If you're a fan of the legendary Britpop band Blur, you'll probably know they're playing a massive Wembley weekend event in July 2023 which will mark their first headline show since 2015.
Formed in London in 1988 by Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James & Dave Rowntree, the band rose to prominence during Cool Britannia and the Britpop heydays of the mid 90s. Following the release of Parklife in 1994, which is arguably their greatest album of all time, Blur battled it out with Oasis for the number one spot in 1995. Dubbed 'The Battle of Britpop" it was 'Roll With It' from Oasis vs 'Country House' from Blur. Marketed as a North vs South thing, which it wasn't really as both sides of the country liked a bit of both, it was Blur that came on top winning the number one spot. Other notable tracks from Parklife included the likes of 'Girls & Boys' a classic 90s tune that even featured a remixed House version courtesy of Pianoman which was also released in 1994.
Above: Damon Albarn in the video for 'Girls & Boys' wearing the Fila velour track top. It was the original 'Girls & Boys' video from Blur however that brought a certain sportswear brand back into the mix. Everyone wanted a piece of that Fila Velour track top. The irony was that it was actually a vintage 80s piece. Albarn was a big fan of shopping for 80s gear in vintage stores in Camden and played a massive part in the revival of retro sportswear in the 90s. Following who whole Grunge scene which let's be honest was a little bit scruffy to say the least, Cool Britannia was a melting pot of mod gear from the 1960s, casual sportswear from the early 80s mixed with 90s trends. Albarn pioneered everything from Slazenger track tops, Kappa windbreakers, Sergio Tacchini track tops that were previously worn by John McEnroe & original Borg silhouettes from the golden era of one-upmanship & casual sportswear.
Above: Damon Albarn was recently spotted backstage with a fan wearing the Fila Mk1 BB1 polo shirt. If the announcement of the Wembley 2023 gigs wasn't already enough for the die hard Blur fans, a little birdy recently told us that Albarn had rekindled his original passion for retro sportswear and was recently spotted wearing the classic Fila Mk1 BB1 polo shirt. The ultimate casual polo shirt and fan favourite the classic pin striped tennis top is now available from 80s Casual Classics in exclusive colourways such as fox glove pink.
Above: The Fila Vintage Mk1 BB1 polo shirt in foxglove pink now available from 80s Casual Classics.
You can catch Blur at Wembley Stadium on the following dates below. Tickets are not sold out at this stage. Saturday July 8th 2023 at 3pm, 4:30pm & 7pm Sunday July 9th 2023 at 3pm & 4:30pm Featured image credit: damonalbarn.tumblr.com
