Latest news with #DaveRowntree
The Guardian
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘Graham was keen, Damon less so': Dave Rowntree on his early snaps of Blur
Dave Rowntree, drummer and founder member of Blur, brought his camera along to all of the band's first adventures. He captured up-close and personal pictures of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and himself during the thrilling early stages of the band's rise to the top. 'This was on the tube on the way to the studio,' says Rowntree of this image. 'Given the haircuts it was probably Maison Rouge in Chelsea.' No One You Know, published by Hero, is available to preorder now Rowntree was a member of Blur before they were called Blur, joining up with Albarn and Coxon when they were in various bands in Colchester in the late 1980s After James stepped in as bassist, Blur went on to become one of the most innovative and successful UK bands of all time: helping to create Britpop and then moving on from it in a way that no other band has achieved Rowntree created a one-of-its kind document showing what it's really like to be in a young band during the vital first few years, when everything is new, romantic and fresh Rowntree: 'Around the time the band started I bought an Olympus OM-10 camera and started documenting our day-to-day lives. Graham was keen, Damon sometimes less so' These images were taken during Blur's debut tours of the US and Japan, as well as in the studio in the UK. We see them playing games in the tour bus, larking around backstage, messing about in hotel rooms, at video shoots, with fans and friends. 'Smoking was the national pastime in Japan in the 1990s so Graham and I felt very much at home,' says Rowntree. 'You could even smoke on JAL, the national airline. Then you couldn't, and it was time to quit' 'Word got out that we were playing an acoustic gig at a Tokyo radio station. We had to be smuggled out through a record shop at the back of the building' 'I became obsessed with Pachinko – a Japanese version of bagatelle. The parlours are stuffed to the gills with machines, and the noise of thousands of clattering metal balls and the electronic bleeps of the machines is overwhelming' 'Japanese gigs start very early so the audience can catch the train home. It was a joy for us, because we could go out for dinner after the show' 'I bought a new lens for my camera, and there was something seriously wrong with it. If I put the background out of focus the lens made these lush spirals. Eventually it fell to bits in my hand, which was a shame' 'Backstage before a show. To be honest, dressing rooms aren't much better now, though the rider has improved beyond a bag of Wotsits' 'An early selfie, taken long before it was fashionable. Virgin Airlines to Japan – luxury to help offset the excruciating jet lag to follow' 'Japanese fans liked to give us bags of presents and we loved to receive them. We couldn't meet everyone in person, so we'd ask the crew to go out after a show on a 'present run''
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Blur don't want to be a band beyond their 'sell-by-date'
Blur don't want to still be a band beyond their "sell-by-date", says drummer Dave Rowntree. The Britpop legends reunited in 2023 for the new album 'The Ballad of Darren' - their first in eight years - and a series of shows, including two sold-out nights at Wembley Stadium in the July, for what marked their first UK headline gigs since 2015. And while discussing the future, Dave said he believes they are "quite a way before we're in our dotage", but they would never want to still be onstage when they are unable to remember their lyrics and "wheeled on in our bath chairs". READ MORE: Mastercard to pay out £200million to millions of customers READ MORE: Vegan family issue 'last warning' to neighbours after BBQ row escalates He told NME: "I've just turned 61. When I was 21, the idea of 61-year-olds making albums, touring and being in the charts would have been laughable. I wonder if that's how 21-year-olds feel about me now? There's going to come a time when we're too old to do it, but we'll have probably decided to throw the towel in before then anyway. Nobody wants to go on past our sell-by-date." The 'Parklife' hitmakers are only drawn back to the band when there is a "an interesting idea" for new music and would never get back together just for the sake of it. Asked if there is still a desire to keep going, he explained: "Yes, it takes an interesting idea now to tempt us back into the studio. The last one was Wembley Stadium [in 2023]. You can't say no to that. It was the party at the end of the Olympics in 2012 that got us out before, the Hyde Park shows in 2009 before that. As long as people are coming up with interesting ideas for us to do it again, then I'm sure we'll go for it. "There will come a time when we'll go, 'Is there anything left to say? Is there another good Blur album to make?' I think that'll be quite a way before we're in our dotage and unable to remember the songs when we're wheeled on in our bath chairs. But then, look at The Stones – they're still touring aren't they?" Bassist Alex James recently suggested their future could look like an ABBA-style avatar show - or "respectfully" dipping in and out of playing together. Speaking to Ken Bruce on Greatest Hits Radio, he said: "We got back together in 2023, made a new record and I think did our best ever run of shows. It's incredible how the music has endured and it was the first time we'd ever got to the end of an album or tour without at least one of us saying 'that's it, never again.' We didn't do many shows and I think that was probably a good place to leave it. There's two ways to go either the ABBA thing and stop at the top and just let it take its own course and make avatars of yourself when you were 27 and beautiful. Or treat it respectfully and dip in and out occasionally and it's a really wonderful thing to be able to step back into – that all those years of playing together is a gift actually. As long as you don't overcook it or annoy the guitar player or singer too much..." Dave was speaking to promote his new photobook, 'No One You Know: Dave Rowntree's Early Blur Photos', set to be published on September 9.
