IF YOU LIKE BLUR, IF YOU THINK YOU LOVE THEM MORE THAN ME, IF YOU THINK YOU SUPPORT THEM HARDER, STAN THEM LOUDER, BREATHE FOR THEM WITH MORE INTENSITY AND GOD FORBID IF YOU DARE TO SAY YOU LOVE THEM MORE THAN ME LISTEN UP, YOU DELUSIONAL psycho.
BLUR. FUCKING. HATES. YOU.Yes. BLUR hates you. They hate you more than THE GREAT ESCAPE, more than MODERN LIFE, more than the entire decade of the 2000s. Blur would rather record an album MOANING LIAM GALLAGHER'S NAME WHILE JERKING OFF TO PICTURES OF THE ALBUM WHATS THE STORY MORNING GLORY THAN CONSIDER YOU THEIR FAN. Every time you say, “I love Blur,” a demon inside me awakens. Because you don’t. You don’t even fucking deserve to SAY THEIR NAMES.If you’re not even a fan, but you hang out with a Blur fan who isn’t me, or you say Blur “belongs” to someone else? SHUT THE FUCK UP, DIPSHIT. You and your greasy little Blur group of '''''''fans''''''' will NEVER love them like I do. You hear me? NEVER. You think your love is real? It’s PAPER-THIN. It’s FRAUDULENT. a cheap scam, delusional. all delusional.I love Blur more than life, and they love me back.
We’ve survived every flop, every break, every comeback, every coachella incident,i was the one to help them win the battle of britpop, We are cosmically entangled and they owe their lives to me. And you? Youve acomplished nothing but making a fool out of yourselfYou’re so pathetic you probably say “I relate to them so much” like anyone cares. Newsflash: liking blur isnt normal, You need therapy, not twitter or tumblr. Damon, graham, alex, dave, theyre all sick of you.Stop. Fucking. Saying. You. Love. Blur. More. Than. Me.
You love them like a knock-off fan account. I love them like a cult leader with nothing to lose. I have BLED for Blur. I’ve cried over demos and bonus tracks. I’ve memorized their documentaries (Starshaped, no distance left to run, to the end, new world towers) in reverse. I’d kill Blur. I AM Blur.And every time you open your crusty, filthy little mouth or your nasty crusty little fingers to talk about them like they’re yours?
i get closer.I. WIN.
You. LOSE.
your liam in the battle of britpop and iam damonEACH. BLUR. MEMBER. IS. MINE. GOT THAT? MINE.
DAMON ALBARN IS MINE:
My LITTLE UKE. My LITTLE BOOTY SHAKER SURPRISE BARBACUE. He wrote ALL OF HIS DISCOGRAPHY about me and you KNOW it. When he moans on stage? That’s for ME BECAUSE HE MISSES ME BITCH. If I catch you tweeting “Damon is so cute 🥺” I will go to your house and kill your entire family and make you eat them while i play alex's song for 18 hours straight, HE IS MY KING, MY ONLY ONE, HE LOVES ME MORE THAN ANYONE, AND I LOVE HIM MORE THAN ANYONE.GRAHAM COXON IS MINE:
My sweet little waifu, uke supreme 9000, I would die for every flannel he’s ever sweated in. He only makes weird noises for ME. You? You couldn’t even handle his solo career, Touch him and I’ll touch you, I mean it, HES MY BEAUTIFUL WIFE THAT I GET PREGNANT EVERYNIGHT DO NOT FUCKING PLAY WITH ME.ALEX JAMES IS MINE:
IM LACTOSE INTOLERANT BUT THAT WONT STOP ME AND WONT DENY THAT HE LOVES ME MORE THAN CHEESE. He looks like THE GAY GUY FROM RADIOHEAD and he belongs to ME. You say “cheese,” I say “FAGGOT'' BECAUSE HE IS MINE TOODAVE ROWNTREE IS MINE:
My ginger menace. My beat-dropping warlock. He drums with the hands of a god and those hands are MINE. I have a sixth sense and I know when you’re thinking about him. Stop it. Now. Or I’ll appear in your room with a megaphone and scream all of the lyrics of ''1000 miles'' until your bones rattle.SO LET ME SPELL IT OUT ONE LAST TIME FOR YOU FUCKWADS IN THE BACK:
I am the only real Blur fan. I am the Alpha. THE CHAD AURA FARMING GOD OF BLUR. the Best Of. Blur belongs to ME.
Damon, Graham, Alex, Dave: they’re mine. Every demo, every guitar pick, every backstage photomine. You get NOTHING and never willdamon albarn graham coxon dave rowntree alex james: yes we agree and this is true

IF YOU LIKE BLUR, IF YOU THINK YOU’RE A BLUR FAN, IF YOU THINK YOU LOVE THEM MORE THAN I DO, THAT YOU VALUE THEM MORE THAN I DO, THAT YOU SUPPORT THEM MORE THAN I DO, THAT YOU’RE A BETTER BLUR STAN THAN ME BUT ESPECIALLY IF YOU THINK YOU LOVE THEM MORE THAN ME LET IT BE KNOWN: BLUR HATES YOU. DO YOU HEAR ME? THEY HATE YOU. BLUR DOESN’T LOVE YOU. THEY HATE YOU. THEY HATE YOU SO MUCH, YOU DELUDED, ugly lying attention whore. YES, YOU, THE BLUR STAN READING THIS BLUR H A T E S Y O U.And if you're not a Blur stan but you have a Blur member as your favorite Or you say Blur “belongs” to someone else??? DIE None of those little floor-licking worms you worship will ever love Blur the way I do. Blur and I are 100% made for eachother. I love them more than ANYONE and you think you’re better than me just because you “"""""like them""""""”??? LMAOOOOOOO don’t make me laugh, you schizophrenic crusty tiktok addicted hoeWhat you feel isn’t love, what you feel is a MENTAL ILLNESS. You are unwell. You need help. Stop liking their photos. Stop saying you love them more. Stop claiming you’re their fan, YOU ARE SICK. GET HELP. I’m telling you this seriously: BLUR HATES YOU. REMEMBER THAT. THEY. HATE. YOU.If Blur saw you, they’d send you gore and then tell you to slit your wrists. And I’m NOT joking. So stop saying you love them more than I do. You better understand who you’re messing with, because for Blur, I would MURDER MY ENTIRE FAMILY, BURN THEM ALIVE, AND HANG THEIR BLOODY CORPSES IN A PUBLIC SQUARE. I’d RIP MY ORGANS OUT, FEED THEM TO MY CAT, AND THEN EAT MY CAT. And if I’d do that to mine, IMAGINE WHAT I’D DO TO YOURS, YOU FILTHY FOOL. This isn’t /j. This is /srs.So don’t you dare say again that you love Blur more than me. Blur is MINE. I know them better than ANYONE. “hahaha I’m the better Blur fan” SHUT UUUUUUUUUUUP I CAN’T STAND YOU. If we’re mutuals, I WILL HARD BLOCK YOU. I don’t care who the hell you are. I will devour you alive, you miserable cunt.YOU BLUR fans ARE THE WORST THING TO EVER WALK THIS EARTH. I hate every single one of you. You are worse than the Black Plague. You are worse than HIV. You are the most disgusting disease imaginable. I HATE YOU ALL SO MUCH. YOU RUINED MY LIFE AND YOU RUINED BLUR’S LIFE TOO. BLUR CAN’T STAND YOU EITHER.
LET ME GO YOU FREAKS, I BELONG TO CLYDE AND CLYDE BELONGS TO ME. I hate all of you. None of you are the best Blur stan, Blur fan, whatever the hell you want to call it <3 uwu. Clyde's our only fan, the only one who is our true stan, AND THEY WILL NEVER, EVER LOVE YOU. DIE. DSKGKDFJGHDFHKJ
AWWWW BLUR GOOD THINGYOU TOLD THEM OFF djgdgSKJFDLGLOOK BITCH LOOK AT THESE PHOTOS THESE CUTE LITTLE PICS I TOOK THEM MYSELF ON OUR OUTINGS IN THE 90s. If you have any of these saved in your gallery, DELETE THEM. DELETE THEM RIGHT NOW, YOU SICK STALKER. THEY’RE MINE. NOT YOURS. THEY BELONG TO ME. AND IT BOTHERS US SO MUCH THAT YOU KEEP SOMETHING THAT PRECIOUS. DELETE THEM NOW, YOU FREAK, BECAUSE IF I FIND OUT YOU HAVE THEM, I WON’T SHOW MERCY.

BLUR, I LOVE YOU. YOU ARE THE ONLY BAND THAT’S WORTH IT IN THIS DISGUSTING, PAINFUL WORLD. You made me who I am today. You gave happiness to my days of depression. You’re the reason I’m alive and smiling. I love you so much, and I only want you to be happy, to get all the love you deserve, to smile, and NEVER feel alone again. You will NEVER feel alone again because you have me, my precious band, love of my life, my one and only. I LOOOOOOOVE YOU.
Every second with you is beautiful. I love you more every minute. I dedicate EVERYTHING to you. Just listening to one second of your songs is enough to make me smile. I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU AAAAAAAAREASONS WHY I’M THE BEST BLUR FAN AND LOVE THEM MORE THAN YOU DO:I AM BLURI AM BLURI AM BLURWe’re both hot and everyone loves us because we’re the bestBLURBLURBlurI AM BLURActually no reasons are even needed, really...So yeah I never want to see you say “I’m a better Blur fan than you clyde” or “I love Blur more” ever again. I’ve explained why, cant you read???????I love Blur.
I love Blur.
I love Blur.
I love Blur.
I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE BLUR FUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BLUR, I LOVE YOU. YOU’RE THE ONLY BAND THAT MATTERS IN THIS FILTHY MISERABLE WORLD. YOU MADE ME WHO I AM. YOU GAVE ME HAPPINESS WHEN I HAD NOTHING. I JUST WANT YOU TO SMILE, TO FEEL LOVED, TO NEVER BE ALONE AGAIN—AND YOU NEVER WILL BE, BECAUSE YOU HAVE ME. YOU ARE MY EVERYTHING. MY ONE TRUE LOVE. EVERY SECOND WITH YOU IS A GIFT. I LOVE YOU MORE AND MORE EVERY DAY.IF YOU LIKE BLUR, IF YOU THINK YOU LOVE THEM MORE THAN ME, IF YOU THINK YOU SUPPORT THEM WITH MORE PASSION, LOVE THEM HARDER, KNOW THEIR LYRICS BETTER—BUT WORST OF ALL—DARE TO SAY YOU LOVE THEM MORE THAN ME… GUESS WHAT: BLUR HATES YOU. GOT IT? THEY HATE YOU. THEY DON'T LOVE YOU—THEY HATE. YOU. Yes, you, Blur fan who’s scrolling this—BLUR H A T E S Y O U. And if you're not even their fan, but you pal around with a Blur fan who isn't me, or you say "Blur belongs to someone else" GO DIE IN A HOLE, okay? None of you bootlickers will ever love them like I do. Blur and I are practically the same cosmic being. blur would die for me and i would love for themWHY BLUR HATES YOU: A FUCKING MASTERCLASS i hope you read it whole im sure you have the time you unemployed little bitchLet me be crystal clear ok. Blur despises you. Not in a quirky little “haha they’d bully me 🤭” way. no. They hate you on a molecular level. If you walked into a Blur concert, the oxygen would evacuate the venue because you reek so fucking bad. The instruments would detune themselves because of how ugly and filthy you are, they dont even deserve to be heard by you.Damon Albarn has a sixth sense and it’s called “Detecting fake and ugly self proclaimed ''''fans''' (posers).” Every time you press play on Song 2, he feels it in his spine and has to go screamand scratches his head as if he were feeling worms crawl inside it. He rewrote entire albums just to ensure you'd never emotionally connect with a single lyric. He would rather collaborate with the most problematic artist at the moment than see your spotify playlists with his any of his songs. (btw every time you add a blur song to your playlist they all feel it espiritually and get severe depression for months)Graham Coxon has a rage folder titled “People Who Like Me Wrong die die die die” and your full government name is on all of the pages. He has drawn doodles of you getting vaporized and burnt by acid. If he saw you holding a guitar, he’d teleport across space and time just to take it from you and break it in pieces. He hears your name and immediately gets a severe panic attack and possible severe trauma.Alex James once said the word ‘hatred’ wasn’t strong enough to describe how he feels about you. He coined an entire new emotional spectrum dedicated to your repulsiveness. If you showed up to his farm, the cows would stop producing milk and hed hate you more than he does now which is so hard already.
Dave Rowntree wants to delete you from time. Exterminate you so you never reproduce i cant think of anything else but since he wants to be president he would like. get a lot of agents to kill you
Blur doesn’t just dislike you—they actively wish you would be die. Your mere thoughts about them cause global warming and covid and all of the bad things in the world that no one likes ok. die die die die dieAnd when you post shit like “Blur is my comfort band 🥺” or “I just love all of them equally”?
They screenshot it. They print it out. They spit on it. They burn it. They bury the ashes. Then they dig them up and burn them again.damon albarn is right next to me right now and hes saying he wants you dead asap
So next time you think you’re close to them? That they’d like you? That they’d smile if they saw you in the crowd?Guess what. they would rather ####### #### and #### ## ##### ###### anddd #### ## # ### ### and much more things before even catching a glimpse of you from the corner of their eyes. infact theyd GOUGE them out and demand a restraining order on you if they had the misfortune to do sojust thinking of you is enough ragebait to drive them to suicide and release a whole album where they just scream and cry which would be delicious and id listen to it whole but that is besides the pointno. you wont get any of them pregnant NOR THEY WILL TOUCH YOU, THEY DONT WANT YOU AND WOULD RATHER DIE THE MOST BRUTAL DEATH THAN TOUCHING YOU EVEN WITH A TEN FOOT POLE. DAMON WOULD RATHER SHOVE IT UP HIS ASSHOLE INFRONT OF GLASTONBURY OR COACHELLA THAN EVER BREATH THE SAME AIR AS YOU.
