# Blur

> English alternative rock band

**Wikidata**: [Q485820](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q485820)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blur_(band))  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/blur

## Summary
Blur is an English alternative rock band formed in 1988. The group is a central act of the 1990s Britpop movement and is primarily known for its core members Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James, and Dave Rowntree.

## Key Facts
- Inception: 1988 (band formation year recorded as +1988-00-00T00:00:00Z).
- Work period start: +1989-00-00T00:00:00Z.
- Official website: https://www.blur.co.uk/.
- Wikidata description: "English alternative rock band".
- Wikipedia title: Blur (band).
- Sitlink count recorded in source metadata: 61.
- Core members:
  - Damon Albarn — British musician (born 23 March 1968); lead singer/songwriter and founding member of Blur.
  - Graham Coxon — British musician.
  - Alex James — British bassist.
  - Dave Rowntree — British musician.
- Genres associated with Blur: alternative rock; Britpop; indie rock; art pop; pop rock; art rock; lo-fi music.
- Genre inception dates from related data: Britpop (since +1991), alternative rock (since +1978-01-01), indie rock (since +1981), art pop (since +1955), pop rock (since +1965), art rock (since +1968), lo-fi (since +1980).
- Record labels linked to the band and members in source material:
  - Food Records — British record label (inception +1984).
  - Parlophone — German–British record label (inception +1896).
  - SBK Records — American record label (inception +1988).
  - Virgin Records — British record label (inception 1 January 1972).
  - EMI — British music recording and publishing company, founded 1931 and dissolved 2012; associated with Blur in broader label histories.
- Damon Albarn affiliations and facts:
  - Co‑founder and frontman of Blur (inception 1988).
  - Creator/co‑founder of Gorillaz (1998) and founder of The Good, the Bad & the Queen (2005).
  - Appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).
  - Publicly affiliated with the Stop the War Coalition and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.
  - Documented performing with Blur at Wembley Stadium (source imagery referenced).
  - Record label affiliations noted for Albarn: Parlophone, Food Records, Virgin Records, and EMI.
- National identity: Blur is English and tied to the United Kingdom music scene.

## FAQs
Q: What is Blur?
A: Blur is an English alternative rock band formed in 1988 and widely identified with the Britpop movement of the 1990s. The band’s core lineup comprises Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James, and Dave Rowntree.

Q: Who are the members of Blur and what are their roles?
A: The principal members named in the source are Damon Albarn (lead singer/songwriter and founding member), Graham Coxon (guitarist, British musician), Alex James (bassist), and Dave Rowntree (drummer, British musician). All four are presented as British nationals in the provided material.

Q: When did Blur begin and when did they start work publicly?
A: Blur’s inception year is recorded as 1988, with a work period start given as 1989 in the structured properties.

Q: What musical styles and movements is Blur associated with?
A: The band is primarily associated with alternative rock and Britpop, and is also linked to indie rock, art pop, pop rock, art rock, and lo-fi music.

Q: Which record labels are connected with Blur and its members?
A: Labels mentioned in the source connected to the band and its members include Food Records (UK, 1984), Parlophone (German–British, 1896), SBK Records (USA, 1988), Virgin Records (UK, 1972), and EMI (British company founded 1931; dissolved 2012).

Q: Where can I find official information about Blur online?
A: The band’s official website is https://www.blur.co.uk/, as listed in the structured properties.

Q: What other projects is Damon Albarn known for beyond Blur?
A: Damon Albarn co‑created the virtual band Gorillaz (1998) and formed the supergroup The Good, the Bad & the Queen (2005). He has a solo career and is affiliated with multiple record labels named above.

## Why It Matters
Blur matters because it is one of the defining British rock acts of the late 20th century, central to the Britpop movement that shaped 1990s UK popular music and cultural identity. The band helped reassert a distinctly British voice in rock at a time when alternative scenes worldwide were influential; its music and public profile contributed to shifting tastes back toward UK-centered songwriting and cultural references. Damon Albarn’s role as frontman amplified that influence: his later experimental projects (notably Gorillaz and The Good, the Bad & the Queen) extended Blur’s impact into multimedia collaboration, virtual band concepts, and cross‑genre fusions, showing how a mainstream rock act can evolve into broader artistic innovation. Blur’s record‑label relationships (Food Records, Parlophone, Virgin, EMI, SBK) place the band within major British and international music-industry infrastructure, connecting them to long‑standing label histories and distribution networks that helped disseminate Britpop and alternative rock globally.

## Notable For
- Being an English alternative rock band formed in 1988 and commonly described as a central act of the Britpop movement.
- Having a core lineup of Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James, and Dave Rowntree, all presented as British musicians.
- Damon Albarn’s position as the band’s singer/songwriter and his subsequent creation of Gorillaz (1998) and The Good, the Bad & the Queen (2005).
- Association with multiple influential record labels: Food Records (founded 1984), Parlophone (founded 1896), Virgin Records (founded 1972), SBK Records (founded 1988), and ties to EMI (founded 1931).
- Documented performance at Wembley Stadium (source imagery cited in materials about Damon Albarn and Blur).
- Genre breadth spanning alternative rock, Britpop, indie rock, art pop, pop rock, art rock, and lo‑fi aesthetics.

## Body

### Overview
Blur is described in the structured data as an "English alternative rock band" with inception in 1988. The band’s public work period is recorded as starting in 1989. The group’s official web presence is https://www.blur.co.uk/. Metadata attached to the band lists a sitelink_count of 61 and the Wikipedia article title Blur (band).

