Graham Coxon has hinted that Blur could play new material at their Hyde Park show later this year.
The reunited Britpop legends will return to Hyde Park, the scene of two of their reunion shows of 2009, for a gig which will also feature The Specials and New Order on August 12 – and Coxon has hinted that the band may have some “surprises” up their sleeves for the show.
When asked if the band would be unveiling new material at the gig in an interview on the BBC, Coxon replied: “Mmmm, perhaps. There might be some surprises. I’m not sure what any of the other people in the group have said – we all say different things and then we all get told ‘Don’t say that’, ‘But they said that’, and [end up] getting intro trouble. But there’s going to be some surprises.”
Previously, bassist Alex James claimed that Blur would play a brand-new song during the show, describing it as a “tearjerker”, but it was unclear whether he was referring to ‘Under The Westway’ – which frontman Damon Albarn and guitarist Graham Coxon played during their brief set at a pre-Brits charity gig for War Child at O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London last month – or another new song.
Speaking to NME recently, Blur confirmed they had been working on new material since reuniting, but were cagey about whether they’d record a new album, which would be their first since 2003’s ‘Think Tank’.
Pressed on whether any of their new songs would make the Hyde Park set, Coxon said he’d be “interested in playing new things” during the gig, adding: “We always used to play underdeveloped things and kick them into shape during the shows, but it isn’t the occasion for that. Obviously we’re not gonna play the same set we played in 2009, but there things that people always, always wanna hear.”
Earlier this year, producer William Orbit hinted he was working on new material with Blur in a series of tweets, while Stephen Street, who helmed a number of the band’s albums in the mid-to-late-’90s, has also expressed an interest in recording with them again.
Along with playing at Hyde Park, Blur are also scheduled to headline Sweden’s Way Out West festival in August.
Meanwhile, Graham Coxon is set to release his new solo album ‘A+E’ on April 2. The guitarist has described the album, which is the eighth of his solo career, as “cold, hard and gritty” and said there would be a “lack of romantic songs” on the LP.
Graham Coxon will tour in support of ‘A+E’ in April, playing 14 shows across the UK. These begin at Oxford’s O2 Academy on April 13 and run until April 30 when Coxon will headline Falmouth’s Princess Pavilions venue.