Blur will debut two new songs next Monday (July 2) in a live video stream performance on Twitter.
The band will perform “Under The Westway” and “The Puritan”, written for their forthcoming sold-out Hyde Park gig on August 12, live from a secret UK location and it will be broadcast around the world on Twitter.com/blurofficial at 6:15pm. Scroll down the page and click to hear versions of the songs.
An interview with the band will follow the performance of the first track before they will debut the second song at 7:15pm. Both songs will then be immediately available to download. A limited edition double A-side 7-inch single will be released by Parlophone on August 6.
Commenting on the live video stream performance, Damon Albarn said: “I wrote these songs for Hyde Park and I’m really excited about getting out there and playing them for people.”
On Friday, Blur teased fans by posting times and the names of the tracks on their Twitter page.
“The Puritan” post features a picture of a neon lettering stating “Hey puritan what you gonna do about it” while the shot which accompanies the “Under The Westway” tweet features a photo of the West London overpass emblazoned with the words: “Bring us the day they switch off the machines.”
Blur will embark on an intimate UK tour this August. The band play four shows, beginning at Margate’s Winter Gardens on August 1. They will then play two shows at Wolverhampton’s Civic Hall on August 5 and 6, before finishing off at Plymouth’s Pavilions on August 7.
The shows will act as a warm-up for the band’s huge outdoor gig at London’s Hyde Park on August 12, which sees Blur topping a bill that also includes New Order and The Specials. The gig has been put on to coincide with the closing ceremony of the Olympic games. Blur are also scheduled to headline Sweden’s Way Out West festival in August.
Blur will release a career-spanning boxset on July 30. Titled 21, the collection includes the band’s seven studio albums as well as over five hours of previously unreleased material including 65 tracks, rarities, three DVDs, a collector’s edition book and special limited edition Seymour seven-inch vinyl.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WPKXPgMkbc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HX1ccrvM-E4