When, on June 10th, Blur presented a lavish “best of” banquet in Porto at Parque da Cidade do Porto, the praise was not long in coming (and well deserved). We said, then, that the group, now reunited and with a new album on the horizon, “did it with the dazzling simplicity of someone who was already (and probably will remain) a Premier League champion: without the embellishments, the distractions or the ‘delusions of grandeur’.” Not a single word was removed, but it is worth noting, after eighty days, that Porto’s offer was a “kill of nostalgia”, after an absence of almost eight years from national territory (and from all stages, for that matter). There was a meeting of expectations. In Porto, an anxious emotional reunion, sighs in unison; In Lisbon, with the release of a new, angry album (“The Ballad of Darren” where middle-aged frankness is not just a magic gambit), we return to a kind of normalcy in the relationship: this is not just a band with a history to remember, but also with a gift that wants to Be fruitful. Admittedly, the crowd was tough at Bella Vista.
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Salman Rushdie is a journalist and feature writer specialising in culture, politics, literature, and international affairs. He focuses on delivering clear, informative reporting that helps readers understand the people, events, and trends influencing today’s world.
