Britpop Classical, brainchild of Blur bassist Alex James, won’t break any new ground but it’s the most joyous, celebratory night out you can have
I went to see Blur’s once floppy-haired bassist Alex James‘ Britpop Classical at the Royal Albert Hall and I can assure you, if they have a pulse, it will have every 90s fan living the dream.
Alex James, who has become lord of the manor, branching out in recent years into cheese-making, sparkling wine (named Britpop, naturally) and heads up yearly festival, The Big Feastival on the grounds of his vast Cotswolds farm is back – but this time with a whole lot of pals.
Britpop Classical, anew ten-date tour which kicked off in the history London venue, sees a host of beloved Britpop anthems reimagined with the backing of a full symphony orchestra, kicking off with beautifully layered medley of some of the music that created the blueprint for what the genre would become – from The Kinks to T-Rex and of course, The Beatles.
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From the infectious energy of Blur and Oasis to the rebellious spirit of Pulp and Supergrass, the addition of a full classical orchestra elevates each track, making songs we all know and love more raw, more cinematic.
The recipe was first tested out at Alex’s festival, The Big Feastival last year, Alex previously told the Mirror, taking the place of a headliner who dropped out at the last minute – and he knew from the 20,000-strong crowd’s euphoric reaction that he’d hit on something huge.
With the full backing of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, songs we know and love are given lush new layers of sound, and with a big screen onstage flashing up images and throwback footage from the heyday of Britpop – including magazine covers of Blur and Oasis, reminding us of their intense rivalry back in the day – it’s impossible not to get sucked in.
We enjoyed stunning orchestral versions of classics like The Verve’s Bittersweet Symphony, and Radiohead’s Creep and Blur’s own 1994 hit Parklife – and one of the highlights of the night was Cockney legend Phil Daniels strolling onstage to deliver us that iconic voiceover, live and direct.
Other special guests included Ocean Colour Scene’s Simon Fowler for a barnstorming rendition of the band’s The Riverboat Song, Repubblica’s Saffron belting out punky hit Ready To Go and Reef’s Gary Singer bringing us all right back, with Place Your Hands.
It’s not breaking new ground, but as Oasis proved on their smash hit reunion tour last year, our love of 90s indie bands has never faded, it just took a little time out. And people are so here for it.
So, riding on the wave of huge nostalgia, and love, for the best bands of the 90s – Blur, Oasis, Pulp, Radiohead and so many more – Alex, now 57, cheeky chappy charm still intact, is offering us up the creme de la creme of that joyous decade of music, on one delectable plate.
At the Royal Albert Hall the crowd may have been, well, a certain ‘vintage’, but boy, were they enjoying themselves. The sea of heads bobbing up and down, arms in the air as they belted out some of the biggest hits of the decade was testament to just how much fun the crowd was having.
Damon Albarn and the gang aren’t part of this project – they’re off doing their own thing (though we did spot Blur’s drummer David Rowland in the crowd), as they blasted out a few of Blur’s greatest hits during the 90-minute set.
But one thing’s for sure – the world’s a pretty dark place right now, and this euphoric trip down memory lane, capturing the sounds of a generation, with a little extra, was the perfect antidote. As the gig came to a close for one final hurrah (to the tune of Blur’s stunning The Universal, Alex asked the crowd, ‘Make some noise, it’s time to blow the bloody doors off!” And let’s just say, they obliged.
Britpop Classical is on Uk tour now. For dates and venues, see www.britpopclassical.com.
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