Blur reunion probable

It is looking likely as Damon Albarn and Graham Coxon have been ‘hanging out’

06 November 2008 - Former Blur frontman and Gorillaz mastermind, Damon Albarn, has told the BBC that a Blur reunion might well be on the cards.

Speaking as his opera Monkey: Journey to the West prepares for a month-long run at the O2, the singer explained the band might regroup after a six year hiatus.

“It’s very possible, it really is very possible,” he said, “And you know truth be known, Graham and I, have been hanging out a little bit so it’s good. I can’t really say any more than that because I just can’t.”

"We had lunch yesterday, funnily enough, and it was fantastic. It’s great to have my own friend back."
Damon Albarn

Back in 2002, a year before Blur released Think Tank, Graham Coxon left the band to continue with his solo pursuits.

Albarn said there is no animosity between the pair: “We had lunch yesterday, funnily enough, and it was fantastic. It’s great to have my own friend back.”

As for the rest of his projects, Albarn said he’s keeping busy and has some exciting things in the pipeline for 2009.

“I’m half way through the new Gorillaz album at the moment,” explained the musician. “That’s gonna be interesting, it’ll be different again and I’ve got quite a few surprising things that will be happening next year but I’m not going to say what they are yet. It’s about entertainment next year.”

Damon Albarn dreamt up his new opera with the help of the Gorillaz animator Jamie Hewlett, who has designed the set and costumes.

It had a successful run at the Royal Opera House during the summer and Albarn explained what they have tried to do with the new venue: “We decided to make our own tent and make our own world so it’s not actually in the O2, it’s just behind the 02 but it’s very much Monkey’s world.

“There’s Jamie’s visual aesthetic everywhere. We’ve got our own food that we’ve handpicked from China and you get a foot massage as well. For kids it’s a magical other world and for adults they can relax and enjoy themselves.”

Monkey Journey To The West is running until 5 December.

Georgie Rogers