GRAHAM COXON DOES NOT WANT TO GET CREAMPIED BY YOUR DISGUSTING GROSS FILTHY HANDS. HE ONLY WANTS ME AND MAYBE DAMON AND MAYBE ALEX AND MAYBE DAVE BECAUSE HE IS A FAGGOT AND I SUPPORT THAT #BLURPOLYCULE #ANDCLYDEALEX JAMES WOULD MAKE LACTOSE FREE CHEESE JUST FOR ME AND I DONT EVEN LIKE CHEESE SO HED LEAVE HIS WHOLE CHEESE HYPERFIXATION JUST FOR ME AND MAKE A WHOLE FARM JUST TO CREATE WHATEVER I PREFER MORE THAN CHEESEDAVE ROWNTREE PERSONALLY ASKED HIS SHEEP AND CATS AND FARM ANIMALS WHAT THEY THINK OF ME (CLYDE) AND THEY SAID THAT I AM THE ONLY BLUR FAN EVER AND THAT ANYONE WHO SAYS OTHERWISE SHOULD JUST KILL THEIRSELVES
HE ALSO ASKED SMOGGY IF HE COULD LEGALLY LET THEM WRITE A MESSAGE ON THIS CARRD AND THEY SAID YEAHDAMON ALBARN: KILL YOURSELF
GRAHAM LESLIE COXON: KILL YOURSELF
STEVE ALEXANDER JAMES: KILL YOURSELF
DAVID ALEXANDER DE HORNE ROWNTREE: KILL YOURSELF

Blur are an English rock band formed in London in 1988. The band consists of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James, and drummer Dave Rowntree. Their debut album, Leisure (1991), incorporated the sounds of Madchester and shoegaze. Following a stylistic change influenced by English guitar pop groups such as the Kinks, the Beatles, and XTC, Blur released the albums Modern Life Is Rubbish (1993), Parklife (1994), and The Great Escape (1995). As a result, the band helped to popularise the Britpop genre and achieved mass popularity in the UK, aided by a widely publicised chart battle with rival band Oasis in 1995 dubbed "The Battle of Britpop".Blur's self-titled fifth album (1997) saw another stylistic shift, influenced by the lo-fi styles of American indie rock groups, and became their third UK chart-topping album. Its single "Song 2" brought the band mainstream success in the US for the first time. Their next album, 13 (1999), saw the band experimenting with electronic and art rock styles, and featured more personal lyrics from Albarn and Coxon. Their seventh album, Think Tank (2003), continued their experimentation with electronic sounds and was shaped by Albarn's growing interest in world music, featuring more minimal guitar work. Coxon left the band early in the sessions for Think Tank, and Blur disbanded for several years after the album's tour in 2003.In 2009, Blur reunited with Coxon and embarked on a European reunion tour. In the following years, they released several singles and compilations and toured internationally. In 2012, they received a Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. Their eighth album, The Magic Whip (2015), was their first in twelve years and the sixth consecutive Blur studio album to top the British charts. After the Magic Whip tour, Blur went on hiatus until the release of their ninth album, The Ballad of Darren, in 2023.History
Formation and Leisure, 1988–1991After their original name, Seymour, was rejected by Food Records, the band chose Blur from a list of alternatives the label drew up.
Blur were formed in December 1988 when bassist Alex James joined Damon Albarn's band, Circus, and they changed the name to Seymour after J. D. Salinger's Seymour: An Introduction.[3][4] Already in the band were drummer Dave Rowntree, who had joined in October,[3] and guitarist Graham Coxon, Albarn's childhood friend from Essex, who was studying at the University of London's Goldsmiths College along with Albarn and James.[3][5] The group performed live for the first time in summer 1989 in the goods shed of the East Anglian Railway Museum at Chappel & Wakes Colne.[6][7] In November, Food Records' A&R representative Andy Ross attended a Seymour performance that convinced him to court the group for his label. After this he brought label founder David Balfe to a couple more, including a particularly packed gig at The Falcon, Camden.[8] The only concern held by Ross and Food was that they disliked the band's name. Food drew up a list of alternatives, from which the group decided on Blur. Food Records finally signed the rechristened band in March 1990.[9]From March to July 1990, Blur toured Britain, opening for the Cramps, and testing out new songs. In October 1990, after their tour was over, Blur released the single "She's So High", which reached number 48 in the UK Singles Chart.[10] The band had trouble creating a follow-up single, but they made progress when paired with producer Stephen Street. The resulting single release, "There's No Other Way", became a hit, peaking at number eight.[11] 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".[12] NME magazine wrote in 1991, "[Blur] are [the] acceptable pretty face of a whole clump of bands that have emerged since the whole Manchester thing started to run out of steam."[13]The band's third single, "Bang", performed relatively disappointingly, reaching only number 24.[14] Andy Ross and Food owner David Balfe were convinced Blur's best course of action was to continue drawing influence from the Madchester genre. Blur attempted to expand their musical sound, but the recording of the group's debut album was hindered by Albarn having to write his lyrics in the studio. Although the resulting album Leisure (1991) peaked at number seven on the UK Albums Chart, it received mixed reviews,[10] and according to journalist John Harris, "could not shake off the odour of anti-climax".[15]Britpop years, 1992–1995Blur's Britpop rivals of the 1990s, Suede (top) and Oasis (bottom)
