NME magazine wrote in 1991, " are acceptable pretty face of a whole clump of bands that have emerged since the whole Manchester thing started to run out of steam." As a result of the single's success, Blur became pop stars and were accepted into a clique of bands who frequented The Syndrome club in London dubbed " The Scene That Celebrates Itself". The resulting single release, " There's No Other Way", became a hit, peaking at number eight. The band had trouble creating a follow-up single, but they made progress when paired with producer Stephen Street. In October 1990, after their tour was over, Blur released the " She's So High" single, which reached number 48 in the UK Singles Chart. įrom March to July 1990, Blur toured Britain, opening for The Cramps, and testing out new songs. Food Records finally signed the newly christened band in March 1990. Food drew up a list of alternatives, from which the band decided on "Blur". The only concern held by Ross and Food was that they disliked the band's name. In November, Food Records' A&R representative Andy Ross attended a Seymour performance that convinced him to court the group for his label.
![blur members blur members](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SckgC8wY394/TYf0zfwGH0I/AAAAAAAAAhk/DVaulL6f52k/s1600/2765637403_268188b4a7-2-1.jpg)
The group performed live for the first time in summer 1989. This new group named themselves Seymour in December 1988, inspired by J.D. That December, Circus fired two members and James joined as the group's bassist. Circus requested the services of Coxon after the departure of their guitarist. Albarn was in a group named Circus, who were joined by drummer Dave Rowntree that October. History Formation and Leisure: 1988–91 Ĭhildhood friends Damon Albarn and Graham Coxon met Alex James when they began studying at London's Goldsmiths College in 1988. 1.4 Coxon's departure, Think Tank and hiatus: 2001–07.2.4 Coxon's departure, Think Tank and hiatus: 2001–07.In 2012, Blur received a Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. In 2008 Blur reunited, with Coxon back in the fold, for a series of concerts and have continued to release several singles and retrospective releases. After a 2003 tour without Coxon, Blur did no studio work or touring as a band, as members engaged in other projects. Containing electronic sounds and more minimal guitar work, the album was marked by Albarn's growing interest in hip hop and African music. In May 2002, Coxon left Blur during the recording of their seventh album Think Tank (2003). Their next album, 13 (1999) saw the band members experimenting with electronic and gospel music, and featured more personal lyrics from Albarn. " Song 2", one of the album's singles, brought Blur mainstream success in the United States. In recording their follow-up, Blur (1997), the band underwent another reinvention, showing influence from the lo-fi style of American indie rock groups. As a result, the band helped to popularise the Britpop genre and achieved mass popularity in the UK, aided by a chart battle with rival band Oasis in 1995 dubbed "The Battle of Britpop". 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). Blur's debut album Leisure (1991) incorporated the sounds of Madchester and shoegazing. Formed in London in 1988 as Seymour, the group consists of singer/keyboardist Damon Albarn, guitarist/singer Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree.