty minutes late to find they have already finished.  In fact they only did a couple of songs today.    I walk onto the legendary stage where Damon is chatting with Tony Wadsworth and Chris.   It is an impressive view, out across the room towards that famous balcony.  Get to ride back into town with Graham, Alex and Dave.   This really does feel like old times, being with the thee of them in a taxi, “Where to, Freud’s?” asks Graham with a glint in his eyes, and for a moment it would not be difficult to transform us back to the merrymakers that we were fifteen years ago.   We really did have it all back then before the darkness kicked in.   I go and have a cup of tea off Conduit Street with the boys; it is good to be with them, talking about girls and boys.   They are off to Saville Row to pick up some jackets after this cuppa.

he gig is at Chappel and Wakes Colne Railway Station just outside of Colchester.   It is a place of myth in the Blur legend as the venue for the first ever Seymour gig played to celebrate Damon’s sister Jess’ 18th birthday.   The band always talked about it in hallowed tones and it is better than anything I could ever have expected.   We walk up to the station to be greeted by the sight of a maroon 0-4-0 saddle tank locomotive called Robert standing outside the well preserved Victorian Station.   We go into the ticket offices where two girls from CMO are looking after the guest list.  Over the bridge, past the ancient rolling stock on the line, across the level crossing and into the small crowd of well wishes milling about.   “Niamh” booms Damon as we arrive.   He looks amazing, a pair of Addidas shades and a black Fred Perry top.   Alex is back to his skinny Britpop best.   It’s like a ballet school in  rehearsals he chuckles, no one eating, all of us turning anorexic and chucking up our dinners”   Dave has just finished his law exams and is facing his role as a Labour MP in a challenging Tory seat.   Graham is surrounded by young fans, sporting a trilby, is bashful and friendly.   We find Jess who is lovely.   She tells us how Graham was originally her friend and they bonded over a love of music.   Damon of course was super competitive and so she took a back seat.   She remembers little of the 18th birthday party.   We chat with Steve Lamacq, another Essex boy and Stephen Street down here with Sarah.  
   A cheer goes up from inside the hall and we realise we need to be in  there, the band are already onstage.  There are maybe 150 of us, local fans, relatives and long standing colleagues.   I stand watching with Terry Felgate, Miles Leonard and his girlfriend, Chris Morrison standing behind clutching a glass of wine.  I don’t know what I expected to feel tonight, seeing the four of them back on stage again.   I was very happy that they had decided to reunite.   I am normally sceptical about such things, but seeing Damon at his Honest John’s evening made me realise how much I missed  him sing all of those incredible songs,  I  never expected to hear them again and here I am, the familiar opening chord of “She’s So High” cutting through.    Graham is hunched, glancing as always across the stage, smiling at the others, Damon is clutching the mike ferociously hard, really intense, Alex is up high on the monitors, showing off like mad, looking amazing
They cut from this into “Girls and Boys”, I reach out to grab Jo, she smiles at me, but she is feeling pretty emotional about it all.   Everything I hear tonight takes me back to the moments when these songs impacted our lives.   I am back in Thames Teddington Lock Studios, at the recording of the Word in February 1994 and Blur are performing “Girls and Boys”.  Then it is “Tracy Jacks” such a simple beautiful song, easily overlooked but so emotionally powerful.   “There’s No Other Way”, the song that really did start the madness, that took them into the top 5.   “Jubilee”, Top of the Pops after they had won four Brits, Elastica on the same show, Damon performing on keyboards.   Such a ferocious song, the crowd really kicking off for the first time.   This is what it is all about, the band being menacing, dangerous, edgy again.   “Badhead” a perfect songs about hangovers, such a gorgeous tune.   This is what Parklife the album was all about, emotional life affirming melodies; the eponymous single was at ods with it all.   
Damon picks up his small acoustic guitar to play “Beetlebum” cut to Kensington Park Road in 1997.   I remember clearly thinking how incredibly soulful he sounded for the first time, that was when the magic really started with this band.   “Trimm Trabb” is Jo’s favourite song and I am delighted to hear more songs from later in their career, when they had cut back from playing live so much.    “Coffee and TV” is gorgeous, Graham wholly at home delivering it, then “Charmless Man” delivered with absolute ferocity again, Damon behind the keyboards.    “Tender” sees Alex turn his bass guitar upright to imitate a double bass as they deliver the song that took them on to another level, so fucking smart.   “Country House” is wonderful, not the millstone it ought to be.   “Colin Zeal” is followed by “Oily Water” priceless moments from the days locked in Matrix in Covent Garden, plotting against the world.    “Chemical World” helped take them out of that as did “Sunday Sunday” the song that drove Andy Partridge mad.   Then “Parklife” its arrival heralded by the barking dogs.  The song that took it supernova.    What I am staggered by watching all of this is just how fucking good this all is.   They are playing better than I ever remember from the past, this is exceptional, the rest of the country will not be able to believe it when they properly roll out across the summer.  “End of a Century”, “To the End” and the mighty “This is a Low” are the ballads that brings the set to a close and with a shake of the hand they are gone, leaving all of us stunned.
There is more, there is so much more.   Terry and I are working out what they missed from the set.    They return with “Popscene” and this is my particular highlight.   I am back to the Marquee in New York, November 1991, the sound of a band coming on full throttle against the world.   This is them at their most furious, Graham goes into overdrive, falling to the floor and writhing around like Angus Young as he delivers the solo.     They don’t let up and neither does the crowd as he launches into “Advert” and Damon   launches into the crowd, as impressive a stage dive as I have ever seen.   Then Dave starts up the round of those all too familiar drum patterns as “Song 2” begins to make itself heard.   This is the song that conquered America, that proved to be the biggest song of their career.   It is staggering trying to take in what an amazing journey it has been, so many songs, so many directions.   
They take it right down for “Out of Time” the beautiful song that launched their last album “Think Tank”.   Graham didn’t previously play on this but he fills in fine tonight, leaving Damon to deliver his acoustic guitar solo.  Then “Battery in My Leg” the one song on the album he did contribute to, a song all about the breakup of the band which I never thought I would see them perform.   Another surprise is the mention of “Essex Dogs”   They offer it up to the audience, “Who wants “Essex Dogs” Graham shouts throwing up his own arm along with most of the audience, “Who wand Sing?” sadly only a handful of us.  “I always said this should never be performed live” Stephen Street shouts into my ear as they struggle to get the rhythm track up and running.   I am delighted; at last, we get to see the band at their most twisted, away from all of the perfect melodies.   I am staggered that they actually rehearsed it.   “For Tomorrow” is the song that tipped the scales and brought the band back from oblivion.   I remember that at Finsbury Park, something magical happened there, something to make us all realise that they were special.   Seeing that on TV was what made Nick Kneale realise we were onto something.   They end with “The Universal” This is the one that finally reduces me to tears.   This is the moment I realise just how much I owe to those four boys up on stage.   Not just the remarkable career I have enjoyed in the music business, but meeting my wife, the birth of my children, Stevie and Scarlet would not be here enchanting us if it were not for me noticing a flyer in The Record and Tape Exchange advertising Blur, a new band on Food, playing The Bull and Gate.
 

