Blur to reunite for one-off Wembley show next year

Blur have announced a one-off 2023 show to take place at London’s Wembley stadium on 8 July. It will be the iconic London four-piece’s first show since 2015 and first at Wembley; they will be supported by Northampton rapper Slowthai, acclaimed pop musician Self Esteem, and rising experimental pop duo Jockstrap. Although the group – frontman Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree – released their debut album in 1991, 2023 marks 35 years since their 1988 formation.

“We really love playing these songs and thought it’s about time we did it again,” Albarn said in a statement. “I’m really looking forward to playing with my Blur brothers again and revisiting all those great songs,” Coxon said. “Blur live shows are always amazing for me. A nice guitar and an amp turned right up and loads of smiling faces.”

James said that there’s “something really special” about Blur reunions, with Rowntree adding that “after the chaos of the last few years, it’s great to get back out to play some songs together on a summer’s day in London.” The last time Blur played a full set in the UK was in June 2015 at Hyde Park.

Blur’s return is the second major 2023 Britpop reunion to be announced in recent weeks. Late last month, Sheffield band Pulp announced that they would be reuniting for the second time, with their first performances in 10 years set for next summer. Notably, the tour won’t include bassist Steve Mackey, who said that he would be stepping back from the tour to focus on other creative projects. “Three months ago, we asked, What exactly do you do for an encore?” frontman Jarvis Cocker said in a statement. “An encore happens when the crowd makes enough noise to bring the band back to the stage … Come along & make some noise.”