Graham Coxon: 'Blur are better than ever'

Graham Coxon believes that Blur have returned better than ever, thanks to the near decade-long break the band enjoyed.

With the group set to play two massive headlining shows at London's Hyde Park tomorrow (July 2) and Friday (3), following their headlining slot at last weekend's Glastonbury festival (June 28), the guitarist has written in The Independent that the break has been the best thing for the band.

"We're playing better than we ever did. Were experiencing such a positive revisit," wrote the guitarist. "I don't feel laden down with the pressure to maintain commercial success or anything like that."

Coxon said last time the band were together he found it both physically and emotionally draining.

"In the end I learned its the audience that get you through it," he explained. "I was struggling through in an isolated manner. We all did. We became a massive machine and a business and the group members were the least important in the big thing that we became.

"It was difficult to feel important. But were encouraging each other more now than we used to. It's a more caring attitude among us."

Coxon also added that he had enjoyed Blur's return to Goldsmiths College for a warm-up gig ahead of Glastonbury.

"It was neat to play now Alex [James, bass] and I are both fellows," he said of the pair's old university, before musing on the group's possible future. "To turn up at 40 when things are going so well. As for going back into the studio, we don't want any extraneous pressures. We'll make sure everyone else has fun and then we'll think about it afterwards."