Alex James has revealed Banksy was backstage at Blur‘s Wembley reunion and “loved” the show.
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Blur announced details of their one-off UK reunion gig at London’s Wembley Stadium in 2022, marking the band’s first headline show since 2015 following the release of the critically-acclaimed comeback album ‘The Magic Whip‘.
Due to overwhelming demand, the reunion gig turned into a two-parter, with a second show announced shortly after. The 25-song setlist for the gigs saw them wheel through classics like ‘Girls & Boys’, ‘Tender’, ‘The Universal’ and of course, ‘Song 2’, and perform ‘Lot 105’ for the first time since 1994.
James recently appeared on the Chris Evans Breakfast Show to reflect on the gigs, and host Evans mentioned how “fleetingly” the bassist had spoken about the mysterious artist attending the first Wembley show.
“He’s very close with Damon,” he explained of his presence backstage. “He did the artwork for ‘Think Tank.’” In turn, Albarn had also previously made an appearance at the final gig of Dismaland, Banksy’s Disney-inspired ‘bemusement park’.
After being asked about how it was to have him backstage, he recalled: “He just sat there quietly. He loved that gig. He said ‘That was like watching four lads have a kick about in the park. But the park was Wembley Stadium’, bless him – I’m boasting now.”
In NME’s five-star review of the gig, Georgia Evans wrote: “This two-hour performance shows that Blur have soundtracked the audience’s lives with real emotional impact. James recently called the making of their new album an “utter joy”. It’s clear that fans would say the same about tonight.”
This year, blur: Live at Wembley Stadium followed, and NME gave the film four-stars, writing that it captured a “mischievousness that makes them so endearing to watch”.
Meanwhile, Banksy’s long-standing anonymity has given rise to many rumours over the years, with some speculating he could be Massive Attack’s Robert Del Naja or Albarn’s bandmate, Gorillaz’ Jamie Hewlett.
In March, it was reported Banksy could be forced to reveal his real name in court, and curious fans then seized on a long-lost interview that the artist did with the BBC that seemed to uncover new information.
A recording emerged of an interview that Banksy conducted in 2003, but which was never released. In it, he appeared to confirm that his first name is Robbie.
In August, Banksy’s ninth and final animal-themed mural, which he had been steadily releasing across London, was been removed by the London Zoo for “safekeeping”.