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Back to: Archive · 1998 The official Glastonbury '98 programme preview of Blur's performance Blur last played Glastonbury in 1994, unveiling the gorgeous strains of 'This Is A Low' on Sunday night as the sun set - thus providing a suitably gilded finale to a beautifully balmy weekend. Hopefully, such solar synchronicity is something of an omen. Blur have only played Glastonbury on one other occasion - in 1992 - and the weather was good then, too. But even if the prospect of Blur and a blazing sun isn't quite enough to have us dig out our deck chairs, crab stix and kiss-me-quick hats for a nostalgic reconstruction of core Britpop attitudes, we should perhaps be grateful for their presence this year. After all, frontman Damon Albarn swore that the band were retiring from the live arena at the end of the band's 1997 British tour. He was only persuaded out of concert retirement because the other three members of the band were so keen to play this year's Glastonbury. "It's quite a change," he says. "It's usually me who's telling other people to do things. I'm just very nervous, because it's not as if we're playing in the middle of the world tour or anything. It's just that comeback-gig syndrome again. Which is great, but also terrifying." Having made their album debut with 1991's 'Leisure', Blur are now a band with a five-LP history. It's been a long, lager-soaked journey from their formative youthful rumblings on that first record, through the Brit-centric trilogy of 'Modern Life Is Rubbish', 'Parklife' and 'The Great Escape' to the more internationalist, US-friendly exuberance of the 'Blur' album. But it all means that Blur have the back catalogue from which to flourish forth a set of exquisitely varied tone - from the widescreen emotional sweep of 'This Is A Low' and gas-advert favourite 'The Universal' to the biting pop incision of the likes of 'Song 2' and 'Popscene'. But even this isn't enough for Albarn and company. As he told us recently, the set should also contain some new unreleased material. "We've written enough new songs," he says, "it's just a case of choosing which ones to play. I think it's a memorable way to baptise a song to play it in the open air at Glastonbury." Whatever songs Blur play, it seems that Damon is well aware of the unique Avalonian vibes that add to the greatness of Glastonbury. "Glastonbury's by far the best festival," he says. "You get a proper mix of people - it's truly eclectic and it helps that it's quite a magical area. I've actually got a place quite near Glastonbury and I'll be around for the whole weekend. It's not as if we're doing any other gigs, so there's no reason why we can't stick around." Damon says that Blur will definitely be playing 'This Is A Low'. Hopefully the sun will shine as they do so. |