Dave Rowntree
Blur
Blur are an indie rock band formed in 1988 in London consisting of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. They are best known for their chart battle with Oasis in ‘The Battle of Britpop’.
Their debut album, “Leisure” was released in 1991 and was heavily influenced by the ‘Madchester’ scene. Peaking at No.7 in the UK chart it received mixed reviews from the critics. In 1992 the band embarked a 2 month tour of the US and during this period became increasingly unhappy and often fought with each other. They began writing about the things they missed from England. By 1993 the band had released their second album, “Modern Life Is Rubbish” which had limited commercial success peaking at No. 15 in the UK chart and failing to impact upon the US.
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1994 was a turning point in the band’s fortunes. “Parklife” was a massive success and went straight to No.1 staying in the UK charts for a massive 90 weeks. The album’s first single, “Girls & Boys” went to No.5 in the UK and No.4 in the US and also generated further hit singles with title track, “Parklife” and “To the End”. Blur won four BRIT awards that year including Best Band. 1995 saw the start of the antagonistic rivalry between Blur and Oasis and both bands decided to release a new single on the same day. Blur’s “Country House” outsold Oasis’, “Roll With It” by 48,000 copies and was the band’s first No.1. Their next album, “The Great Escape” was released the same year and went straight to No.1 and received excellent reviews. They were soon the media losers again when Oasis’, “(What’s the Story) Morning Glory” went quadruple platinum in America.
After a strained 1996 the band reinvented their musical style for the self titled album, “Blur” in 1997. The album produced hit singles, “Beetlebum” and “Song 2”, the latter being used for soundtracks, adverts and TV shows. The band released, “13” in 1999 and went straight in at No.1 in the charts and included gospel-based, “Tender” and “Coffee & TV”. After “13” the band went into hiatus and pursued other projects such as Gorillaz. The band released a new album, “Think Tank” in 2003 which was heavily electronic and was another UK No.1.
The band reunited in 2009 for a brief UK tour.
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