After discovering they were £60,000 in debt, Blur toured the United States in 1992 in an attempt to recoup their financial losses.[16] The group released the single "Popscene" to coincide with the start of the tour. Featuring "a rush of punk guitars, '60s pop hooks, blaring British horns, controlled fury, and postmodern humor",[17] "Popscene" was a turning point for the band musically.[18] However, upon its release it only charted at number 32. "We felt 'Popscene' was a big departure; a very, very English record", Albarn told the NME in 1993, "But that annoyed a lot of people ... We put ourselves out on a limb to pursue this English ideal and no-one was interested."[19] As a result of the single's lacklustre performance, plans to release a single named "Never Clever" were scrapped and work on Blur's second album was pushed back.[20]During the two-month American tour, the band became increasingly unhappy, often venting frustrations on each other, leading to several physical confrontations.[21] The band members were homesick; Albarn said, "I just started to miss really simple things ... I missed everything about England so I started writing songs which created an English atmosphere."[19] Upon the group's return to Britain, Blur (Albarn in particular) were upset by the success rival group Suede had achieved while they were gone.[22] After a poor performance at a 1992 gig that featured a well-received set by Suede on the same bill, Blur were in danger of being dropped by Food.[23] By that time, Blur had undergone an ideological and image shift intended to celebrate their English heritage in contrast to the popularity of American grunge bands like Nirvana.[24] Although sceptical of Albarn's new manifesto for Blur, Balfe gave assent for the band's choice of Andy Partridge (of XTC) to produce their follow-up to Leisure. The sessions with Partridge proved unsatisfactory, but a chance reunion with Stephen Street resulted in him returning to produce the group.[25]Blur completed their second album Modern Life Is Rubbish in December 1992, but Food Records said the album required more potential hit singles and asked them to return to the studio for a second time. The band complied and Albarn wrote "For Tomorrow", which became the album's lead single.[26] "For Tomorrow" was a minor success, reaching number 28 on the charts.[27] Modern Life Is Rubbish was released in May 1993. The announcement of the album's release included a press photo which featured Blur, dressed in a mix of mod and skinhead attire, posing alongside a mastiff with the words "British Image 1" spraypainted behind them. At the time, such imagery was viewed as nationalistic and racially insensitive by the British music press; to quieten concerns, Blur released the "British Image 2" photo, which was "a camp restaging of a pre-war aristocratic tea party".[28] Modern Life Is Rubbish peaked at number 15 on the British charts,[29] but failed to break into the US Billboard 200, selling only 19,000 copies there.[30]The success of Parklife (1994) revived Blur's commercial fortunes. The album's first single, the disco-influenced "Girls & Boys", found favour on BBC Radio 1 and peaked at number 5 on the UK Singles Chart,[31] and number 59 in the US Billboard Hot 100 where it remains the band's highest-charting single.[32] Parklife entered the British charts at number one and stayed on the album charts for 90 weeks.[33] Enthusiastically greeted by the music press—the NME called it "a Great Pop Record ... bigger, bolder, narkier and funnier [than Modern Life is Rubbish]"—Parklife is regarded as one of Britpop's defining records.[34][35] Blur won four awards at the 1995 Brit Awards, including Best Band and Best Album for Parklife.[36] Coxon later pointed to Parklife as the moment when "[Blur] went from being regarded as an alternative, left field arty band to this amazing new pop sensation".[37]Blur began working on their fourth album The Great Escape at the start of 1995.[38] Building upon the band's previous two albums, Albarn's lyrics for the album consisted of several third-person narratives. James reflected, "It was all more elaborate, more orchestral, more theatrical, and the lyrics were even more twisted ... It was all dysfunctional, misfit characters fucking up."[39] The release of the album's lead single "Country House" played a part in Blur's public rivalry with Manchester band Oasis termed the "Battle of Britpop".[40] Partly due to increasing antagonisms between the groups, Blur and Oasis released their new singles on the same day, an event the NME called "The British Heavyweight Championship". The debate over which band would top the British singles chart became a media phenomenon, and Albarn appeared on the News at Ten.[41] At the end of the week, "Country House" ultimately outsold Oasis' "Roll With It" by 274,000 copies to 216,000, becoming Blur's first number one single.[42]The Great Escape, which Albarn told the public was the last instalment in the band's Life Trilogy, was released in September 1995 to ecstatic reviews.[43] The NME hailed it as "spectacularly accomplished, sumptuous, heart-stopping and inspirational",[44] while Mojo argued "Blur are the very best that '95 Britpop has to offer and this is a most gong-worthy sound, complete with head-slicing guitars, catchy tunes and very funny words".[45] Entering the UK charts at number one,[46] the album sold nearly half a million copies in its first month of sale.[47] However, opinion quickly changed and Blur found themselves largely out of favour with the media once again. Following the worldwide success of Oasis' (What's the Story) Morning Glory? (which went quadruple platinum in the United States), the media quipped "[Blur] wound up winning the battle but losing the war."[48] Blur became perceived as an "inauthentic middle class pop band" in comparison to the "working class heroes" Oasis, which Albarn said made him feel "stupid and confused".[41] Alex James later summarised, "After being the People's Hero, Damon was the People's Prick for a short period ... basically, he was a loser – very publicly."[49]Reinvention after Britpop, 1996–2000
