
BLUR
Live At Wembley Stadium (Parlophone)
While time has traded Damon Albarn’s boyish vocals for a more matured mockney, he still clutches onto higher notes with both hands, only losing grip in certain moments on new live album, Live At Wembley Stadium. “Oh fuck! I just slip away…” Albarn chokes, tripping over the more delicate parts of Beetlebum.
This live album selects the best bits of one of Blur’s 2023 Wembley shows, where the listener gets a real sense of the excitement behind this highly anticipated reunion performance. The last few years have seen a revival in Britpop adoration – music, fashion, football and politics are stirring a cultural reminiscence. Blur are playing their part in the nostalgia trip.
On Trimm Trabb and Coffee & TV, Graham Coxon plays skilfully with the ease he exuded in the 90s, while the live atmosphere only emboldens the listening experience. The same can be said for 1999 song Tender, featuring the London Community Gospel Choir. Their beautiful arrangement leans into the raw joyfulness projected in every part of the set.
This 90,000-person stadium show is a vibrant and relevant selection for a Blur live album: it shows them at their strongest contemporarily, and the timing just seems right.
words TERESA DELFINO