Blur: To the End (2024)

Blur: To the End (2024). 1h 44m

“I was always more of a u0026quot;Bluru0026quot; fan than an u0026quot;Oasisu0026quot; one, but to be honest Iu0026#39;d forgotten completely why they had split up. This fly-on-the-wall documentary tries to fill in some of the gaps as it reunites the four members of the band who are going to record their first new album in decades and do a little mini-tour of some u0026quot;intimateu0026quot; venues before a couple of gigs in front of eighty-odd thousand people at Londonu0026#39;s Wembley stadium. The film is centred around Damon Albarnu0026#39;s home in the South West of England and as Graham Coxon (anyone else think heu0026#39;s turning into Dudley Moore?), renowned cheesemaker Alex James and Dave Rowntree turn up it seems that thereu0026#39;s a lot of forgiving and forgetting going on. Thereu0026#39;s a conversational candour from all four about their demise as a band. They couldnu0026#39;t stand the sight of one another – hardly surprising after living in each otheru0026#39;s pockets for years, but itu0026#39;s clear that there is still something compelling, addictive even, about their relationships that will either float or sink this ambitions project that is proving nerve-wracking even now, after years of performing. I could have been doing with more of their music, if only to remind me there was more to them than u0026quot;Boys and Girlsu0026quot; and u0026quot;Parklifeu0026quot;, and I could have done with less of their political hypocrisy as they live in safe conservative parliamentary seats whilst espousing urbanite socialism – but when it comes down to it, they are just four formerly quite handsome guys (yes, I know thatu0026#39;s reductive!) who knew how to put lyrics and music into a format that mischievously and vibrantly entertained on a stage and on a television at a time when music in Britain was undoubtedly suffering from a creative malaise that was crying out for something different, energetic and powerful. I liked the style of this documentary and I liked the very fact that itu0026#39;s an episode in the lives of these four, now quite different, men. What happens next is anyoneu0026#39;s guess.”