Alex James of Blur joins Paul Cashmere at Noise11 to talk about bringing Britpop Classical to Australia, a new live production that reimagines some of the biggest songs of the 1990s with a full symphony orchestra.
In this interview Alex explains how the show evolved into a 90-minute celebration of the era, featuring the biggest songs from Blur, Oasis, Pulp, Supergrass and more. He discusses why tracks such as Radiohead’s “Creep” found their way into the production and how the music of the period has developed a new audience decades later.
Alex also looks at the origins of Britpop itself and says the movement drew heavily from classic British songwriting traditions of the 1960s. He talks about Blur’s Modern Life Is Rubbish, Parklife and The Great Escape albums and why those records defined the band’s Britpop years.
Paul and Alex also revisit the famous Blur versus Oasis rivalry and ask whether it was as real as people thought at the time. Alex reflects on revisiting songs like “Wonderwall”, reveals surprising details about the music, and discusses the renewed appetite audiences have for hearing those songs today.
The conversation also touches on Blur’s reunion and 2023 album The Ballad of Darren, Alex’s parallel life as a cheese maker, and whether there could still be more Blur in the future.
BRITPOP CLASSICAL TOUR DATES 2026
Tuesday 3rd November, Gold Coast, The Star
Wednesday 4th November, Brisbane, Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre
Friday 6th November, Melbourne, The Palais
Sunday 8th November, Adelaide, Adelaide Entertainment Centre
Tuesday 10th November, Sydney, State Theatre
Thursday 12th November, Perth, Riverside Theatre
Tickets available via mellenevents.com
Stay updated with your free Noise11.com daily music news email alert. Subscribe to Noise11 Music News here
Be the first to see NOISE11.com’s newest interviews and special features on YouTube. See things first—Subscribe to Noise11 on YouTube
Follow Noise11.com on social media:
Bluesky
Facebook – Comment on the news of the day
