Blur and the Magic Whip

In light of the exciting new news last week that Blur will be releasing a new album in April, I've written about it and my feelings toward it on my personal blog. Please go to THIS LINK to read all about it!

(I am in the process of deciding whether to leave this as a standalone blog or whether to merge it with my personal blog since I write about loads of things there, including Blur. I'll be sure to keep readers of this blog up to date if/when that happens).

TONIGHT: Damon at the Royale, Boston

I posted this on my personal blog and wanted to share it here...I'm going to see Damon tonight in Boston and thought it would be fun to dig up my old reviews from when I saw Blur in 2003 and Gorillaz in 2010, so here they are! I'll post my review of tonight's show later on in the week.

http://rnrchemist.blogspot.com/2014/06/preview-damon-albarn-at-royale-in.html

I'm Still Here, But I'm Not *HERE*

Hi everyone,

As you've noticed, there hasn't been much activity on this site as of late. The reason for that is mainly due to the fact that life has been very busy for me, but the other huge reason is that there just hasn't been much (or much interesting) in the way of Blur activity. I was not a big fan of their Greatest Hits reunion tour in 2014 and for me a lot of enthusiasm for the band waned. I'm still a massive fan and still a collector, but the spark just wasn't there for me. That doesn't mean that I am abandoning this site or going to stop updating it...I could never do that! But it means that things will be a bit slow here for the foreseeable future (of course that could always change). 

I'm going to try to update more regularly, in the short term regarding Damon's forthcoming solo album and tour that look to take up most of his 2014. I also have been receiving numerous requests for re-uploads of shows due to all of the dead links. Please know that I've been keeping track of what needs to be updated and I really do want to get those back in working order for all of you. I've been so busy that I either don't have the time to do it or it slips my mind and I forget, but I am going to try and make the effort to be better about this.

I still update the Facebook page with news snippets and my Twitter account as well, so please continue to follow me on those.

I still have some ideas of how to make the experience on this site even better but again, free time is in short supply!

I've also been concentrating on my writing and blogging on my personal website much more, as it's allowed me to really flourish creatively and as a writer and has begun to open up a lot of opportunities for me that go beyond Blur. I invite you to please visit that site and follow it because I think there will be quite a lot that readers of this Blur site will enjoy over there, including music book reviews, write-ups, and article on various other topics of interest to me (and, I hope, you!). The website is HERE and I hope to see many of you there as well!

That's all for now, so keep checking in because I *will* update when I can find the time, you just never know when!

Thanks,

Drew

No News Is No News

I apologize for how quiet it's been on this site...with Blur playing the same setlist night after night, festival after festival, and no gigs since early September, there's really not much to write about. Even with more festivals coming up in the next several weeks and into early 2014, I'm afraid that if I'm to be honest, I have zero interest in what they're doing right now. While I am happy that fans around the world who have never gotten the chance to see them live are getting to do so now, it doesn't interest me beyond that. Add on top of that very busy commitments in my personal and work life, and I don't have a lot of impetus or material to add to this site at the moment.

That does NOT mean I'm going away...if I had the time and resources, I would share more music here, as well as other ideas I have. I'll continue to try and find the time for that, but right now it's got to take a backburner. I will still try to update regularly, though, so please do continue to visit.

On a side note, I've been writing more on my personal webpage, including book reviews, and if you want to read more of my writing, Blur-related and otherwise, please come have a look!

Thanks and please feel free to comment below and discuss this with me. Have you lost interest in Blur at the moment, too?

Blur announce 2014 dates

Blur have announced Australian, New Zealand, and Japan dates for 2014. The Greatest Hits tour shows no signs of slowing down! 

Very happy for all of you in these places who will get to see them! 

Blur 21: The Exhibition

This will be in Dublin this Thursday, August 1, from noon to 8pm. If you're in town for the show, check out the exhibit!

New Book Review Coming Soon

My complimentary copy of the new Blur biography arrived today (thank you, Omnibus Press)! The agreement was they would send it to me for free and I have to read and review it on my website and on the Blur forums. 

I'm looking forward to reading it and getting started!

UPDATED Tour Schedule for 2013

Here's the most up-to-date tour schedule for the remainder of 2013:

3 Jul Gdynia, Poland
5 Jul Werchter, Belgium
7 Jul Belfort, France
13 Jul Moscow, Russia
27 Jul Nyon, Switzerland
28 Jul Milan, Italy
29 Jul Rome, Italy
1 Aug Dublin, Ireland
7 Aug Oslo, Norway
9 Aug Budapest, Hungary
6 Sep Berlin, Germany
29 Oct Lima, Peru
2 Nov Buenos Aires, Argentina
4 Nov Montevideo, Uruguay
7 Nov Santiago, Chile
9 Nov Sao Paulo, Brazil

New Album from Hong Kong?

The big news from this week is that onstage in Hong Kong, Damon told the crowd that since their Japanese and Tapei gigs got cancelled, they may spend the free week recording a new album. See the video in this article for the actual quote:

http://www.nme.com/news/blur--2/70142

Or if you just want to see the video:

What do you think? Are you getting your hopes up, or being a bit cynical and skeptical (like me) that this is just Damon saying another thing that ends up not happening? What do you think? Either way, it's made for some interesting debate!

