Blur Confirm They Aren't Finished: "It's a Question of When, Not If"

Despite a famously mismatched booking at Coachella in 2024, where their headline set did not go down well with the younger audience and prompted a frustrated Damon Albarn to call out the static crowd, Blur's inner fire appears to be burning as brightly as ever.

Blur Frontman Damon Albarn, Coachella Festival 2024 © Coachella / YouTube Still

The band are far from broken up, merely resting between cycles. According to drummer Dave Rowntree, the Britpop icons are definitely not finished, and fans should absolutely expect the four-piece to reconvene for more music and live shows in the future. However, with their legendary 1990s rivals currently dominating the headlines, it seems Blur is happy to wait their turn before stepping back into the ring.

A 'Question of When' for Blur's Next Chapter

The 62-year-old drummer recently revealed that the band, also comprising Damon Albarn, Alex James, and Graham Coxon, left their latest run of dates feeling energised rather than exhausted. Speaking to The Sun about the potential for future projects, Rowntree kept his cards close to his chest but left plenty of room for optimism.

“I think there’ll be something else. There’s nothing in the diary, but you can’t read anything into that. There’s never anything in the diary,” he explained.

Blur, Coachella 2024 © Coachella / YouTube Still

Reflecting on the conclusion of their recent touring cycle, Rowntree noted that the group parted ways on remarkably good terms.

“So we all finished the last tour thinking, well, that worked pretty well. That was fun, and we haven’t always felt that at the end of three years of touring,” he recalled, detailing the band's final moments together at the airport. “So I seem to remember us at Heathrow picking up our bags, giving each other a hug and saying, ‘we’ll do that again’. That’s my take on it, that it’s a question of when rather than if, but of course you ask the other people in the band, they may give you a different answer.”

The Magic of Reconvening

Following a massive eight-year gap between 2015's The Magic Whip and their 2023 chart-topping record The Ballad of Darren, Blur has settled into a comfortable, infrequent rhythm. According to Rowntree, these sporadic bursts of activity are exactly what keep the creative spark alive.

“I suppose these days it’s almost full circle in that we don’t do it enough for it to be routine anymore,” he reflected. “So we’re back to the thrill of playing together and things being a very exciting idea, the band getting back together, and us being in the studio again.”

Because all four members pursue their own extensive side projects when Blur is resting, every return brings fresh perspectives to the studio.

“We only do it every five years or so, so it’s a real pleasure to play with these people and rediscover their musicality. We’re all making music still, so we’re all developing as musicians. It’s really interesting to get back together again and see how our musicality has changed.”

Avoiding the Oasis 'Hornet’s Nest'

While Rowntree is enthusiastic about getting back to work, bassist Alex James has firmly stated that the band will not be rushing anything, especially if it means competing with Oasis.

With the Gallagher brothers' mammoth Oasis Live '25 tour already in the history books and rumours swirling of further shows in 2027, James recently told Radio X host Chris Moyles that Blur is deliberately avoiding any scheduling clashes to avoid reviving their famous Britpop chart wars.

“I think we need to let Oasis get their stuff out of the way before we even sort of countenance," James admitted.

Oasis, Wembley Stadium, Live '25 Tour © Raph PH

Read the latest Oasis news.

When Moyles jokingly suggested that Blur should have booked Knebworth to ironically celebrate the 30th anniversary of Oasis' historic 1996 gigs, which saw a staggering 250,000 fans attend across two nights, James was quick to shut the idea down entirely. (Read about the latest Oasis Knebworth news) “No, no. Honestly, honestly, I don’t want to poke that hornet’s nest again, trust me!”

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Ellis Douglas
Editor, BritRock Heaven