Blur played a third warm-up gig for their new album ’13’ on Thursday night (11 February) at the Munchenbryggeriet (Munich Brewery) in Stockholm, Sweden. Sweden was chosen as a venue because guitarist Graham Coxon‘s girlfriend is Swedish. Previous sites for Blur warm-ups have included the London Camden Town Dublin Castle – this was their first warm up outside the UK.
It was a fitting location for Blur to deliver the material the furthest removed from any of their previous output. In much the same way as at their previous low-key gig at Oxford Brookes University Click here, (which nme.com revealed the details of first), they played the majority of the new album, in order, but neglecting the Robert Wyatt/Soft Machine-like epic ‘Caramel’ and the closer ‘Optigan’. Damon asked the crowd to make the assembled throng to acknowledge the 50-strong crowd of record company employees from around the world and “make them feel welcome – they’re in your city”. A reaction was not noticeable.
Blur followed their main set by returning to play ‘Beetlebum’, ‘There’s No Other Way’, ‘Popscene’ and ‘Song 2’.
Souvenir Blur bobble hats were available in Chelsea colours.