Watch Blur bring ‘Country House’ back to setlist and play ‘Luminous’ for first time in 24 years at Primavera Sound
Blur brought fan-favourite ‘Country House’ back to their setlist at Primavera Sound last night (June 1), and played the rare track ‘Luminous’. Check out the setlist and footage below.
The Brit-pop icons took to the stage for their headline set at the Barcelona festival, performing a series of classics, rarities and new tracks from their upcoming album, ‘The Ballad Of Darren’.
One of the main highlights of the night came midway through their set, with Damon Albarn and co. performing ‘Luminous’ for the first time in 24 years. The lesser-known track is a b-side for the single ‘Bang’, which first appeared on their debut album ‘Leisure’.
More recently, ‘Luminous’ appeared on Blur’s b-side collection ‘Blur Present The Special Collectors Edition’, which was re-released for Record Store Day this April and featured a collection of B-sides taken from ‘Leisure’ (1991), ‘Modern Life Is Rubbish’ (1993) and ‘Parklife’ (1994).
Another highlight from the set came with the performance of fan-favourite ‘Country House’, which was preceded by a brief rendition of ‘I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside’. This was the first time that the song has been added to the setlist since the band embarked on their ‘Magic Whip’ tour, back in 2015. Check out fan-captured footage below.
“So the story begins…”:musical_note:@blurofficial's huge headline show at Barcelona’s @Primavera_Sound last night saw the band play ‘Country House’ for the first time in eight years. Roll on Wembley… pic.twitter.com/WfaJY4FSZL
— NME (@NME) June 2, 2023
“It’s so, so lovely to be back with my old friends again,” Albarn said to the audience during the first half of the set. “I’ve known them since I was young! I met Graham [Coxon] in school when I was 12. And here we still are.”
Elsewhere, two songs from their upcoming album LP ‘The Ballad Of Darren’ were also played: ‘St. Charles Square’ — which opened the 20-song setlist — and lead single ‘The Narcissist’. The album is set to arrive next month (July 21), and will be the band’s ninth studio album.
Blur included a variety of their most famous hits during the show too, including ‘Coffee & TV’, ‘Girls & Boys’ and ‘Song 2’. Check out the setlist below.
Blur’s setlist was:
1. ‘St. Charles Square’
2. ‘There’s No Other Way’
3. ‘Popscene’
4. ‘Tracy Jacks’
5. ‘Beetlebum’
6. ‘Trimm Trabb’
7. ‘Villa Rosie’
8. ‘Coffee & TV’
9. ‘Luminous’ (First time live since 1999)
10. ‘End of a Century’
11. ‘Country House’ (Tour debut)
12. ‘Parklife’
13. ‘To the End’
14. ‘Girls & Boys’
15. ‘Song 2’
16. ‘Intermission’
17. ‘This Is a Low’
18. ‘Tender’
19. ‘The Narcissist’
20. ‘The Universal’
Last month (May 19), all four members opened up about the recording process of their ninth studio album during a press conference at Colchester Castle.
“There were moments of utter joy,” said bassist Alex James. “The fact that we all go off and go down our rabbit holes and come back up again and when we do get back together, we’ve all learnt something… There’s always been something very special about when we play together. It’s there right from the get go. I feel fulfilled and blessed.”
The rock veterans also played a series of warm-up shows in the UK over the past two weeks, including a gig in their Colchester hometown (May 20) and a set in Eastbourne the next day (May 21).
Following a hiatus, their comeback was confirmed back in November with news of a huge Wembley Stadium show. A second date at the venue was later added, as were a run of European festival shows.
The post Watch Blur bring ‘Country House’ back to setlist and play ‘Luminous’ for first time in 24 years at Primavera Sound appeared first on NME.
Liberty Dunworth
NME
