What now?

So the Blur reunion is over*. Still no word on any other dates, so for now it looks as if this was it. I'm obviously still hoping for a last minute announcement of a one-off American show...you never know.

So now what? Well I'm pretty sure Victorian Horror might switch over into full on Plastic Beach hysteria. The announcements about the new Gorillaz album are becoming more and more hype-worthy. I mean The Horrors? On a Gorillaz album? It's like my fantasy band come to life.
Another upcoming topic will be the Pitchfork festival, which is this weekend. I'm only going on Sunday (due to other commitments), but I'm really excited to see M83 again...and Grizzly Bear!

So, all is not lost. The Blur reunion has made me realize that, while Blur are, and always will be, my favorite band; I'm actually more excited about the new things that Damon's doing. Now in a perfect world that would include a new Blur album.

*Maybe.

The Universal at T In The Park 2009

Want to know what it's like at the very back of a Blur show?


Thanks to john18722 for the video.

Blur's T In The Park show to be canceled? went on as scheduled.

UPDATE: Blur went on a little late...but Graham made it to their final gig.


The NME is reporting that Graham's in hospital, and that Blur might need to postpone or cancel their headlining slot at T In The Park.

Could the hospital stay be due to Graham's lunch? Six hours ago he tweeted this: "oysters and mackeral at the fishers, lieth. super place!!"

Uh oh. I'm sure the oysters and mackerel are great...and yep Leith is a really cool place, but maybe lay off the shellfish on the day of a big show.

Anyway, I guess check NME for updates since they've apparently got the details.

Get well soon Graham!

Punchdrunk's "It Started With A Kiss" sounds terrifying

The Manchester International Festival should be pretty familiar to Victorian Horror readers (and/or Damon Albarn fans). It is, of course the birthplace of his, and Jamie Hewlett's, Monkey: Journey To The West. This year, Damon's contribution is even more oblique than a Chinese opera. His score accompanies Punchdrunk and Adam Curtis' It Started With A Kiss.

Punchdrunk is a performance art theatre troupe (if I'm understanding it correctly). They've created a sort of haunted house in an abandoned Manchester building. It's not your normal haunted house though, instead of ghosts and monsters, you're haunted by the spectre of America's rise as a superpower...and the dark secrets hidden behind the happy pop culture.

I've read several reviews, and, well, it sounds terrifying. At one point I briefly flirted with the idea of flying to Manchester to see the Blur show, then staying on until July to catch this. After reading the reviews, I'm sort of glad I didn't get myself into that position! Not that I don't think it'll be amazing, it would be cool to hear Damon's score performed by the Kronos Quartet, but I'm not a fan of enclosed spaces...or being chased by a maniac with a chainsaw!

The Times' Review: It Felt Like a Kiss at the Quay House, Spinningfields, Manchester

The Guardian: Theatre reviews: It Felt Like a Kiss, Forbidden Broadway, Apologia

It Felt Like a Kiss

The Untied States of America
It Felt Like a Kiss scared me to death

Blur @ Oxegen festival

Here's the first Youtube upload of the night, from cno10018. It's blurry, it's grainy, it's Beetlebum.

THIS is what I feared most about the Blur reunion: The NME resurrects the Oasis/Blur feud.

Oh, The NME. Why must you try so hard to capture a time (now long gone) in which you were relevant?

I'm actually amazed it took this long for the Blur-Oasis feud-mill to start up again. The NME basically invented the feud, and now they're trying to cash in on the Blur reunion themselves by instigating the rivalry all over again.

It seems slightly ridiculous. Yes, Oasis were the more popular band in the long run, they sold more records. But using that criteria is useless in actually gauging which band is better. It's sort of like saying Celine Dion is better than Bjork. If you're saying "better" to mean broader in their appeal, then yes, Oasis are "better".

If you're basing better on talent, innovation, musicianship, or critical acclaim...then it's obviously Blur who come out on top.

The end.

I know which one I'd rather be.

Blur Vs Oasis- It's Back On. [NME]

Washington Post's David Malitz requests that Blur come to America. Lets make this a movement!

Ha, validation! It's not just pasty ex-pats that want Blur to come here.
I think we should fill the comment section on his piece with our support? No?

Read it here: The Stars Will Be Out For MJ; Panic in Panic at the Disco Land; Please Come to America, Blur.