June 17, 2009 13:17

Alex James: 'I never thought I'd hear Blur's music again'

Bassist writes about Saturday's (June 13) gig in Essex

Photo Gallery: Blur

Blur's Alex James has written about his band's Essex comeback gig on June 13, explaining that he thought he would never hear those songs played live again.

Writing in his column in the Independent, the bassist outlined how ecstatic he was about how the show, held at the East Anglian Railway Museum in front of 150 people, footage of which you can watch by clicking below, went.

"Not a dry eye in the house," he wrote. "The sound of music I never thought I'd hear again, then home to this, the commemoration of everlasting love; love and music, the only enchantments we deserve or need."

He added that he attended a wedding party in Oxfordshire after the show.

"I missed the service, having been in Colchester with Blur, our first gig for 10 years," he wrote. "Grown men weeping, bawling, losing themselves utterly; young people saying things like, 'That was mint, bro'."

See next week's issue of NME, out June 24, for an exclusive behind-the-scenes report and interview from Blur's Colchester comeback.

Blur also played a special surprise gig at London's Rough Trade East shop on June 15.

They kick off the tour proper at Southend Cliff Pavilion on June 21, and headline the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury on June 28.

Watch exclusive footage of Blur rehearsing 'Bank Holiday' at their North London studio: