However, in the long run Oasis became more commercially successful than Blur.

As a result of the single's success, Blur became pop stars and were accepted into a clique of bands who frequented The Syndrome club in London dubbed " The Scene That Celebrates Itself ".

Although the album could not match the sales of their previous albums in the UK, Blur became the band's most successful internationally.

After " Song 2 " was licensed for use in various media — such as soundtracks, advertisements and television shows — it became the most recognisable Blur song in the US.

After Blur's debut album, Leisure, and it's associated tour received mixed reviews, Blur became influenced by British Classic Rock bands.

As a result of the single's success, Blur became pop stars and were accepted into a clique of bands who frequented The Syndrome club in London dubbed " The Scene That Celebrates Itself ".

" Blur became perceived as an " inauthentic middle class pop band " in comparison to the " working class heroes " Oasis, which Albarn said made him feel " stupid and confused ".

Although the album could not match the sales of their previous albums in the UK, Blur became the band's most successful internationally, particularly in the US, helped by the successful single, Song 2.

Blur won the ' race ' for the top of the charts, and the resulting fallout from the publicity led to the paper enjoying increased sales during the 1990s as Britpop became the dominant musical genre.

Bands such as Blur, Oasis and Pulp began to dominate the music scene, while Suede became more experimental and introverted.

Around this time, Oasis became embroiled in a well documented media-fuelled feud with fellow Britpop band Blur.

The group became a favourite of the likes of Blur, John Peel and Green Day, despite a particularly hostile review by Steven Wells in the New Musical Express entitled " The Sinking of the Bis-Lark ".

As an adult, he became a covert agent used in strict secrecy, but eventually a reporter came too close to the truth, and the decision was made to go public, largely so he could be used as a distraction from the government's even more closely guarded secret super-operative, Joe Ledger He briefly teams with Nighthawk and Blur to find and defeat the super-powered serial killer Michael Redstone.

Prior to the release of " Inbetweener " Sleeper had been the opening band for Blur on their tour to promote the Parklife album, and they became closely associated with Britpop as a result.

** Seymour ( later became the band Blur )

Despite the fact that Blur scored a 5th # 1 album with their latest release, Think Tank, Justified was not kept from the top for long, returning to the top after a week, for what became its longest consecutive run at the top, ending at 3 weeks.

However, neither of the albums made much of an inroad into the mainstream market, and the band became eclipsed by the burgeoning Britpoppers such as Suede, Blur and Elastica, and Mappamundi proved to be their final release.

The differing styles of the bands now leading the Britpop movement – Oasis a working class, northern band and Blur a middle class, southern band – made them natural rivals.

In particular, public imagination was sparked by the contrast between the gritty, working class Oasis and the artsy, middle class Blur.

In the UK the Madchester scene influenced the early sound of 1990s Britpop bands like Blur, and Oasis who drew on 1960s psychedelic pop and rock, particularly on the album Standing on the Shoulder of Giants ( 2000 ).

Following a stylistic change influenced by English guitar pop groups such as The Kinks, The Beatles and XTC, Blur released Modern Life Is Rubbish ( 1993 ), Parklife ( 1994 ) and The Great Escape ( 1995 ).

By this time, the group had largely disowned the upbeat pop singles from the Britpop era, and favoured the more arty, experimental work on Blur and 13.

Close to the local pub The Lion, local resident and property owner Sofie Attrill gave consent for pop group Blur to create some publicity for their 2003 single " Crazy Beat ".

After studying Drama and playing in short lived synth pop outfit, Two's a Crowd, Albarn formed a band with Coxon which, after various incarnations, evolved into Blur with additional members, Alex James and Dave Rowntree.

The 1994 award winner was Elegant Slumming by the pop act M People, a controversial decision considering the shortlist included popular albums from Britpop figureheads Paul Weller, Blur and Pulp, and electronica band The Prodigy.

The album contained songs written with Blur, Beck, Billy Corgan, Jarvis Cocker, Dave Stewart, David Courts and the French pop singer Étienne Daho.

Alternative rock reached the mainstream, emerging from the Madchester scene to produce dream pop, shoegazing, post rock and indie pop, which led to the commercial success of Britpop bands like Blur and Oasis ; followed by a stream of post-Britpop bands like Travis and Feeder, which led the way for the international success of bands including Snow Patrol and Coldplay.

In 2006, Betty formed a pop duo called WigWam, with Alex James, bassist from Blur.

Their music is reminiscent of British Invasion rock and 1980s pop, and has been compared to The Beatles, The Cars, Jellyfish, Sloan and Blur.

In 1994, she collaborated with the British pop group Blur for their " La Comedie " version of " To The End ".

A large number of the most popular artists from the world of rock ’ n ’ roll and pop music have been interviewed by Hot Press, including those as diverse as David Bowie, Bob Marley, The Rolling Stones, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Fleetwood Mac, R. E. M., Kate Bush, Radiohead, Paul McCartney, Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell, The Smiths, The Sex Pistols, The Clash, Oasis, Blur, New Order, 50 Cent, Green Day, Foo Fighters, The Strokes, Kylie Minogue, Westlife, Massive Attack, Alicia Keys, David Gray, PJ Harvey, Marilyn Manson, Robbie Williams, Beyoncé, and many more.

Blur, Catatonia, Suede, Texas, Jamiroquai, The Chemical Brothers, Travis & Leftfield all hit number one on the albums chart, showing how rock, dance, and adult pop could also be big album sellers

Cool Britannia also summed up the mood in Britain during the mid-1990s Britpop movement, when there was a resurgence of distinctive British rock and pop music from bands such as Oasis, Blur, Suede, Supergrass, Pulp, The Verve and Elastica, as well as the Spice Girls.

John ’ s string arrangements played by the Dukes feature on many albums by pop artists including Morrissey, Simple Minds, The Pretenders, Catatonia and Blur.

Alternative rock reached the mainstream, emerging from the Madchester scene to produce dream pop, shoegazing, post rock and indie pop, which led to the commercial success of Britpop bands like Blur and Oasis ; followed by a stream of post-Britpop bands like Travis and Feeder.

Damon Albarn of Blur summed up the attitude in 1993 when after being asked if Blur were an " anti-grunge band " he said, " Well, that's good.

Blur are an English alternative rock band.

In recording their follow-up, Blur ( 1997 ), the band underwent another reinvention, showing influence from the lo-fi style of American indie rock groups.

After a 2003 tour without Coxon, Blur did no studio work or touring as a band, as members engaged in other projects.

Food drew up a list of alternatives, from which the band decided on " Blur ".

After the success of Blur, the band embarked on a nine-month world tour.

Dismissed by the band as " the first record we have seen as product ", the tracklisting and release dates of Blur: The Best of were determined on the basis of market research and focus groups conducted by Blur's record label, EMI.

After Coxon significantly thawed in regards to the subject of rejoining the band, in 2007 band members announced that Blur would reunite and that they intended to record together first in August, with the date later being pushed back to September, then October.

Though the band members finally met up in October, they posted on their website that they had only " met up for an enjoyable lunch " and that there were no " other music plans for Blur ".

The band released their second greatest hits album Midlife: A Beginner's Guide to Blur in June 2009.

In April, the band announced that a box-set entitled Blur 21 — containing all seven Blur studio albums, four discs of unreleased rarities and three DVDs — would be released in July.

In a 1993 NME interview, Damon Albarn of Britpop band Blur agreed with interviewer John Harris ' assertion that Blur was an " anti-grunge band ," and said, " Well, that's good.

* Seymour, the original title of the band Blur ( band )

Damon Albarn (; born 23 March 1968 in Whitechapel, London ) is a English musician, singer-songwriter, record producer and actor who came to prominence as the frontman and primary songwriter of the Britpop band Blur.

Food drew up a list of alternatives, from which the band decided on " Blur ".