It looks a sure bet that the recently reformed Britpoppers Blur are headed to the capital this November to headline one of the F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after-race concerts, according to sources close to the UK band.
The London band peaked in the nineties with the "Battle of Britpop" against their Manchester rivals Oasis, which was largely considered to be a draw. They enjoyed hits such as Parklife and Country House before reinventing themselves in a lo-fi US alt rock mould, largely at the behest of guitarist Graham Coxon's changing tastes and desire to move away from the Britpop aesthetic, with albums such as 13.
The group finally split following their 2003 album Think Tank. Singer Damon Albarn went on to further success with animated popsters Gorillaz, alongside Tank Girl creator Jamie Hewlett and sometime collaborator, the Dubai-based rapper Eslam Jawaad.
He also received critical acclaim for the arthouse super-group project The Good, The Bad and The Queen, alongside The Clash’s Paul Simonon, The Verve’s Simon Tong, Fela Kuti drummer Tony Allen and producer Danger Mouse.
Albarn also went on to become a prominent political activist, and appeared in the 2014 documentary We Are Many. Bassist Alex Jame, strangely, went on to be a prominent cheese specialist, a member of England's unofficial World Cup anthem Vindaloo creators Fat Les, with comedian Keith Allen, and occasional Tory party supporter.
Blur reformed in 2009, and this year released their first album since 2003, the critically acclaimed The Magic Whip.
Event organisers Flash Entertainment had no comment.
This year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is on the weekend of November 27-29. The after-race concert lineup is due to be announced September 15.
cnewbould@thenational.ae
