Blur in Focus
TOBY BULA-EDGE
A never-before-seen snapshot of Blur in their early years is now available thanks to drummer Dave Rowntree’s new book No One You Know. He will be talking about it at the De La Warr Pavillion this January.
Dave Rowntree of Blur
Blur formed in 1988 and was one half of the famous Battle of Britpop between themselves and Oasis in the mid-1990s. The victor, of either the battle or the potentially never-ending war, is unclear. I’m sure Oasis and their legion of fans (who seem to be getting younger) may make a good claim for victory. Blur, however, remain influential, and their success should not be underestimated.
Their major hits include Girls and Boys, Song 2, Country House and Parklife. Since then, they have been on hiatus twice and reunited twice. Their latest reunion was the subject of a 2024 documentary, To the End.
Outside the context of the band, each member of Blur has pursued a separate artistic career. Singer and front-man Damon Albarn is one of the minds (the other being artist, Jamie Hewlett) behind animated-band Gorillaz, which started in the late nineties and is still touring. Their latest tour is scheduled for March 2026, to coincide with a new album, The Mountain.
Guitarist Graham Coxon has released a book and started his own band, The Waeve, in 2021. Bass player Alex James has been making cheese and living on a farm in what must be a house, a very big house, in the country (Oxfordshire, to be exact).
Versatile Dave Rowntree, meanwhile, is a Labour activist, and ran as a Labour candidate for Mid Sussex in the 2024 general election. He’s also an animator, and has written music for film and TV. His new photography book will offer an unusual insight to Blur fans, showing them candidly, before they became world-famous. It aims to capture the excitement of those early years along with moments they shared outside the process of music-making.
Rowntree’s talk will provide a deeper understanding of the photos and, for those who want to re-live their youth, will be an opportunity not to be missed. For newcomers to the world of Blur, it will provide a detailed illustration of the band’s particular character.
In Conversation With Dave Rowntree takes place at De La Warr Pavillion, Bexhill, 30 January. Full details: dlwp.com/event/dave-rowntree
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