Tokyo Rocks Festival Cancelled

The Tokyo Rocks Festival in Japan that Blur was due to appear at in May has been cancelled...

http://louderthanwar.com/tokyo-rocks-2013-cancelled/

This is unfortunate for the band's Japanese fans, who are known as being amongst the most rabid and fanatical of all of their fans, especially judging from multiple bootleg recordings and videos of shows. They also seem to bring the best and wildest side of Blur out, so this is really too bad.

It's still unclear why this was cancelled...what do you think? Any ideas or info why?

(And NO, this is not an April Fool's post! I posted this same news item on my Facebook and Twitter pages yesterday...this is legit!)

Set List From Last Night

The first gig of 2013 was last night, and as expected (but still disappointing), it was the same set as last year (apart from bringing There's No Other Way back and dropping The Puritan)

1. Popscene
2. There's No Other Way
3. Girls & Boys
4. Tracy Jacks
5. Jubilee
6. Beetlebum
7. Out of Time
8. Trimm Trabb
9. Caramel
10. Coffee & TV
11. Tender
12. Country House
13. Parklife
14. Song 2
15. Advert
16. End of a Century
17. This Is a Low
18. Encore:
18. Under The Westway
19. For Tomorrow
20. The Universal 
     
    How do you feel about this? Pleased? Disappointed?

It Starts Today!

The first Blur concert of the year kicks off today in Mexico at El Plaza Condesa, followed by the first festival of the year tomorrow (also in Mexico).

Keep checking here for up-to-the-date info: set lists, photos, etc, and feel free to share your own info!

Updated tour itinerary

More blur dates!

More dates have been announced, including these 2…

So Far, Unanimous Praise for Black Book (2nd Edition)!

I've been truly humbled and flattered by the response to my newest book, Black Book: The Live History of Blur (2nd Edition). I'd like to share the feedback I've gotten, not only as a (small) feather in my cap (I can't resist!), but also to hopefully persuade anyone sitting on the fence that this book is worth getting if you're a Blur fan, BritPop fan, music fan, or whatever.

Some of the reviews for the book since it's release in December 2012:

"Got it tonight. Absolutely brilliant! I've been listening to the CDs and reading about the concerts - using the book like a mega set of liner notes. There are some priceless rareties here for sure, but the selections made are better because the author truly knows what he's talking talking about. I've got a stack of live CDs from hunting around Record fairs in the 90s, and this book is going to give them a new lease of life! Thank you"

"Got mine on Saturday. A joy to read. A real labour of love isn't it? It's great that there is a book like this out there. Well done"

"Got it in the mail today. Read a few entries and I'm really impressed. The concert reviews are super in-depth. Thanks for your hard work!"

"Just got mine from Amazon UK, and it's coming with me on a business trip next week so I'll have plenty time to get into it on the flight! It looks great Drew!"

"I loved it! Real page-turner. Great insight to B-Roads was a bonus."

"Mine arrived yesterday and it's awesome!"

"Mine arrived this morning, had a quick glance and it looks very purty you should be very proud"

"Got mine this morning, just about to go through it. Thanks so much, looks great!"

"I am completely stunned by the amount of information in this book and the scene-by-scene review of B-Roads is wonderful. Thank you for giving us a glimpse into the great mystery! This book is an ABSOLUTE MUST HAVE for hardcore Blur fans. Such a great read and research tool. Thank you so much for your effort, it's greatly appreciated!"   

And so far, all 5-Star reviews on Amazon:

Amazon.co.uk reviews
Amazon.com reviews

So if you've got the book, I'd love to hear your feedback, good or bad (and if it's good, I'd appreciate it if you reviewed it on Amazon, your website, anywhere...and share the link, please!).

And if you don't have the book yet, isn't this enough to make you want to go out and get it? :-) 

 

The Dust Has Settled and Black Book 2 is Available Worldwide

The book is available worldwide on Amazon websites and all of the pre-order packages were shipped out a week or so ago and are beginning to arrive. So far the response to the book has been 100% positive and I hope it continues to be and that everyone is enjoying it!

Now to take a break from writing and very soon get back to maintaining this page on a regular basis!

Black Book 2 is now available at Amazon

Black Book 2 is now available HERE on Amazon.com and, very shortly, on Amazon sites worldwide.

Black Book 2 is now available!

The book is done and now live for purchase! It will be available on Amazon worldwide in about a week, but if you can't wait, it is available directly from the publisher RIGHT NOW at https://www.createspace.com/4036877.

Also, I am awaiting a box full of copies for you pre-order folks, and I am currently burning the compilation CDRs. As soon as I get the books delivered, I will be signing them, packaging them with the compilation, and shipping! As always, I'll keep you updated every step of the way :-)

The End Is Here!

No, the world didn't end today! The final manuscript version's digital proof is here. I'm going to give this a final once-over today and then it'll be done and I'll just be waiting for the real copies to be delivered!

UPDATE: Book Finished

Book is done! Submitted for final review and then it will be all finished. I'll spend the weekend burning the compilation while I wait for the books to be printed and arrive.