BBC Radio 2 to air six programmes on Blur and host a live Blur concert
A concert with Blur is being put on by BBC Radio 2 this month in addition to six special Blur-themed programmes.
Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James and Dave Rowntree will be performing at the BBC’s Radio Theatre in New Broadcasting House, London.
The show will be live on Radio 2 and BBC Sounds, and streamed in vision on BBC iPlayer from 7-9pm on Tuesday 18 July.
The concert will also be shown on BBC Two and on demand on BBC iPlayer at a later date. The concert will be available to listen to on BBC Sounds for 30 days after broadcast.
Jeff Smith, Head of Music for Radio 2, says: “At Radio 2, we’re committed to delivering live and exclusive music sessions from the world’s most loved artists, so I’m delighted that Blur will be returning to the Radio Theatre for Radio 2 In Concert.
“We will all be excited to see such a legendary band perform both classic hits and some brand new material in such an iconic and intimate setting.”
As well as the concert, a brand new Radio 2 programme, Blur At The BBC, will tell the band’s story through live music and archive interviews (also broadcast on Radio 2 on Sunday 9 July, 12-1am).
Other Blur specific-programmes include:
- Blur and Me, in which comedian and superfan Josh Widdecombe picks an hour of his favourite Blur tracks
- For Fans of Blur, an hour of music that influenced Blur as well as music from the artists they went on to inspire
- Blur in conversation with BBC Radio 6 Music’s Steve Lamacq, offering listeners another chance to hear Steve’s exclusive interview with the band from 2023 on 6 Music
- Blur Live In London, a live recording first broadcast on 6 Music from London’s Astoria and Brixton Academy in 1997
- Blur Live at Peel Acres, a chance to hear the band performing live in the garden of Peel Acres, John Peel’s home, in 1997
Blur announced in November 2022 that they were reuniting for their 35-year anniversary and releasing a new album.