BLUR: PRESENT THE ONLY FULL ALBUM PERFORMANCE LIVE FROM EVENTIM APOLLO

blur

present

The Ballad of Darren

THE ONLY FULL ALBUM PERFORMANCE 
LIVE FROM LONDON’S ICONIC
EVENTIM APOLLO, HAMMERSMITH

PLUS 

EXCLUSIVE GLOBAL LIVESTREAM 
Thursday July 25th, 2023 
9 – 10pm BST 

LIVESTREAM TICKETS ON SALE NOW
PHYSICAL TICKETS ON SALE JULY 18th

After an epic weekend which saw blur perform to over 150,000 fans across two truly unforgettable Wembley Stadium shows, the band today announced a very special global performance of their highly-anticipated new album The Ballad of Darren – live streamed via Driift from London’s Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith on Thursday, July 25th, 2023 at 9pm BST. For tickets and information here.

The one hour show  – titled ‘blur present The Ballad of Darren’ – is the first and only time the band will play the complete album live from start to finish. The performance will allow fans around the world to experience the new record – together, live – with this intimate one-off event, streamed live from London. 

Eight years since their chart-topping album The Magic Whip (2015), blur burst out of the traps in May with an already legendary performance at the tiny Colchester Arts Centre in Essex; the announcement of a brand new album; and the release of “The Narcissist“, racking up over 12m global streams – and counting – with a song which THE GUARDIAN (4/5 stars) describes as sounding like “…Blur have never been away”. Last week, they dropped follow up “St. Charles Square“, a track with “… a sense of gleeful invention that recalls their early days… a terrific piece of music.” (CLASH), driving a fever of excitement amongst fans ahead of the release of The Ballad of Darren in less than two weeks, on July 21st on Parlophone/Warner. 

Produced by Driift, the fully-live one-hour performance of The Ballad of Darren will be streamed worldwide at 9.00pm London-time (BST), before being rebroadcast three more times to allow fans around the world to watch at time more convenient for their timezone. Following that, the show will also be available to watch On Demand for another 2 days, timings as follows:   

• Live: Tuesday, July 25th 9.00pm BST
• Rebroadcast #1: Tuesday, July 25th 8.00pm EDT 
• Rebroadcast #2: Tuesday, July 25th 8.00pm PDT
• Rebroadcast #3: Wednesday, July 26th 8.00pm AEST
• On Demand: Wednesday, July 26th at 1.00pm BST – Friday, July  28th at 1.00pm BST

Ticket Information:

Livestream Tickets are on sale now here.

Physical tickets will go on sale on Tuesday July 18th – 10am BST for fans who have pre-ordered the album. To receive your access code for the ticket sale, pre-order The Ballad of Darren from blur’s official European store here.

Tickets are priced as follows: Hammersmith Apollo show + booking fees; Livestream $17. Tickets and information here.  

Download album artwork and band press photos here.

NOTES FOR EDITORS

‘blur present The Ballad of Darren’ – Live Stream Broadcast Times: 

• Live: Tuesday, July 25th 9.00pm BST
• Rebroadcast #1: Tuesday, July 25th 8.00pm EDT 
• Rebroadcast #2: Tuesday, July 25th 8.00pm PDT
• Rebroadcast #3: Wednesday, July 26th 8.00pm AEST
• On Demand: Wednesday, July 26th at 1.00pm BST – Friday, July 28th at 1.00pm BST

Livestream ticket prices are: USD: $17.00 / Euro: €15.75 / Australia: AUD25.00 / Argentina (Peso): ARS 2,720.00 / Brazil (Real): BRL 50.00 / Chile (Peso): CLP 8,320.00 / Mexico (Peso): MXN 176.00 / Colombia (Peso): COP 42,800.000 / Peru (Sol): PEN 37.50 

All tickets subject to booking fee. Tickets grant access to the livestream, all rebroadcasts, and to the 2-day On-Demand viewing period.

About The Ballad of Darren

blur will release their first album in 8 years, titled The Ballad of Darren and comprising 10 new tracks, on July 21st on Parlophone/Warner. Produced by James Ford and recorded at Studio 13, London and Devon, The Ballad of Darren is the band’s ninth studio album, their first since the chart-topping The Magic Whip in 2015, with artwork featuring an image by British photographer Martin Parr.   

The Ballad of Darren track listing is: The Ballad, St Charles Square, Barbaric, Russian Strings, The Everglades (For Leonard), The Narcissist, Goodbye Albert, Far Away Island, Avalon and The Heights

The Ballad of Darren will be available as a Digital Download & Stream (10 tracks as above); Standard CD (10 tracks) and Deluxe CD (12 tracks, w. expanded packaging), Standard Vinyl LP – 12” heavyweight black vinyl; and – exclusive to blur.co.uk – Deluxe Vinyl pressed on 12″ clear vinyl with black swirls, in a gatefold sleeve, with poster, bonus 7” vinyl, album CD (12 tracks) and integrated booklet, including exclusive handwritten notes, sketches and lyrics; and Cassette (10 tracks).

Pre-order The Ballad of Darren here. 

About blur

Since announcing their arrival with debut album Leisure in 1991, blur went on to revolutionise the sound of English popular music with six successive UK  #1 albums Parklife (1994), The Great Escape (1995), Blur (1997), 13 (1999), Think Tank (2003) and The Magic Whip (2015) and a string of Top 10 singles, including two No 1s with “Country House” and “Beetlebum”, helping to propel the band to mass popularity at home and abroad. One of the biggest British bands of the last three decades, blur have released eight studio albums and collected ten NME Awards, six Q Awards, five BRIT Awards and an Ivor Novello Award, and played live to thousands of devoted fans across the globe. The band’s new studio album titled The Ballad of Darren will be released on July 21st 2023.

* Colchester is the hometown of blur bandmembers Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon and drummer Dave Rowntree, with Damon and Graham first meeting as teenagers at Stanway School. Graham later introduced Dave to both Damon and bassist Alex James. The band’s debut album Leisure was released in 1991. 

www.blur.co.uk