Watch Blur’s Alex James play ‘Vindaloo’ at Wembley Stadium

12 July, 2023

Alex James of Blur performs at Wembley Stadium on July 08, 2023 in London, England. Credit: Chiaki Nozu/ GETTY

Alex James has shared a video of him playing ‘Vindaloo’ at Wembley Stadium before Blur’s headline show at the venue.

The 1998 football song was co-written by James, actor Keith Allen and bassist Guy Pratt. The track served as the band Fat Les’ (Alex James, actor Keith Allen and artist Damien Hirst) debut single and was recorded for the 1998 FIFA World Cup.

James took to social media to share a video clip of him playing ‘Vindaloo’ on the Wembley Stadium stage during Blur’s soundcheck for their show on July 9. The caption read: “Wembley is the spiritual home of Vindaloo.”

‘Vindaloo’ was written as a parody of football chants but became one in its own right. In an article discussing the best football songs, NME wrote: “‘Vindaloo’ is an undeniably, deeply irritating song. But that’s also kind of what makes it so amazing.”

They continued: “This thing, this monstrosity of dumb chanting and inane lyrics – “We’re gonna score one more than youuuu” – made it to Number Two in the UK charts and became one of the 10 best-selling songs of 1998. It’s such a mad achievement that it becomes a kind of post-modern celebration of life in all its ridiculousness. What a world we live in.”

In other news, Blur recently announced the details of a new special London gig, which will see them perform their new album ‘The Ballad Of Darren’ in full.

‘Blur present: The Ballad Of Darren’ will take place at London’s Eventim Apollo on July 25. It will be the first and only time the album will be performed in its entirety, from start to finish, and fans across the globe can tune in via a livestream of the show.

In a five-star review of the band’s show at Wembley Stadium, NME wrote: “This two-hour performance shows that Blur have soundtracked the audience’s lives with real emotional impact. James recently called the making of their new album an “utter joy”. It’s clear that fans would say the same about tonight.”

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