Wales Online
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Blur don't want to be a band beyond their 'sell-by-date'
Blur don't want to be a band beyond their 'sell-by-date' The Britpop legends reunited in 2023 for the new album 'The Ballad of Darren' Blur (Image: PA ) Blur don't want to still be a band beyond their "sell-by-date", says drummer Dave Rowntree. The Britpop legends reunited in 2023 for the new album 'The Ballad of Darren' - their first in eight years - and a series of shows, including two sold-out nights at Wembley Stadium in the July, for what marked their first UK headline gigs since 2015. And while discussing the future, Dave said he believes they are "quite a way before we're in our dotage", but they would never want to still be onstage when they are unable to remember their lyrics and "wheeled on in our bath chairs". He told NME: "I've just turned 61. When I was 21, the idea of 61-year-olds making albums, touring and being in the charts would have been laughable. I wonder if that's how 21-year-olds feel about me now? There's going to come a time when we're too old to do it, but we'll have probably decided to throw the towel in before then anyway. Nobody wants to go on past our sell-by-date." The 'Parklife' hitmakers are only drawn back to the band when there is a "an interesting idea" for new music and would never get back together just for the sake of it. Article continues below Asked if there is still a desire to keep going, he explained: "Yes, it takes an interesting idea now to tempt us back into the studio. The last one was Wembley Stadium [in 2023]. You can't say no to that. It was the party at the end of the Olympics in 2012 that got us out before, the Hyde Park shows in 2009 before that. As long as people are coming up with interesting ideas for us to do it again, then I'm sure we'll go for it. "There will come a time when we'll go, 'Is there anything left to say? Is there another good Blur album to make?' I think that'll be quite a way before we're in our dotage and unable to remember the songs when we're wheeled on in our bath chairs. But then, look at The Stones – they're still touring aren't they?" Bassist Alex James recently suggested their future could look like an ABBA-style avatar show - or "respectfully" dipping in and out of playing together. Article continues below Speaking to Ken Bruce on Greatest Hits Radio, he said: "We got back together in 2023, made a new record and I think did our best ever run of shows. It's incredible how the music has endured and it was the first time we'd ever got to the end of an album or tour without at least one of us saying 'that's it, never again.' We didn't do many shows and I think that was probably a good place to leave it. There's two ways to go either the ABBA thing and stop at the top and just let it take its own course and make avatars of yourself when you were 27 and beautiful. Or treat it respectfully and dip in and out occasionally and it's a really wonderful thing to be able to step back into – that all those years of playing together is a gift actually. As long as you don't overcook it or annoy the guitar player or singer too much..." Dave was speaking to promote his new photobook, 'No One You Know: Dave Rowntree's Early Blur Photos', set to be published on September 9.
Perth Now
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Blur don't want to be a band beyond their 'sell-by-date'
Blur don't want to still be a band beyond their "sell-by-date", says drummer Dave Rowntree. The Britpop legends reunited in 2023 for the new album 'The Ballad of Darren' - their first in eight years - and a series of shows, including two sold-out nights at Wembley Stadium in the July, for what marked their first UK headline gigs since 2015. And while discussing the future, Dave said he believes they are "quite a way before we're in our dotage", but they would never want to still be onstage when they are unable to remember their lyrics and "wheeled on in our bath chairs". He told NME: 'I've just turned 61. When I was 21, the idea of 61-year-olds making albums, touring and being in the charts would have been laughable. I wonder if that's how 21-year-olds feel about me now? There's going to come a time when we're too old to do it, but we'll have probably decided to throw the towel in before then anyway. Nobody wants to go on past our sell-by-date.' The 'Parklife' hitmakers are only drawn back to the band when there is a "an interesting idea" for new music and would never get back together just for the sake of it. Asked if there is still a desire to keep going, he explained: 'Yes, it takes an interesting idea now to tempt us back into the studio. The last one was Wembley Stadium [in 2023]. You can't say no to that. It was the party at the end of the Olympics in 2012 that got us out before, the Hyde Park shows in 2009 before that. As long as people are coming up with interesting ideas for us to do it again, then I'm sure we'll go for it. "There will come a time when we'll go, 'Is there anything left to say? Is there another good Blur album to make?' I think that'll be quite a way before we're in our dotage and unable to remember the songs when we're wheeled on in our bath chairs. But then, look at The Stones – they're still touring aren't they?" Bassist Alex James recently suggested their future could look like an ABBA-style avatar show - or "respectfully" dipping in and out of playing together. Speaking to Ken Bruce on Greatest Hits Radio, he said: "We got back together in 2023, made a new record and I think did our best ever run of shows. It's incredible how the music has endured and it was the first time we'd ever got to the end of an album or tour without at least one of us saying 'that's it, never again.' We didn't do many shows and I think that was probably a good place to leave it. There's two ways to go either the ABBA thing and stop at the top and just let it take its own course and make avatars of yourself when you were 27 and beautiful. Or treat it respectfully and dip in and out occasionally and it's a really wonderful thing to be able to step back into – that all those years of playing together is a gift actually. As long as you don't overcook it or annoy the guitar player or singer too much…" Dave was speaking to promote his new photobook, 'No One You Know: Dave Rowntree's Early Blur Photos', set to be published on September 9.