I get the tube down to Brixton; at least I get to read some French on the way.   It is chaos in there, so this is what the Brits would be like of the NME ran it all.   It does have a real energy, there is anarchy to it all and the red carpet and paparazzi is for real instead of the polite staged affair at The Brits.   I go and say hi to Glasvegas, Kasabian and MGMT who are all down the front on their tables.   I get to hear that Blur, or rather Damon and Graham are performing which makes for a really very special occasion.   I desert my label and go and sit with MGMT near the front.   Mark Jones is in front of me waiting for Grace Jones to appear, she is presenting an award.   
   The host is Mark Watson, trying to get the place gong by shouting “Cunt” a lot” The venue actually works well for a show, everyone feels at home here, Indigo didn’t work in the same way.   What it does deliver is amazing sound “White Lies” have never sounded so good, delivering an impressively brutal rendition of “Death” Then it all kicks off proper with Elbow performing with a full orchestra and Guy Garvey driving the beat home on the drum.   It is a huge powerful sound that could bring granite to tears of emotion.  Grace Jones steps up with suitable crazed charisma to present Muse with best Live Act.  Florence and the Machine arrive to give The Arctic Monkeys best DVD.   It all gets exciting when the cast of Skins appear to present the best new band award.  It has been a good year but it is MGMT who win the award.   The table erupts and Ben and Andrew step up to the stage in pretty bemused fashion.  Total stars giving another surreal twist to the Narnia stage setting.
Dizzee Rascal picks up Dancefloor Filler for him and Calvin Harris’ “Dance with Me” his entrance is the blueprint for how it should be done, climbing over the audience, slapping all of their hands before diving back into the crowd and being carried aloft by them all.  Franz Ferdinand are up on stage in some strikingly colorful suits performing a new song from the album before launching into Blondie’s “Call Me” with La Roux who looks like a very exotic bird for the evening.  Then we get Kings of Leon picking up Best Album, a pretty major achievement, poor loves are in a dressing room in Germany and it is difficult to burst with excitement on that environment.   Big Pink are presented with the Philip Hall Radar award by Rab and Caroline from Glasvegas.   “Didn’t do us much fucking good tonight” chuckles Rab, which is fair comment, they really should be picking up an award.
The moment of real genius for the awards though is getting Damon and Graham back on stage for the first time in public since The Royal Festival Hall back in 2000.   They perform an acoustic version of “This is a Low” and it really does get me, I never thought I would be seeing this again and it is so wonderful to hear Damon singing that song again.   He walks from the stage with his arm round Graham and all is right with the world once more.   Dave and Alex get to crash the party, presenting the best solo artist award to Pete Doherty who still looks an absolute star in this vast fedora.   I go and sit with all of The Blur boys for a while; it is quite something seeing them all together again and all looking so happy and excited.   Jamie is with them bouncing with enthusiasm.  The family is reunited.
Elbow rightfully pick up Outstanding Contribution and The Mighty Boosh of course get the Best TV show.   Glasvegas and Florence deliver an absolutely incredible performance of “Suspicious Minds’ over this huge wall of Phil Spector guitars.  They look incredible up there wrapped around each other on the stage, a proper moment.  The Killers get Best International and then MGMT walk off with Track of the Year for “Time to Pretend” We are all going mental at our table by now, I think they are the only ones to win two awards this evening and it is a real affirmation of everything we have all achieved.   What a journey that has been.   I am sure there are more awards but by now everyone is on their feet and it is all getting properly chaotic.  
The night ends with The Cure delivering a Greatest Hits set.   I would never have expected this to be a fitting climax to what has been the best NME awards I can ever remember, but along with everyone else in the room I find myself squeezed down the front singing along to every word.   They look sensational, Robert Smith all happy and excited at the centre, Simon Gallup a total picture of Rock and Roll cool, straight out of the Ace Café, looking not a day older than when he first joined the band.   And Porl Thompson, a total freakshow but how amazing is he to watch.   This is a band conjured up out of the imagination playing songs that everyone knows and loves at breakneck speed.   It is amazing.   We are all up in the tables dancing to “Killing of an Arab”

