Blur

Blur
Background information
Origin	London, UK
Genres	Alternative rock, Britpop, indie rock
Labels	Food, Parlophone, Virgin, SBK
Years active	1988–2003, 2008-present
Website	blur.co.uk
Members	Damon Albarn Graham Coxon Alex James Dave Rowntree
Musicians

Blur are an English rock band, formed in London in 1988. The group consists of singer/keyboardist Damon Albarn, guitarist/singer Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree.

The band were a support act for Duran Duran in 1993.

Background information

Their debut album Leisure (1991) incorporated the sounds of Manchester and shoegazing. Following a stylistic change influenced by English guitar pop groups such as the Kinks, the Beatles and XTC, Blur released Modern Life is Rubbish (1993), Parklife (1994) and The Great Escape (1995). In the process, the band helped establish the Britpop genre and achieved mass popularity in the UK, aided by a chart battle with rivals Oasis in 1995 dubbed the "Battle of Britpop".

In recording their follow-up, Blur (1997), the band underwent another reinvention, showing influence from the lo-fi style of American indie rock groups. The album, including the "Song 2" single, brought Blur mainstream success in the United States.

Their next album, 13 (1999) saw the band members experimenting with electronic and gospel music, and featured more personal lyrics from Albarn. In May 2002, Coxon left Blur during the recording of their seventh album Think Tank (2003). Containing electronic sounds and more minimal guitar work, the album was marked by Albarn's growing interest in hip hop and African music.

Blur reunited, with Coxon back in the fold, for a series of concerts in 2009. In the following years they released several singles and retrospective compilations, and toured internationally.

Graham Coxon was one of many co-producers for Duran Duran's 2021 album, Future Past and was the guitarist for their live performance on the 2021 Billboard Music Awards.