Blur ‘will split up’ following Olympics concert

Published on 08/04/2012 00:00

BRITPOP band Blur will almost certainly go their separate ways forever after the Olympics.

The band’s headline slot at the Games’ closing concert in Hyde Park on 12 August will be their last hurrah – and there are unlikely to be any more Blur records, according to singer Damon Albarn.

Asked if the quartet would play again after the summer extravaganza, Albarn said: “No, not really… I hope that’s the truth, that that’s how we end it.”

Asked if the group would bring out any more albums, he replied: “No, I don’t think so.”

He also appeared to rule out any further releases from Gorillaz, another band he has enjoyed success with.

It was “unlikely” the group would write any new music, he said, adding that collaborator Jamie Hewlett felt the project had come to an end. “I think we were at cross-purposes somewhat on our last record, which is a shame,” he said. “So until a time comes when that knot has been untied…”

It is not the first time Blur have apparently reached the end of the road.

Many followers assumed they had bowed out for good in 2003 after releasing their seventh album, Think Tank. But the group reformed in 2009 for a series of festivals around the world, including a headline slot at Glastonbury.

In February, bass player Alex James hinted that Blur’s performance at this year’s Brit Awards could be their final one, saying there was a feeling it could be the “last bow”. Yet only a day later they were revealed as the main act at the BT London Live concert in August, which will also feature The Specials and New Order.

The band will play their new, one-off single, Under The Westway, at the show.

Blur have racked up 13 top-ten hits, including two number ones.