Blur unsurprisingly brought Wolverhampton to life on the 26th May, taking to the stage as part of their run of small warm-up shows leading up to their full stadium tour this summer. This show marked the first performance at the iconic and newly refurbished venue, The Halls Wolverhampton, blur being the perfect band to kick off its opening season. Formerly known as The Civic Halls, The Halls Wolverhampton proved to be an excellent venue to unite music fans with world-class artists. After growing up listening to blur, I was looking forward to the unique opportunity of seeing them in such an intimate setting. A queue which stretched around the venue shared my excitement for an evening of nostalgia and fantastic live music.

The two support acts Sounds Mint and Wulu started the night, warming up the crowd before blur’s headline set. Sounds Mint played an upbeat set rich with songs that blur fans would expectedly enjoy as they filed into the venue. Wulu then brought unrelenting energy and encouraged the crowd to chant along with them. It was a short wait before blur appeared on stage; ‘I officially announce The Halls Wolverhampton, open!’ frontman Damon Albarn spoke before beginning their set with an unreleased track, ‘St Charles Square’. The crowd burst into action as the band went on to play the familiar sounds of ‘There’s No Other Way’ followed by some of their older tracks. Both Albarn’s and guitarist Graham Cox’s vocals were strong and full of the charm which blur fans recognise and adore. ‘Beetlebum’ and ‘Coffee & TV’ were huge fan favourites, the band’s energy being matched by the roaring crowd who shouted the familiar lyrics back to them.

Albarn excelled in engaging the audience and there were many comedic moments throughout the night which included sharing humorous football anecdotes and wearing a fan’s sunglasses claiming they looked ‘very-Kurt’ before Cox played a Nirvana riff- it was safe to say the audience was entertained. ‘Parklife’ was obviously a highly anticipated moment in the show, igniting the crowd as Albarn commanded the stage, interacting with different audience members as he sang the well-loved song. The show was thrust into full throttle after the more down-tempo ‘To The End’ as they played legendary blur songs ‘Sunday Sunday’, ‘Oily Water’ and ‘Advert’. The buzz in The Halls only grew as the band played a ferocious introduction to the infamous ‘Song 2’ which saw the entire venue jumping and singing along with Albarn’s megaphone which mimicked the iconic ‘woo-hoo’s.

‘This Is a Low’ brought the pace down after a run of soaring tracks before the band exited the stage and the crowd gave it their all cheering for the encore. blur re-appeared eliciting a roar from fans eagerly awaiting for more. Albarn welcomed two of his friends to the stage, explaining that it is ‘Darren’ who features in the title of their upcoming album, ‘The Ballad of Darren’. After their brief moment on stage, the introduction to ‘Girls & Boys’ filled the venue. Held up by security, the frontman spent the majority of the song in the crowd, yet his vocals remained flawless. Fans seemed to enjoy the performance of their newest single ‘The Narcissist’ which was followed by the sentimental ‘Tender’. They closed their set with ‘For Tomorrow’ and ‘The Universal’; the atmosphere in the room was euphoric as everyone appreciated the special moment.

The set clocked in at around two hours long however the band’s electric energy never faltered once. Blur’s stage presence and musical talent is truly captivating and they remain as self-assured, exceptional performers.

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