Blur bassist Alex James will bring his Britpop Classical production to Australia this November, presenting a 90 minute celebration of the songs that defined the British guitar boom of the 1990s. The show combines a rock band, session vocalists and a full symphony orchestra, with music from Blur, Oasis, Pulp, Supergrass, Radiohead and others, reworked for a large scale live production.
By Paul Cashmere
For Alex James, the project grew from a simple idea that quickly expanded into something much larger. Speaking to Noise11, he said the challenge was never finding enough songs but narrowing them down.
“It is 90 minutes of hits,” James said. “It’s a rock band with a symphony orchestra, session singers and some special guests, just nailing out 90 minutes of hits.”
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The Australian shows will follow successful UK performances where guest appearances varied from city to city. James said organisers are already exploring opportunities to involve Australian performers.
The production arrives at a time when interest in Britpop has surged again. Blur reunited in 2023 for what James described as the band’s strongest run of shows, while Oasis’ reunion announcement demonstrated the enduring demand for music from the era.
Britpop Classical taps directly into that renewed enthusiasm, but James believes the appeal extends beyond nostalgia.
“These songs seem to mean more to more people now than they did when they were written,” he said. “They all seem to have found a whole new audience.”
One of the more intriguing aspects of the show is its broad interpretation of the term “Britpop”. Alongside expected selections from Blur, Oasis and Pulp, the set also features Radiohead’s Creep, a song rarely categorised within the genre.
James admitted he has never been particularly fond of the Britpop label itself.
“I never liked it, to be honest,” he laughed.
Yet when assembling the show, he found certain songs simply could not be excluded. Creep earned its place because of how effectively it works in the orchestral format and because it reflects the wider musical landscape of the decade.
“Once you’ve got your Blur and your Pulp and your Oasis and your Supergrass, actually that one does kind of work,” he said. “When the orchestra let rip on that, it’s just bonkers. I don’t think anyone’s going to complain that we’re doing that one.”
The concert also explores the roots of Britpop. Opening moments reference classic British artists through songs such as Rebel Rebel, Get It On, Waterloo Sunset and My Generation. James sees those records as the musical DNA that shaped Blur and many of their contemporaries.
For Blur, he identifies the group’s Britpop years as the period spanning Modern Life Is Rubbish, Parklife and The Great Escape. The Britpop Classical set draws heavily from those albums, featuring songs including Girls & Boys, Parklife, Country House, The Universal and Song 2.
“They lend themselves brilliantly to being performed with the symphony orchestra,” James said, noting that many of Blur’s recordings from that period already incorporated strings, brass and orchestral arrangements.
One of the show’s most ambitious moments comes through a mash-up of Blur’s Song 2 and Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit. James views the pairing as a musical summary of a key period in Blur’s history.
He recalled arriving in America just as Nirvana’s Nevermind transformed rock music and changed the direction of alternative music globally. According to James, that cultural shift pushed Blur to embrace a distinctly British identity, a move that ultimately helped define the Britpop era.
“Smells Like Teen Spirit was kind of the impetus for us,” he said. “Song 2 was the point where it all ended.”
Despite the well documented Blur versus Oasis rivalry of the mid-1990s, James had no hesitation including Oasis songs in the production. The set features Rock ‘n’ Roll Star, Wonderwall, Don’t Look Back In Anger and Fuckin’ In The Bushes.
Looking back, James said the rivalry often seemed more amusing than serious, although he acknowledged it divided music fans at the time. Revisiting the songs for Britpop Classical also gave him a new appreciation for the musicianship involved.
“Wonderwall was probably the hardest nut to crack in the whole set,” he said. “The bass playing on Wonderwall is actually remarkable.”
While Blur’s future remains uncertain, James suggested the band ended its most recent reunion on positive terms. After decades of occasional tensions and breakups, he said the group concluded its last album cycle in a stronger place than ever before.
“It would be a shame if we never did it again,” he said. “It’s very precious what we’ve got.”
For Australian audiences, Britpop Classical may be the closest thing to a Blur return for now. As James joked, “You’ll have all the best bits here with the orchestra.”
Dates
Tuesday 3 November, Gold Coast, The Star
Wednesday 4 November, Brisbane, Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre
Friday 6 November, Melbourne, The Palais
Sunday 8 November, Adelaide, Adelaide Entertainment Centre
Tuesday 10 November, Sydney, State Theatre
Thursday 12 November, Perth, Riverside Theatre
Tickets available via mellenevents.com
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