Blur triumphant in first-ever Hollywood Bowl appearance

Blur in action at The Hollywood Bowl on October 20, 2015. / Photo: Kim Kinsler

Few English rock legends have been as criminally ignored in the U.S. as Blur.

Singer/guitarist/keyboardist Damon Albarn, lead guitarist/singer Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree originally formed as Seymour in the late 1980s and became Blur in London in 1990. They then rose to fame in the the early 1990s releasing a number of outstanding albums including Leisure (1991), Modern Life Is Rubbish (1993), Parklife (1994) and The Great Escape (1995).

Blur found its greatest success on this side of the Atlantic following the release of their self-titled 1997 album which included the hit "Song 2." However, even the undeniable hard-rocking "woo-hoo!" sing-along never brought the quartet enough success to see them headlining at the likes of prime-time venues such as the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. Blur's artistic track record is decidedly in step with the group's success in virtually every other civilized corner of the planet where they are rightfully appreciated including Europe, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, as well as South and Central America.

A headlining appearance at Coachella in 2013 and the release of the highly-anticipated and critically-praised The Magic Whip (the band's first new studio album in 12 years was issued in early 2015) finally helped provide the momentum to inspire Blur to give the U.S. another try and schedule shows at the Hollywood Bowl on Tuesday, Oct. 20 and at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 23.

The adage "Better late than never" certainly rang true at the Hollywood Bowl on the most magic of nights. Performing before an enthusiastic crowd that was eager to take in the Britpop champion's much-beloved older songs as well as outstanding tracks from "The Magic Whip," the members of Blur and their touring ensemble (including back-up singers, a keyboardist and horn section) seemed to be trying to take in the spirit of the night as much as the members of the audience.

Damon Albarn playing his Taylor guitar at The Bowl.
Photo: Kim Kinsler

In this live setting, with Blur performing material from across its career, the band's magic couldn't have been more apparent. From the lush and melodic "Badhead" to the world music-tinged "Caravan" and decidedly-British sounding "Coffee & TV" (the latter featuring one of many times for Coxon to unleash his impressive guitar playing), Blur delivered the vast range of material with musical precision and emotional power. "Out of Time" was another early highlight, with Albarn adding shades to the song with his acoustic guitar playing, while Coxon infused his solo with a flamenco style. 

Blur are all about connecting with audiences and the band did that in full during the electronica-mining "Thought I Was a Spaceman" (off "The Magic Whip") when Albarn went far into the crowd to greet fans. Meanwhile, the other musicians steered the song ever onward into symphonic splendor. Coxon shared lead vocals on the song, and the stage itself was dazzled with artful beams of light adding to the effect.

There were wonderful touches throughout the show all night, including the neo-psychedelic "To the End" and regular set-ending "This is a Low," a potent theatrical rocker with Coxon firing up his guitar for the finish.

Albarn started the encore saying "Thank you so much. I was somewhat nervous about tonight," noting the band has long been aware of "underachieving in America."

But the festive sing- and clap-along tune "Girls & Boys," horn section-anchored "For Tomorrow" and grand "The Universal" closed the night in a way to ensure everyone in the crowd will long remember Blur's top-tier place in rock.

Courtney Barnett on Oct. 20. / Photo: Kim Kinsler

Opener Courtney Barnett opened the bill with a 35-minute set of original indie rock rooted around her rambling lyrics and freewheeling electric guitar playing. The 27-year-old Australian songstress is a unique voice in modern music, and showcased songs from her latest album "Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit." Among the most memorable songs in her set were the anxious "Nobody Really Cares If You Don't Go to the Party" and jazzy "Small Poppies." Also effective was the melodic rocker "Dead Fox."

Blur setlist at The Hollywood Bowl on Oct. 20, 2015

Cool Blur stuff! / Photo: Kim Kinsler

Go Out / There's No Other Way / Lonesome Street / Badhead / Ghost Ship / Coffee & TV / Out of Time / Caravan / Beetlebum / Thought I Was a Spaceman / Trimm Trabb / Tender (outro - "Don't Fall for Trump..." / Parklife (with Fred Armisen) / Song 2 / To the End / This is a Low

Encore
Stereotypes / Girls & Boys / For Tomorrow / The Universal

Robert Kinsler

Sights and Sounds: Blur, Erasure, Carbon Leaf's Ragtime Carnival

Cover art for Blur's 'The Magic Whip'

What a great day for fans of the groundbreaking British rock band Blur. Here are the highlights of what we know following today's announcement about the group's forthcoming album The Magic Whip, which is due to arrive on April 27, 2015 (and likely Tuesday, April 28th here in the U.S.). This will mark the quartet's first new full-length studio album since 2003's Think Tank. 

Blur (singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, drummer Dave Rowntree and bassist Alex James) will headline the aptly-named British Summer Time concert in Hyde Park in London on June 20, 2015; this will mark the fourth time Blur has performed at the event.

