July 8th 2023.
Damon Albarn and his bandmates of Blur had an unforgettable night as they took to the stage at Wembley Stadium on Saturday night, with an extra date added due to overwhelming demand. As the 90,000-strong crowd sang along to all their hits, the set kicked off with St Charles Square and ended with The Universal. The band also took the opportunity to promote their upcoming ninth album, The Ballad of Darren, which is set to be released on July 21.
The album is a tribute to their former bodyguard, Darren 'Smoggy' Evans, who currently works for frontman Damon, and his picture features on the inner sleeve of the record. Speaking of the album, Damon said: "Darren is many people. It is directly one person. There’s a picture of Darren in the album. Not on the front cover. It was going to be but then we put it on the inner sleeve because it’s not the sort of attention Darren will want."
The band didn't stop there, as the love for Darren is also showed through their merchandise stand, which sells actual Darren masks. Fans were keen to purchase and wear the masks throughout the show, which was a 'nightmare' according to Damon. He urged everyone to buy one, saying that it can be 'useful'.
Guitarist Graham Coxon spoke of the band's experience of playing at the iconic London venue, saying: "It's amazing for Graham and me to sit here, having started off in our little humble Portakabin in Colchester at the age of 12 and to be here, thank you very much, everybody." In terms of their new album, Graham said he wanted it to "land rather nicely" as opposed to having a "rough landing" like in the past.
We can't wait to hear The Ballad of Darren when it is released on July 21!
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