November 29th 2024.
Band reunions are often seen as a happy ending for fans, but one member of a popular 90s group has revealed that the reality can be quite different. The British band Blur, known for their hits like Song 2 and Parklife, dominated the charts in the 90s before eventually disbanding after 15 years together. However, they did reunite in the years that followed, and bass guitarist Alex James, now 56, has recently opened up about the rocky road to their successful comeback.
In a recent interview promoting his new memoir, Over the Rainbow: Tales from an Unexpected Year, James shared that one particular catch-up with his bandmates Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, and Dave Rowntree before their reunion tour was a complete disaster. He even admitted that it still haunts him to this day. "I've sort of blocked it out," he said. "But we...couldn't. Weren't really communicating at all."
James went on to share an extract from his book, revealing that the meeting, which took place before the band's reunion tour and new album, was the first time they had all been together in years. The previous meeting, which James described as a "car crash," had left very little communication between them and their management. But despite the rough start, the band eventually got back on track and went on to have a successful reunion.
During that first meeting, James recalls seeing drummer Dave Rowntree with a "really sad" expression on his face. "I don't think it's going to happen," Rowntree said as Albarn and Coxon arrived. But once they started talking about how the reunion would work, the awkwardness dissipated and they began to play music together again. James said it was like no time had passed and it was "blissful and joyous."
Their first performance since the reunion was a sold-out show at Wembley Stadium in July of last year, and James described it as "brilliant." He continued to share his experience, saying, "You know when you're in the car and Uptown Funk is on and you're singing your head off and it feels brilliant? It just feels like that. It feels exactly like that." However, despite the success of their reunion tour and album, Albarn announced in December that the band would be taking another hiatus.
"We've had an amazing time this summer, but it's too much for me," Albarn said. "It was the right thing to do and an immense honour to play these songs again, spend time with these guys, make an album." He also mentioned that he is not ruling out another reunion in the future, but for now, he is not dwelling on the past. The band did come together one last time in April to play at Coachella, but it seems that their reunion has once again come to an end.
Despite the ups and downs of their reunion journey, James and the rest of Blur will always have fond memories of their time together. And for fans, their music will continue to live on and bring back nostalgic feelings of the 90s.
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