### Members and Key People
- Damon Albarn:
  - Identified as a British musician and the primary vocalist and songwriter for Blur.
  - Born 23 March 1968 (birth date included in source material about Albarn).
  - Recognized in the source as co‑founder of Blur and later creator of Gorillaz (1998) and founder of The Good, the Bad & the Queen (2005).
  - Awarded an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) as noted in the Albarn material.
  - Publicly affiliated with political organizations such as the Stop the War Coalition and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.
  - Documented performing at Wembley Stadium in imagery associated with Blur.
  - Connected to record labels including Parlophone, Food Records, Virgin Records, and EMI.
- Graham Coxon:
  - Cited as a British musician in the provided material and listed as a core member of Blur.
- Alex James:
  - Identified as a British bassist and member of the band.
- Dave Rowntree:
  - Cited as a British musician in the source and included among the band’s lineup.

### Genres and Musical Style
- Primary classification: alternative rock.
- Movement association: Britpop, identified as the 1990s UK pop culture movement (inception +1991).
- Additional genre affiliations listed in the source: indie rock, art pop, pop rock, art rock, and lo‑fi music.
- The provided related-genre data includes inception years for context: alternative rock (1978), indie rock (1981), art pop (1955), pop rock (1965), art rock (1968), lo‑fi music (1980). These dates are part of the linked‑genre metadata.

### Record Labels and Industry Relationships
- Food Records: listed as a British record label with inception +1984; included as a label associated with Blur and Damon Albarn.
- Parlophone: described as a German–British record label founded in 1896; Parlophone is cited among labels associated with Albarn and listed in collections of notable Parlophone artists that include Blur.
- SBK Records: an American record label with inception +1988; present in the related-organization list.
- Virgin Records: British label founded on 1 January 1972; included among organizations connected in the source material.
- EMI: a major British recording and publishing company founded in 1931, dissolved in 2012; the source includes EMI in broader histories and lists of associated artists including Blur. Virgin EMI Records is noted as a successor entity in EMI-related material (Virgin EMI established 2013 in the EMI summary).

### History and Timeline
- Formation/inception: 1988 for Blur per structured properties.
- Work period start: 1989 as given in the band's structured metadata.
- 1990s prominence: The band is repeatedly situated as a central act of Britpop in the Albarn material, linking Blur to the 1990s UK pop culture movement (Britpop, inception +1991).
- Notable live documentation: Performances at major venues including Wembley Stadium are referenced in the Albarn source material as part of Blur’s documented activity.

### Associated Projects and Broader Contributions
- Damon Albarn’s projects expand Blur’s cultural footprint:
  - Gorillaz (1998) — described as a British virtual band created by Albarn and animator Jamie Hewlett; Gorillaz demonstrates Albarn’s move into virtual/multimedia projects and collaboration across genres.
  - The Good, the Bad & the Queen (2005) — described as an alternative rock supergroup formed by Albarn.
  - Albarn’s solo work and multiple label affiliations connect Blur to a wider catalog of British and international releases.
- Political and cultural engagement by members, particularly Albarn, ties the band to activist movements named in the source (Stop the War Coalition, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament).

### Geographic and National Context
- National identity: Blur is identified as English and part of the United Kingdom music scene. The source situates Damon Albarn and the band within British cultural movements and British record‑label infrastructure (Parlophone, Food, Virgin, EMI).
- No single hometown or city of origin for the band is specified in the provided material, but the band is repeatedly described as English.

### Identifiers and Metadata
- Official website: https://www.blur.co.uk/ (structured property).
- Inception: +1988-00-00T00:00:00Z (structured property).
- Work period start: +1989-00-00T00:00:00Z (structured property).
- Sitlink count: 61 (structured property).
- Wikipedia article title: Blur (band).
- Wikidata description: "English alternative rock band".

### Related Entities and Organizational Links
- Genres: Britpop, alternative rock, indie rock, art pop, pop rock, art rock, lo‑fi music (all appear as related genre entities in the source).
- Record labels and companies: Food Records, Parlophone, SBK Records, Virgin Records, EMI (all appear in the related organizations list and label summaries).
- Individual artists and collaborators: Damon Albarn (detailed), Graham Coxon, Alex James, Dave Rowntree (listed as members).
- Broader music‑industry context: The EMI summary in the source places Blur among many historically significant artists on major labels; Parlophone and Virgin summaries likewise list Blur among notable acts.

### Additional Notes from Source Material
- Damon Albarn is extensively profiled and repeatedly identified as Blur’s frontman and a creator of notable side projects; his awards and activism are part of the band’s contextual profile.
- Parlophone’s summary in the source lists Blur explicitly among its associated artists.
- The provided materials emphasize Blur’s role within the Britpop movement and the band’s placement in British music history through label and personnel linkages.

(End of entry. All statements above reflect only facts and relationships present in the provided source material.)

## References

1. Virtual International Authority File
2. MusicBrainz
3. BnF authorities
4. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
5. Czech National Authority Database
6. BBC Things
7. Discogs
8. [Wow - YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/channel/UCI3EFb2lvZyBMykNd64JDhg)
9. The Guardian
10. [Get Lucky (feat. Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers) - YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=RDCLAK5uy_kd1VREX5MzzfUlhE6dnyFOTTe60pgLY_o)
11. Genius