The reunited British superstars Blur returned to life over the weekend at the tiny venue East Anglian Railway Museum near Colchester, England. Reason being that it was the first place that the band ever played, at a party all those 21 years ago before they had even settled on a name. The group - featuring returned founding member Graham Coxon on guitar - ran through 28 songs spanning their entire career to rapt attention from the huddled masses. The BBC were one of the
enthused:
It's hard to think of a post-Britpop band who can pluck at the same range of emotions as Blur, and whose tunes are underpinned by similarly astute songwriting and storytelling. They may reclaim the heavyweight crown after all, and there is also now the tantalising prospect of new material.
While NME
reports the band played:
'She's So High'
'Girls And Boys'
'Tracy Jacks'
'There's No Other Way'
'Jubilee'
'Badhead'
'Beetlebum'
'Trimm Trabb'
'Coffee & TV'
'Tender'
'Country House'
'Charmless Man'
'Colin Zeal'
'Oily Water'
'Chemical World'
'Sunday Sunday'
'Parklife'
'End Of A Century'
'To The End'
'This Is A Low'
'Popscene'
'Advert'
'Song 2'
'Out Of Time'
'Battery In Your Leg'
'Essex Dogs'
'For Tomorrow'
'The Universal'
Thanks to the powers of YouTube and some ratbag up the front (literally - being nudged by Albarn) with a High Definition hand held camera, proof:
Blur - 'Girls & Boys'
Blur - 'Song 2'
Blur - 'Parklife'
More videos.
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We've heard some fairly authoritative rumours that epic guitar-twiddlers
Sonic Youth may well just be the next curators of the Australian series of All Tomorrow's Parties concerts. Um, yes. (We were right - and first -
about MGMT for Splendour, so let's consider us authoritative too hey? Oh speaking of which, MGMT debuted a new song - 'Congratulations' - over the weekend, which is supposedly the name of their next record. We'll see about that. Maybe even at Splendour.
Watch it here.). Lee Ranaldo and Thurston Moore from Sonic Youth both now have their
own line of Jazzmasters. Want.
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Also returning to life over the weekend were indie-metal pioneers
Faith No More. The band - without original guitarist Jim Martin - reconvened at the Download festival in the UK. In classic, piss-taking Faith No More form, the band elected not to open with a blitzkrieg of fist pumping and back-slapping, but a limping, pimp suit wearing Mike Patton walking on stage with a handbag and walking stick to perform an R&B lounge version of the Peaches & Herb tear-jerker 'Reunited'.
Then they ripped into 'The Real Thing'...
Faith No More - 'Reunited'
Faith No More - 'The Real Thing'
Faith No More - 'Land of Sunshine'
Epic.
A bunch more here.
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And lastly in weekend '90s band news, Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor told the crowd at the Bonnaroo festival in the US on Saturday that "this is our last show ever in the United States". But also: "Don't be sad, I'll keep going...it's just that I think I'd lose my fucking mind if I kept doing this". But Trent, that's when they like you! More
NINJA tunes perhaps? Or just
love ballads from now on?