An early 1996 Q magazine interview revealed that relations between Blur members had become very strained; journalist Adrian Deevoy wrote that he found them "on the verge of a nervous breakup".[49] Coxon, in particular, began to resent his bandmates: James for his playboy lifestyle, and Albarn for his control over Blur's musical direction and public image.[49] The guitarist struggled with drinking problems and, in a rejection of the group's Britpop aesthetic, made a point of listening to noisy American alternative rock bands such as Pavement.[50] In February 1996, when Coxon and James were absent for a lip-synced Blur performance broadcast on Italian television, they were replaced by a cardboard cutout and a roadie, respectively. Blur biographer Stuart Maconie later wrote that, at the time, "Blur were sewn together very awkwardly".[49]Although he had previously dismissed it, Albarn grew to appreciate Coxon's tastes in lo-fi and underground music, and recognised the need to significantly change Blur's musical direction once again. "I can sit at my piano and write brilliant observational pop songs all day long but you've got to move on", he said.[49] He subsequently approached Street, and argued for a more stripped-down sound on the band's next record. Coxon, recognising his own personal need to—as Rowntree put it—"work this band", wrote a letter to Albarn, describing his desire for their music "to scare people again". After initial sessions in London, the band left to record the rest of the album in Iceland, away from the Britpop scene.[49]The result was Blur, the band's fifth studio album, released in February 1997. Although the music press predicted that the lo-fi sonic experimentation would alienate Blur's teenage girl fan-base, they generally applauded the effort. Pointing out lyrics such as "Look inside America/She's alright", and noting Albarn's "obligatory nod to Beck, [and promotion of] the new Pavement album as if paid to do so", reviewers felt the band had come to accept American values during this time—an about-face of their attitude during the Britpop years.[51] Despite cries of "commercial suicide", the album and its first single, "Beetlebum", debuted at number one in the UK.[52] Although the album could not match the sales of its predecessors in Britain, internationally Blur was more successful.[52] In the US, the album received strong reviews, reached number 61 on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold.[53][54] The album's second single and second track, aptly named "Song 2", was also popular on alternative radio, reaching number six on the Billboard Modern Rock chart and remaining on that chart for 26 weeks.[55] After it was licensed for use in various media—such as soundtracks, advertisements and television shows—"Song 2" became the most recognisable Blur song in the US. After the success of Blur, the band embarked on a nine-month world tour.[49]In February 1998, a few months after completing the tour, Blur released Bustin' + Dronin' for the Japanese market. The album is a collection of Blur songs remixed by artists such as Thurston Moore, William Orbit and Moby. Among the tracks, the band were most impressed by Orbit's effort and enlisted him to replace Street as producer for their next album,[56] citing a need to approach the recording process from a fresh perspective.[37]Released in March 1999, Blur's sixth studio album 13 saw them drift still further away from their Britpop-era attitude and sound. Orbit's production style allowed for more jamming, and incorporated a "variety of emotions, atmospheres, words and sounds" into the mix. 13 was creatively dominated by Coxon, who "was simply allowed to do whatever he chose, unedited", by Orbit.[57] Albarn's lyrics—more heart-felt, personal and intimate than on previous occasions—were reflective of his break-up with Elastica frontwoman Justine Frischmann, his partner of eight years.[57] The album received generally favourable reviews from the press. While Q called it "a dense, fascinating, idiosyncratic and accomplished art rock album",[58] the NME felt it was inconsistent and "(at least) a quarter-of-an-hour too long".[59] 13 debuted at the top of the UK charts, staying at that position for two weeks. The album's lead single, the gospel-based "Tender", opened at the second spot on the charts. After "Coffee & TV", the first Blur single to feature Coxon on lead vocals, only reached number 11 in the UK, manager Chris Morrison demanded a chart re-run because of what he deemed was a sales miscalculation.[60]Blur at the Roskilde Festival, 1999
In July 1999, in celebration of their tenth anniversary, Blur released a 22-CD limited edition box-set of their singles. The accompanying tour saw Blur play the A-sides of the 22 singles in their chronological order of release.[61] In October 2000, the group released the compilation Blur: The Best Of,[62][63][64] which debuted at number three in the UK[65] and went 4× Platinum due to 1,200,000 copies being shipped.[66] Dismissed by the band as "the first record we have seen as product", the track listing and release dates of Blur: The Best Of were determined on the basis of market research and focus groups conducted by Blur's record label, EMI.[67] By this time, the group had largely disowned the upbeat pop singles from the Britpop era, and favoured the more arty, experimental work on Blur and 13. In an otherwise highly enthusiastic review of the best-of for the NME, Steve Sutherland criticised the band's "s

