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| Blur confirm summer reunion gig | Blur confirm summer reunion gig |
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| Blur are reforming to play a huge live show in London's Hyde Park next summer - nine years after their last concert as a four-piece band. | Blur are reforming to play a huge live show in London's Hyde Park next summer - nine years after their last concert as a four-piece band. |
| Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James and Dave Rowntree will reunite for the concert on 3 July. | Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James and Dave Rowntree will reunite for the concert on 3 July. |
| It will be the first time the band have played in public since performing at London's Royal Festival Hall in 2000, before Coxon left the group in 2002. | It will be the first time the band have played in public since performing at London's Royal Festival Hall in 2000, before Coxon left the group in 2002. |
| Tickets for the gig, which will cost £45, go on sale at 0900 GMT on Friday. | Tickets for the gig, which will cost £45, go on sale at 0900 GMT on Friday. |
| "It just felt it was right again," Albarn told music weekly NME. | "It just felt it was right again," Albarn told music weekly NME. |
| "It somehow feels like there's something for us to do again, we're not completely useless or pointless, we've got a reason to exist." | "It somehow feels like there's something for us to do again, we're not completely useless or pointless, we've got a reason to exist." |
| Coxon told the magazine the band were "making public what's been going on a little bit privately". | Coxon told the magazine the band were "making public what's been going on a little bit privately". |
| The announcement has fuelled speculation that the band will also play at next year's Glastonbury Festival, which falls a week before the Hyde Park gig. | The announcement has fuelled speculation that the band will also play at next year's Glastonbury Festival, which falls a week before the Hyde Park gig. |
| Blur enjoyed 19 top 20 hit singles in the UK over 12 years Why Graham Coxon is key to the Blur reunion class="" href="/1/hi/entertainment/7773370.stm">What have they been up to? | |
| But a Glastonbury spokesman said fans should not buy tickets based on unconfirmed reports. | But a Glastonbury spokesman said fans should not buy tickets based on unconfirmed reports. |
| "We are talking to headliners at the moment," he told BBC News. | "We are talking to headliners at the moment," he told BBC News. |
| "There is lots of speculation about who might or might not be playing next year. We're confident it will be as good as Jay-Z. No headliners have been confirmed." | "There is lots of speculation about who might or might not be playing next year. We're confident it will be as good as Jay-Z. No headliners have been confirmed." |
| Last month, Albarn told BBC Radio 1's Newsbeat it was "very possible" he would go back to Blur. | Last month, Albarn told BBC Radio 1's Newsbeat it was "very possible" he would go back to Blur. |
| The singer confirmed the band members had been meeting up and bassist James had also hinted at a reunion. | The singer confirmed the band members had been meeting up and bassist James had also hinted at a reunion. |
| Formed in 1989, Blur have recorded seven studio albums and had a string of UK top 10 singles, including number one hits with Country House and Beetlebum. | Formed in 1989, Blur have recorded seven studio albums and had a string of UK top 10 singles, including number one hits with Country House and Beetlebum. |
| Their last album, Think Tank, was released in 2003. | Their last album, Think Tank, was released in 2003. |
| Since then, Albarn, 40, has been best known for his Gorillaz pop project with cartoonist Jamie Hewlett. | Since then, Albarn, 40, has been best known for his Gorillaz pop project with cartoonist Jamie Hewlett. |
| More recently, the pair have collaborated on Monkey: Journey to the West, a Chinese opera that is running at London's O2 until January and will then tour the world. | More recently, the pair have collaborated on Monkey: Journey to the West, a Chinese opera that is running at London's O2 until January and will then tour the world. |
| Guitarist Coxon, 39, who released a solo album in 1998, released two further albums after leaving Blur, while James, 40, became a writer and now makes cheese on a farm in Oxfordshire. | Guitarist Coxon, 39, who released a solo album in 1998, released two further albums after leaving Blur, while James, 40, became a writer and now makes cheese on a farm in Oxfordshire. |
| Drummer Dave Rowntree, 44, was recently selected by the Labour Party to be its candidate for the Cities of London and Westminster at the next general election. | Drummer Dave Rowntree, 44, was recently selected by the Labour Party to be its candidate for the Cities of London and Westminster at the next general election. |