Blur?

[Homer]

I went to Hyde Park last year for Arcade Fire. I really wanted to see Public Service Broadcasting - but they were off in some separate area that you had to queue for ages to get into.

I'm pretty sure there was an interactive element too where you had to tell someone with an iPad your favourite song to get a ticket to join a queue ?!).

I got a free ticket for the whole gig - but if I'd paid I'd have been pretty annoyed I'd missed PSB who were scheduled as appearing.

[DGrant261]

I've seen both Blur gigs, Pulp and Neil Young in Hyde Park. Although the sound has got worse/quieter since Blur in 2009, it only adds to the other problems. Last year for NY was a disaster - so corporate, poorly organised and lacking in atmosphere. The priority viewing area was a complete joke - if you arrived early enough you could be on the barrier with a general ticket. The second stage was ridiculous. At Pulp it was a tent with plenty of room - and the acts were arguably too small to fill the tent. Last year, the location was more within the main arena so they went for an enclosed stage - it was like a sauna. They'd also incorporated a bar and several booths (clearly not enough bars elsewhere selling overpriced shit pints...) so the capacity was far smaller.

I agree with all of this. I had to be carried out of the crush at the Libertines last year and the organisation was a corporate shambles.

A small part of my long rant about it (The only bit with a grammar error) got published in this article.

http://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/crowd-crush-at-the-libertines-hyde-park-comeback-your-experiences

once again my general advice is..

DONT GO TO HYDE PARK!

it really is the only way of stopping this fraud of a venue, otherwise we will have to keep on putting up with pathetic sound levels and organisation

Aye. But as someone who has only started going to gigs in the past 2 years, how many more chances am I gonna get to see Black Sabbath/Rolling Stones/Blur/The Who/The Strokes? That is my problem here

[russycarps]

Aye. But as someone who has only started going to gigs in the past 2 years, how many more chances am I gonna get to see Black Sabbath/Rolling Stones/Blur/The Who/The Strokes? That is my problem here

This is a fair point. Blur you should have opportunities to see again in future (and the strokes). But the who is another matter.

I'd go and see them if I was you, and just make sure you are down the front or by a speaker.

Arent you going to glastonbury then? They clash dont they?

[neil999]

This is a fair point. Blur you should have opportunities to see again in future (and the strokes). But the who is another matter.

I'd go and see them if I was you, and just make sure you are down the front or by a speaker.

Arent you going to glastonbury then? They clash dont they?

hmmm, true

ok well maybe they should just smash the place up afterwards then...hmm, maybe thats a bit extreme...maybe everyone can shout really loudly in unison to wake up the local residents once the gig has finished

[incident]

Aye. But as someone who has only started going to gigs in the past 2 years, how many more chances am I gonna get to see Black Sabbath/Rolling Stones/Blur/The Who/The Strokes? That is my problem here

It's really not a problem.

Take the opportunity to go to Dublin, Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, wherever. Anywhere that's not Hyde Park. You can often get flights for obscenely low prices, plus you get a night or two in a foreign city.

You'll also probably be amongst a better crowd than the kind of people who think that Hyde Park is a good place for a gig.

[the wonderwhy]

I Broadcast just sounded great on Jools

[russycarps]

Gah I missed it but caught the lousy vaccines instead

Edited April 14, 2015 by russycarps

[Tuna]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/live/bbctwo

You can rewind the current program to the start, if you're not feeling whatever is on now.

[Festiboi69]

Love Damon's energy.

[Tdiz]

really liked that track ong ong looking forward to the album!!

[the wonderwhy]

Thought they were both great. Really liked everything I've heard off the album so far

[Mash011]

really liked that track ong ong looking forward to the album!!

Ong Ong was fantastic! Wasn't that keen on the first track though. The album will definitely be good but there's no change of it topping their last two - Think Tank in particular was one of my all time favourites. Would love to be surprised by it still.

[brettredmayne]

Love the new song My terracotta heart, think this album is going to sound great.

love Albarn when he does his slower songs as the lyrics seem to mean so much more

[tezshields]

I missed Neil Young to see Bloc Party

Mate! Best Glastonbury moment of my life.

[Drinky]

Mate! Best Glastonbury moment of my life.

I've heard how great it was... the 00s equivalent of standing in the knee-deep mud at the Other Stage instead of watching Radiohead in 97.

[efcfanwirral]

this and the Noel album last month were the first times I've been properly excited about an album for a long time. I love all 5 songs I've heard, and even if I don't like any more that's not a bad ratio! Really want to see it live, whether glastonbury (quick prayer to the ticket gods for tomorrow) or just on tour. Hopefully it's not just a mini tour of random places then hyde park and that's it, but a proper tour.

[brettredmayne]

Sounds to be like an open letter to blur and his band mates

'm running out of heart today

I'm running out of open road to you

And I know you are the [?]

If something broke inside you

Cause at the moment I'm lost, a feeling that I don't know

If I'm losing you again

[st dan]

The proper version of The Magic Whip is knocking around online now it would seem .....

[FloorFiller]

The proper version of The Magic Whip is knocking around online now it would seem .....

aye was just about to post this. downloading it now! will probably give it a proper listen tomorrow

[Mash011]

Really enjoyable album, doesn't match up to their last couple but I don't think anyone was expecting that. Gotta say having Pyongyang go into Ong Ong was an inspired choice.

[Hugh Jass]

Interesting pub discussion last night regarding Blur. Me and a couple of mates are huge fans, seen them dozens of times between us, but we were discussing the new album and it was suggested that Blur, for all the fantastic music they've made, have never made a truly great album. They've made seven good to very good albums but have never made that one defining record, arguably their best album is the Midlife compilation, and I say that as a huge fan.

Thoughts?

[FloorFiller]

Interesting pub discussion last night regarding Blur. Me and a couple of mates are huge fans, seen them dozens of times between us, but we were discussing the new album and it was suggested that Blur, for all the fantastic music they've made, have never made a truly great album. They've made seven good to very good albums but have never made that one defining record, arguably their best album is the Midlife compilation, and I say that as a huge fan.

Thoughts?

yeah i kind of agree. after Leisure all of their albums have been pretty damn great, but (as has been shown earlier in this thread) everybody disagrees on their favourite album. i think Parklife is generally / critically regarded as their 'best' but i know many would disagree. they don't really have a magnum opus - just consistently great albums

[Mash011]

Interesting pub discussion last night regarding Blur. Me and a couple of mates are huge fans, seen them dozens of times between us, but we were discussing the new album and it was suggested that Blur, for all the fantastic music they've made, have never made a truly great album. They've made seven good to very good albums but have never made that one defining record, arguably their best album is the Midlife compilation, and I say that as a huge fan.

Thoughts?

Problem with trying to find 'one defining record' is that their best albums aren't the ones the define them most. Personally Think Tank is an all time favourite and I would argue that the sheer scope and creativity of the music on that album makes it their best. Let down by the awful 'Crazy Beat' but we can ignore that. 13 is also fantastic, both of them I'd call 'truly great'.

[Bisque]

Thoughts?

You might be right on that. What about the one with the the greyhounds?

My go to karaoke band. Except when I sang Blink 182's "I Miss You" in a tranny bar in LA, forgetting there's that really awkward non singing bass solo bit about 3/4 of the way in.

[BlackHole2006]

Keep on hearing Go Out on BBC 6, stonking track. Gotta have a listen to the album, if they do end up headlining I'll definitely be there. Still kicking myself from when I missed them in '09.