Read a full-length story on Blur and the band's upcoming album The Magic Whip in The Guardian here for much more.

ERASURE (Andy Bell and Vince Clarke) have unveiled a new remix from the forthcoming single, "Sacred," out on March 17, 2015 (St. Patrick's Day). Listen to Black Light Odyssey's take on Erasure's track here.

The original version of "Sacred" features the legendary duo's latest, Richard X-produced album, The Violet Flame. The single, the third to have been added to the BBC Radio 2 playlist, will feature the single mix and a live rehearsal version of "Sacred" alongside remixes from the likes of Grammy-nominated Chris Cox, Rich B & Phil Marriott, Vibora Park, 88Ninety and Black Light Odyssey.

The live rehearsal version of "Sacred" comes from rehearsals from the band's recent sell out tour. 

For more information: http://www.erasureinfo.com/

Finally, Carbon Leaf (in partnership with The Virginia Museum of Radio & Concert Entertainment) have announced the 2nd Annual Carbon Leaf's Ragtime Carnival at Pocahontas State Park.

This year the festival will be held May 15 and 16, 2015, and feature 13 bands on two stages. Carbon Leaf will perform three sets over the two-day weekend; an acoustic set Saturday morning, and full-band performances closing out each night. Additional artists performing at the event include actor/director Jeff Daniels with the Ben Daniels Band, Trigger Hippy featuring Joan Osborne and Jackie Greene, as well as Charlottesville-based band Sons of Bill.

for more information, visit www.pocahontaslive.com or email info@pocahontaslive.com. 

Blur rocks in full-length outing at Dublin's Irish Museum of Modern Art

Damon Albarn greeting the faithful in Dublin on August 1, 2013

I'm just back from a fantastic trip to Ireland where my wife and I made our first-ever trip to the Emerald Isle. It was a long-time dream of mine to travel to Ireland and a chance to catch Blur in the band's lone 2013 performance anywhere in Ireland or the United Kingdom was icing on the cake. Add to that a long-standing and kind invite from friends living in Dublin made it a no-brainer to make the flight from Southern California to Dublin to take in all the sights as well as the August 1, 2013 concert.

The Thursday evening concert played outdoors in front of 20,000 or so other fans on the grounds of the historic Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) in Kilmainham under the constant threat of showers. Thankfully it wouldn't rain until we were safely seated in a taxi bound for the cottage where we were staying in Sandyford later that night. 

Damon Albarn and Graham Coxon

Our interest in catching Blur in Europe came after we caught them in Coachella earlier this year. While the legendary band was outstanding at Weekend #2 of the annual music fest in Indio, California, we sensed that American audiences simply have (sadly) never fully connected with the quartet. After making our way close to the stage (we were crushed beyond what we had expected despite a nice warning from a friendly fan named Anthony we met a few days earlier in Cork at a fantastic pub called the Mutton Lane Inn) and immersing ourselves in the experience of an Irish rock concert. The audience sang along with just about every song played over the course of 100 minutes, greeting even the more reflective songs ("Out of Time," "Tender," "The Universal") with the fervor and zeal that Coachellafest attendees greeted the band's best-known hit "Song 2." 

There were times even from our close vantage point where the audience almost drowned out singer Damon Albarn in the choruses. From the show's opening salvo, a bouncy "Girls & Boys," to the declaration of "There's No Other Way" and British-styled anthem "Coffee & TV," young and old moved and sang with the songs in a spirit that allowed me to forgive concertgoers since I couldn't always hear the band clearly.

Albarn was obviously having the time of his life throughout the energetic performance, singing "Country House" from the front row, running back and forth, and generally showcasing his devout role as frontman; he closed the night running past and high fiving all the fans pushed against the front. Guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree also seemed more engaged than the Coachella gig.

Blur's material ranges from Kinks-styled witty songcraft to raging rockers, so the fact that the audience was so diverse (teens to fifty somethings) added to the occasion to be sure. 

The Strypes impressed early concertgoers

As for the concert's openers, I was much more impressed by the event's openers, the young Cavan, Ireland-based teenage quartet The Strypes than England's Bat For Lashes. But the entire afternoon and evening was a blast, and truly an experience I'll never forget.

On an only somewhat related note, a few days earlier I caught an impressive acoustic styled singer-songwriter named Ben Murphy at Johnnie Fox's Pub. I will be reviewing his aptly-titled album Ireland later this month in my regular column and will alert you in a future post. 

Here is a video featuring Blur performing "Young & Lovely," the first time the band has performed the song this year:



Blur's Setlist on Aug. 1, 2013:

Girls and Boys
Popscene
There's No Other Way
Beetlebum
Out of Time
Trimm Trabb
Caramel
Young & Lovely
Coffee & TV
Tender
To the End
Country House
Parklife (with Phil Daniels)
End of a Century
This is the Low

Encore:

Under the Westway
For Tomorrow
The Universal
Song 2

Photos: Robert and Kim Kinsler