Blur live at Wembley Stadium by Phoebe Fox
A triumph for Blur at one of their biggest ever shows.
Mile End aside, Blur were never a stadium band even if they could easily have been, but when Steve Lamacq interviewed them earlier in the year the conversation turned to their Wembley Stadium shows.
Pressed by the DJ on the scale of the venue, Damon Albarn was indifferent to the size of the crowd, claiming: “It’s just multiples of the same people.”
As is his wont, the difference between Interviewee Damon and Frontman Damon is vast. To be frank, it’s a rare sight to see him tonight without a shit-eating grin on his face, from when the group step onto the stage and he stands at the front (taking it all in while wearing some very fetching Harry Palmer spectacles) to the group hug after the last number, Albarn and his bandmates are very obviously living the dream (which he confesses to mid-gig).
Three diverse support acts, all equally high calibre, function as testament to Blur’s forward-thinking mentality: Jockstrap’s neu-noise is an acquired taste on record but live it all makes sense, while Sleaford Mods’ skull-thudding beats lose none of their potency in the vast arena. Self-Esteem probably pips them both however, if only for her backdrop of life advice, including ‘Don’t Fuck Up The Blur Gig’.
There’s something glorious about Albarn’s first vocals in the iconic venue being ‘I fucked up’, but the Scary Monsters-esque St. Charles Square is a reminder that Blur aren’t all about the past, with a promising new album due later this month.
Shrewdly however, they only play two choice cuts from The Ballad Of Darren (both singles) and cram the rest of the set with something for everyone, fair-weather fans and the hardcore alike.
Deemed a flop on release, it seems unlikely that even the never-lacking-in-confidence Albarn thought that Popscene would ever be played at Wembley Stadium but there it is, as large as life and louder than ever.
In contrast, Tracy Jacks is a staple of their live set which sees the frontman wading into the crowd on the first of many occasions, while Graham Coxon takes the limelight on Trimm Trabb, he and Rowntree wrenching everything out of their respective instruments, the latter even indulging in a drum solo.
For those who doubted Blur’s capacity to fill Wembley Stadium, the foursome thumb a nose and keep it only to the main band, with no additional musicians.
Although Albarn picks up a guitar on occasion, Graham Coxon’s staccato, angular wall of sound works in a stadium to devastating effect, particularly on the likes of Villa Rosie and a wonky, trippy Oily Water which descends into a psychedelic, art-pop whirlpool. Best of all is his windswept solo on This Is A Low, which threatens to blow the whole stadium away.
When announced, the Wembley shows were ostensibly to celebrate 30 years of Modern Life Is Rubbish, although in the intervening months (and with new material on the way) that message has been diluted, but a healthy chunk of the set is dedicated to the seminal album, with a glorious For Tomorrow – which could and should go on forever – a particular high point.
Likewise on Under The Westway (played for the first in 9 years), which Albarn dedicates to the capital city and seems to hold back the tears, or during End Of A Century, the emotion of which is slightly undermined as he wears a Darren facemask. Unsurprisingly, the most affecting moment is during a highly charged Tender in the encore, the London Community Gospel Choir at points drowning out Albarn and Coxon through sheer power and emotion.
Elsewhere, the Blur purists are rewarded with a blistering Stereotypes, a frenzied Advert and a playful Lot 105 (making its first appearance for 29 years), during which Albarn attempts to involve the crowd by encouraging them to chant ‘Wembley’ before jokingly reprimanding our poor timing.
They need no guidance on Song 2 however, woo-hooing accordingly, or on Parklife when, to no one’s surprise, Phil Daniels joins them onstage.
Even if the song is overly familiar and uncharacteristically laddish, the brotherly camaraderie between Daniels and Albarn brings smiles to everyone’s faces. Likewise Country House (with the singer wearing a deerstalker hat), once an albatross around their necks but now as joyous as anything else, with the crowd singing the ‘blow me out, I am so sad’ section while Albarn confirms that – at that moment – he’s anything but.
In a neat bit of Easter Egg fan service, he wears a FILA tracksuit top for Girls And Boys (identical to the one he wore in the video) and explains that the original is lost but FILA Italy made a new one for the show, which becomes (one presumes) a metaphor for his band:
“What a wonderful thing it is to lose something and then have something like a whole business recreate it for you. It’s a bad precedent, really, and I really shouldn’t get used to it. Think about it.”
Thereafter instant classic The Narcissist and a spiritually uplifting The Universal round out an unforgettable night.
With nothing in the way of special effects, aside from two mirrorballs and the band name above the stage, Blur let the music do the talking with an epic show that unfortunately goes by far too quickly.
One for the ages.