X-clusive: Blur Reveal New Guitarist At Surprise Gig

Xfm Online can reveal that ex-Verve and The Shining guitarist Simon Tong has joined Blur (replacing original fret wrangler Graham Coxon) who unveiled their new addition last Friday (February 7).

Blur made a surprise performance at an exclusive record company preview night in West London on Friday. After the label, Parlophone, treated the select audience of 150 to performances by Athlete (who debuted their new single ‘El Salvador’), Jamelia and a playback of the new Dandy Warhol’s single, Blur unexpectedly took the stage to play their first public gig since Coxon’s departure.

Alongside Tong, the band featured a new unknown keyboard player, a percussionist and two backing singers, with singer Damon Albarn taking to electric guitar for one number. The outfit played three new songs, according to Xfm’s representative, there was a slow paced tune, similar in vein to ‘Tender’, a midtempo number, and “a punky thrashy” song.

The songs themselves sounded impressive, with special note being made of Albarn’s vocals and their “More unaffected and emotionally honest delivery. There was none of the affectation of his earlier work”. However, the new Coxon-less line-up was judged as giving the impression of being “The Damon Albarn show”.

Having founded Blur back in 1989 with Albarn, Coxon was asked to leave in October 2002. "It was something to do with my attitude," the guitarist explained at the time, naming his antisocial behaviour (a state brought on by a mental breakdown brought on by his battle with drink and depression) as the reason behind the split. Coxon denied that the spilt was acrimonious, saying there was "No row. No clash," with the remaining three members.

While not a founder member, The Verve (a famously volatile outfit) recruited Tong after their original guitarist Nick McCabe split from the band in 1996. While McCabe eventually turned for the group’s massive success album ‘Urban Hymns’, Tong remained contributing keyboards as well as second guitar.

When The Verve finally split for good in 1999, singer Richard Ashcroft went solo and Tong and Verve bassist Simon Jones formed The Shining. The band produced a self-titled debut album in 2002, which failed to sell well, and although there has been no official statement about the band’s demise, recent event would indicate they have split.

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