I head over to The Scala to speak at a part of Julian Hedley's "lost in Music Seminar"   He set it up in 1992 when Blur lost a lot of money through mismanagement and as their accountant he wanted to make sure this didn't happen to any other up and coming bands.   It's a decent crowd, quite young, all aspiring managers and musicians, a fair few asymetric haircuts in there.   My panel is a little dry working on the assumption that the audience knows nothing.   We explain about publishing deals, collection societies.   it picks up when we move on to discuss the future of the music business.   A guy from

Frukt talks about brand partnerships.   I bang on about the shrinking number of majors, the expanding role of indies, especially those affiliated to majors, DRM free music files, people swapping music on mobiles.
   After I finish I go up to the bar at the top where Jo Whiley is waiting to interview Damon.   He bowls in looking very suave in a pin stripe.   I watch him give one of the best interviews as he explains how the "Lost in Music" panel first came to be through the problems Blur had with their first manager.   he tells this wonderful anecdote about the early days of the band when he booked a rehearsal space over in Hackney and waited for the rest of the band to turn up.   Three hours later and no sign of the band.   Furious he jumps on the train to New Cross where where Alex and Graham lived and kicked in the door to their flat.   He found them both drunk, having a party, Alex playing "Moon River" sat at the piano.   "That" he says "Is what being in a band is like every day.   It wqould be so easy to give up, to feel that the road ahead is insurmountable, but you have to persevere if you want success."   Such true words.

We head over to York Hall in Bethnal Green.   The last time I was here therewas a big boxing ring in the centre of the room, Prince Naseem sittting next to Liam and Patsy.   Before that it was the aftershow for Blur's Mile End show.   In the past it was a music hall.   All of this makes it a perfect setting for the first official show of The Good The Bad and The Queen in the Capital.   It is a lively crowd, largely lads in their thirties and forties, dressed up in Fred Perrys.
   An Emcee comes onstage to announce the band and to tell us that they will be playing their new album in full.   then on come the familiar shapes of Damon and Paul Simenon, Damon sporting his Derby hat, a red Fred Perry, Simenon in a black suit, a black trilby.   they look fantastic, confident, lively.   it is a very different vibe to that night at The Roundhouse, which felt a little under rehearsed, now they feel completely at the top of their game.   Damon tall and proud at the mike, before going off to hammer out instrumental breaks at the piano.   Simenon is like a cat, arched back, bouncing around the stage.   Just try and follow tony Allen's rhythms, I dare you.   They seem so effortless yet you watch what he is doing and it is incredible.   Simon Tong likewise coaxes these amazing sounds from his guitar, yet he is almost moti onless.