Blur: To the End review – sentimental journey for four likely lads on their way to Wembley
The latest documentary about the Britpop Monkees finds them reassembling for a stadium gig, though we’ll have to wait to hear complete songs
April 2024
Mad fer it! The young musicians flying the flag for Britpop
Artists from Dua Lipa to Nia Archives are tapping the boisterous energy of mid-90s music – and even embracing the union jack. Can they avoid the genre’s laddish lows?
March 2024
Blur drummer Dave Rowntree selected as Labour candidate for general election
Brit awards 2024 – full list of winners
January 2024
Rise in vinyl sales at concerts gives indie artists a vital lifeline
Coachella 2024 lineup: Lana Del Rey, Doja Cat and Tyler, the Creator to headline in April
December 2023
Taylor Swift and Rolling Stones drive Christmas surge in UK vinyl sales
More than 250,000 vinyl records were sold last week, the most since the turn of the century
Best music of 2023
Blank space: how Taylor Swift – and an aching sense of loss – dominated music in 2023
Away from Swift’s joyous, record-breaking successes, the year’s most acclaimed albums were concerned with death and absence
Best music of 2023
The 50 best albums of 2023, No 8 – Blur: The Ballad of Darren
Blur’s ninth album is a perfect combination of middle-aged regret with swooning pop, a powerful career summation
November 2023
The best vinyl album covers of 2023
The annual Art Vinyl prize for the best designed vinyl album cover has announced its shortlist. Here’s a selection of the best
August 2023
Kitty Empire's artist of the week
Liam Gallagher review – when he does eventually smile, it’s perfect
The reliably aloof ex-Oasis frontman mixes old favourites and (Oasis-y-sounding) solo anthems – and fuels speculation about a reunion
July 2023
‘On reflection, it’s very uncool’: readers’ scrapbooks of pop fandom
With the Wham! documentary showcasing Andrew Ridgeley’s mum’s scrapbooks of their career, readers share their own shrines to Roxy Music, Metallica, David Bowie and more
Kitty Empire's artist of the week
Blur: The Ballad of Darren review – mature melancholia spiked with adventure
Comparing it to a surprise baby, late-life Blur’s ninth album finds them on eloquent, emotional form, casting a wistful eye over past glories while pushing forward musically
Alexis Petridis's album of the week
Blur: The Ballad of Darren review – middle-age regrets voiced in gorgeous tunes
Blur review – glorious reunion buzzes with energy and ragged joy
On my radar
On my radar: Graham Coxon’s cultural highlights
May 2023
Ranked
Blur’s 20 greatest songs – ranked!
Blur: The Narcissist review – a band finally at ease with themselves
January 2023
The best original photographs from the Observer
Original Observer Photography
Blur’s Dave Rowntree: ‘I still wake at 3am thinking I’ve frittered my life away’