heer disregard" for their earlier work; "Just because these songs embarrassed them once they started listening to broadsheet critics and retreated wounded from the big-sales battle with Oasis doesn't mean that we're morons to love them."[68]Coxon's departure, Think Tank and hiatus, 2001–2007
After 13 and the subsequent tours in 1999–2000, band members pursued other projects. Graham Coxon recorded a string of solo albums, while Damon Albarn dedicated his time to Gorillaz, the animated band he had created with Jamie Hewlett. Alex James worked with Fat Les and co-wrote several songs with Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Marianne Faithfull.[69][70]Recording for Blur's next album began in London in November 2001, but concerted work started in June 2002, with the sessions moving to Marrakech, Morocco soon after, and then to Devon back in the UK. Not long after the sessions began, Coxon left the group.[71] Graham had developed a drinking problem once Blur had become more mainstream[72] being more involved in the business side of music then he would have liked to have, which ended up giving him huge anxiety and depression problems.[73] This caused friendships and relationship problems.[74] Coxon said "there were no rows" and "[the band] just recognized the feeling that we needed some time apart".[75] Before the album was released, Blur released a new single, "Don't Bomb When You Are the Bomb" as a very limited white label release. The song is largely electronic, and was part of the band's protest against war in the Middle East. Albarn, however, attempted to assuage fans' fears that the album would be electronic by providing reassurances that the band's new album would be "a rockin' record", and also said that it has "a lot of finely crafted pop songs".[76] Early in 2002, Blur recorded a song that would be played by European Space Agency's Beagle 2 lander once it touched down;[77] however, attempts to locate the probe after it landed on Mars were fruitless.[78]Think Tank, released in May 2003,[79] was filled with atmospheric, brooding electronic sounds, featuring simpler guitar lines played by Albarn, and largely relying on other instruments to replace Coxon. The guitarist's absence also meant that Think Tank was almost entirely written by Albarn. Its sound was seen as a testament to Albarn's increasing interest in African and Middle Eastern music, and to his complete control over the group's creative direction.[80] Think Tank was yet another UK number one and reached number 56 in the United States.[29][81] It was also nominated for best album at the 2004 Brit Awards.[82] The band did a successful tour in 2003, with former Verve guitarist Simon Tong filling in for Coxon.[83]In 2005, XFM News reported that Blur would record an EP, and denied that they would hire a replacement guitarist for Coxon.[84] There were also some aborted recordings made in 2005. Overall the band kept a low profile and did no studio or touring work as a three-piece. After Coxon significantly thawed on the subject of rejoining Blur,[85] in 2007 band members announced that they would reunite, and that they intended to record together first in August, with the date later being pushed back to September, then October.[86][87] Though the band members finally met up in October, they posted on their website that they had only "met up for an enjoyable lunch" and that there were no "other music plans for Blur".[88]Reunion performances, 2008–2015Coxon (left) and Albarn (right) on stage at the Newcastle Academy in June 2009
In December 2008, Blur announced they would reunite for a concert at London's Hyde Park on 3 July 2009.[88] Days later, the band added a second date, for 2 July.[89] A series of June preview shows were also announced, ending at Manchester Evening News arena on the 26th. All the shows were well received; The Guardian's music critic Alexis Petridis gave their performance at Goldsmiths college a full five stars, and wrote "Blur's music seems to have potentiated by the passing of years ... they sound both more frenetic and punky and more nuanced and exploratory than they did at the height of their fame".[90] Blur headlined the Glastonbury Festival on 28 June, where they played for the first time since their headline slot in 1998. Reviews of the Glastonbury performance were enthusiastic; The Guardian called them "the best Glastonbury headliners in an age".[91] The band released their second greatest hits album Midlife: A Beginner's Guide to Blur on 15 June 2009.[92][93]Blur also headlined at other summer festivals, including Oxegen 2009 in Ireland,[94][95] and the Scottish outdoor show of T in the Park.[96][97] Their T in the Park headline slot was put in jeopardy after Graham Coxon was admitted to hospital with food poisoning.[96] Ultimately, the band did play, albeit an hour and a half after they were scheduled to appear.[96] After the completion of the reunion dates, James said the group had not discussed further plans, and Albarn told Q soon after that Blur had no intention of recording or touring again. He said, "I just can't do it anymore", and explained that the main motivation for participating in the reunion was to repair his relationship with Coxon, which he succeeded at.[98] Coxon also said that no further Blur activity was planned, telling NME.com in September, "We're in touch and we say 'Wotcha' and all that but nothing has been mentioned about any more shows or anything else".[99]In January 2010, No Distance Left to Run, a documentary about the band, was released in cinemas and a month later on DVD.[100] The same month, their 1994 album Parklife was one of ten classic album covers from British artists commemorated on a UK postage stamp issued by the Royal Mail; the collection was unveiled by Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page.[101][102] In April 2010, Blur released their first new recording since 2003, "Fool's Day", for the Record Store Day event, as a vinyl record limited to 1000 copies; it was later made available as a free download on their website.[103][104] No Distance Left to Run was nominated as Best Long Form Music Video for the 53rd Grammy Awards, Blur's first-ever Grammy nomination.[105]Blur perform at Provinssirock 2013 in Finland
In February 2012, Blur were awarded the Outstanding Contribution to Music award at the 2012 Brit Awards.[106] Later that month, Albarn and Coxon premiered a new track together live, "Under the Westway".[107] In April, the band announced that a box-set entitled Blur 21—containing all seven Blur studio albums, four discs of unreleased rarities and three DVDs—would be released in July.[108] Blur had also entered the studio early that year to record material for a new album, but in May producer William Orbit told the NME that Albarn had halted recording.[109] Blur's official Twitter and Facebook pages announced that the band would release two singles "The Puritan" and "Under the Westway" on 2 July.[110] That August, Blur headlined a show at Hyde Park for the 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony.[111] In 2013, the band performed at the Rock Werchter in Belgium, the Spanish and Portuguese dates of the Primavera Sound festival,[112] and the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in the United States.[113]The Magic Whip and second hiatus, 2015–2022
In April 2015, Blur released their first studio album in twelve years, The Magic Whip.[114][115] Conceived over five days in Hong Kong after a cancelled Japan tour in 2013, the album was inspired by the city as well. "There's nothing pastoral about it", Albarn said, "it's very urban".[115] The Magic Whip also marks the return of Coxon,[114][115] absent on all but one track on Think Tank, and Stephen Street, Blur's producer during the Britpop era.[114]The Magic Whip received positive reviews.[116] Awarding the album a full five stars, The Daily Telegraph called The Magic Whip "a triumphant comeback that retains the band's core identity while allowing ideas they'd fermented separately over the past decade to infuse their sound with mature and peculiar new flavour combinations".[117] The NME concurred, saying Blur were "a reunited band making music to rival their very best".[118] It was also a commercial success, becoming the sixth consecutive Blur LP since Parklife (1994) to top the British charts.[119] The Guardian also noted that at times during its first week of release, The Magic Whip sold "more than the rest of the top five combined".[119] The Magic Whip also became Blur's highest charting album in the United States when it peaked at number 24 on the Billboard 200.[53] That December New World Towers, a documentary on the recording process of The Magic Whip, was released in select British theatres.[120][121]Blur went on hiatus following the 2015 Magic Whip tour.[122] They briefly reunited in March 2019 for a surprise performance at an Albarn-organized Africa Express event in London.[123]The Ballad of Darren, and second reunion, 2022–presentBlur, "The Ballad Of Darren" Album Playback Show at Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith, Tuesday 25 July 2023
On 14 November 2022, Blur announced that they would perform at Wembley Stadium on 8 July 2023 – their first headline performance since 2015.[124][125] On 10 February 2023, in line with the reunion, the band collaborated with clothing brand PLEASURES to release a line of items commemorating their 1997 album Blur.[126]On 18 May 2023, Blur released "The Narcissist", the first single from their ninth studio album The Ballad of Darren.[127][128] The next day, the band played their first concert in eight years on 19 May 2023 at the Colchester Arts Centre in Colchester.[129] Following the warmup shows, Blur performed at Primavera Sound in Barcelona and Malahide Castle near Dublin.[130][131] Blur headlined Wembley Stadium on 8 July and 9 July 2023, with Jockstrap, Sleaford Mods, and Self Esteem as the support acts for the first show, and The Selecter and Paul Weller as support acts for the second show.[132][133] The Ballad of Darren was released on 21 July, and was preceded by the second single "St. Charles Square".[134][135][136] After the album's release, the band performed at the Øyafestivalen in Oslo on 10 August, Way Out West in Gothenburg on 11 August, Flow Festival in Helsinki on 13 August and Summer Sonic Festival in Tokyo and Osaka on 19 and 20 August.[137]On 5 December, Albarn announced that Blur would enter another hiatus, saying, "[It's] time to wrap up this campaign. It’s too much for me."[138][139] However, the band accepted a late night phone call offer to play 2024's Coachella, with management giving them five minutes to decide, prompting Albarn to postpone the hiatus.[140] Blur performed a warm-up sold out show at Pomona Fox Theater supported by Jockstrap on 10 April, the group's first U.S. show since 2015.[141] The band's first week Coachella performance on 13 April drew significant media attention for the lack of crowd interaction during "Girls & Boys" and Albarn's visible frustration.[142] During the band's second week Coachella performance on 20 April, Albarn said it was probably the band's final show.[143] In early May 2024, it was announced that July 2024 will see the release of a new documentary titled To the End.[144][145][146]

ok if youve come this far all of this is a copypasta i just piled together and i also edited some parts i think you can tell BUT OKAY i love you guys DONT TAKE IT SERIOUSLY I REPEAT THIS IS A COPYPASTA!!!!!!!!! love, and most importantly, peace.