There are some things that music fans never thought they’d get see in their lifetime. The death of the CD, the ability to carry around your entire music library in your pocket, KISS and John Farnham’s Farewell Tours actually being their last. Slash and Axl Rose hugging. Somewhere near the top of that list of ‘never ever’s is a collaboration between Blur and Oasis.
Well, it now looks like the day that would never come, has come, with news that Damon Albarn and Noel Gallagher are “working together on a lot of stuff.” Don’t check out your windows for flying pigs, despite the infamous bad blood and war of words between the Blur frontman and the Oasis linchpin during the height of the Britpop era, it seems that time has healed all wounds and the pair are collaborating, as NME reports.
In fact, the pair officially put their differences aside earlier in the year when they performed together in a one-off performance for a Teenage Cancer Trust benefit concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall in March. The pair performed Blur hit ‘Tender’ alongside guitarist Graham Coxon and ‘the Modfather’ Paul Weller on drums for the charity show, part of a week’s worth of gigs co-ordinated by Gallagher.
Since then it appears Albarn and Gallagher have completely buried the hatchet and are “like best mates now,” according to Blur bassist Alex James in a recent interview. It appears Albarn and Gallagher have completely buried the hatchet and are “like best mates now.”
James also confirms that the pair’s new BFF status has led to some kind of collaboration. Speaking before Blur’s headline set at Hungary’s Sziget Festival this year, the bassist was asked about the age-old Blur/Oasis rivalry, and replied: “Damon and Noel Gallagher are working together on a lot of stuff, so whatever was back then is not relevant anymore. But we have to add that young bands today are all very nice. We were totally intolerable.”
Though the Gallaghers’ greatest acerbic quotes were usually directed at each other, there was a time when they had plenty of churlish insults for their chart rivals during the height of Britpop in the mid 90s, culminating with both bands competing for the UK #1 chart position by releasing singles the same day, in a feud egged on by the British press.
Both bands have clearly outgrown those heady days. Oasis have now of course split, thanks to the central friction between the Gallagher brothers as Noel pursued a solo career with his band the High Flying Birds and Liam and co. went on to form Beady Eye. Blur however are as strong as ever and finally bringing the reformed lineup back to Australia for the first time since 1997 as co-headliners of the Big Day Out 2014 lineup.
Something which Alex James and the band are ‘thrilled’ to be taking part in. “I think it’s going to be crazy,” says the bassist-come-cheese maker and TV celebrity chef. “I’m having my mind blown by travelling all over the world again with the band, it’s fantastic, and we’re playing better than we ever have before.”
Big Day Out organisers have also custom-built a new LOVE stage to accommodate Blur to ensure they don’t clash with fellow Big Day Out 2014 headliners Pearl Jam and Arcade Fire. “It’s really wonderful the shows we’ve been doing, it’s a new audience and a lot of them can’t have been born when Blur first started,” says James; “splitting up was the best thing we ever did, probably.”
Damon Albarn also recently confirmed that the band had kickstarted stalled recording sessions for a new studio album, to finally follow a decade on from 2003′s Think Tank. But the album could be delayed as Albarn – as always – keeps busy with his numerous musical projects, including a new solo album and persisting rumours of a new release from cartoon supergroup Gorillaz.
Perhaps Albarn could squeeze his new BFF into one of his many lineups or have Noel Gallagher featuring on a new Gorillaz album? If we’ve learned anything about the world of music, it’s never say never.
