Despite premiering a new song with Graham Coxon at a pre-Brits party last month, Damon Albarn has cooled suggestions Blur are planning a new album, and has instead described ‘Under The Westway‘ as being a ‘last little coda’ for the band.
With their Brit Awards appearance, a planned summer Hyde Park gig and the unveiling of new material recently, it seemed Blur were moving into a period of increased activity which fans had hoped would eventually lead to the first studio release from the original line-up since 1999.
However, in an interview with The Quietus, Albarn has revealed he ‘doesn’t really do anything with Blur’ anymore, and hinted the recording of ‘Under The Westway’ will prove to be no more than a one off.
“I’ve done a new tune for Blur, it’s really traditional,” he said. “It’s something I’ve had knocking about for years and didn’t know what to do with it. Initially I wrote it as a slightly wistful national anthem for my house, I had this idea of getting it made into an old 78 record and making a flag and then just playing it – just being really silly. But I had these chords and I ended up writing this tune around it.”
“I don’t really do anything with Blur anymore – there’s this concert this year but it’s not a full time thing at all. Maybe this tune’s a last little coda to the whole story.”
Blur will appear at London’s Hyde Park on August 12th to mark the end of this summer’s Olympic Games, headlining an impressive bill which also includes New Order and The Specials.