Alex James has spoken about the possibility of another Blur reunion, saying that they “need to let Oasis get their stuff out of the way” first.
The bassist was asked about whether he could regroup with Damon Albarn and co. again during a new interview on Radio X. He told Chris Moyles that he’d been to see Albarn play his massive show with Gorillaz at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last Saturday (June 20).
- READ MORE: Alex James on revisiting Blur for ‘Britpop Classical’ – and if he’d ever return to Coachella
“Absolutely smashed it,” James said. “Going to see Gorillaz, it’s like – have you seen La La Land? You know, the bit at the end of La La Land where the girl goes to see Ryan Gosling. Emma Stone goes to see Ryan Gosling, and they’re both kind of living their dream, but they’re not together anymore.”
When Moyles suggested that Blur were still “ticking along nicely”, James reminded the host that the band’s latest performances were “a long time ago now, [in] 2023”. That year saw the group play two huge concerts at London’s Wembley Stadium, before ending their latest reunion with a pair of slots at Coachella 2024.
“I think we need to let Oasis get their stuff out of the way before we even sort of countenance,” James went on, referring to the Liam and Noel Gallagher‘s Live ’25 comeback tour. His comments come amid speculation around another run of Oasis dates in 2027.
Moyles then jokingly suggested that Blur should have headlined Knebworth this year to mark the 30th anniversary of Oasis’ landmark 1996 shows at the park.
“No, no. Honestly, honestly, I don’t want to poke that hornet’s nest again, trust me!” James replied, nodding to the two bands’ former Britpop rivalry in the ’90s.
Speaking to NME about Oasis’ Live ’25 shows last November, James said: “It’s magnificent, what they’ve done with this reunion tour. It’s been overwhelming and brought so much joy to so many people around the world.”
However, the musician revealed that he had kept his promise not to attend any of Oasis’ gigs in 2025.
“I didn’t go, no, but I’ve kept abreast. I bumped into Andy Bell [bass] a couple of weeks ago and I was raving about ‘Wonderwall’: ‘Jesus, it took me ages to crack that one [on bass]’,” he remembered. “He was like, ‘Mate, I had to get the stems’. It’s brilliant.”
As for his latest performances with Blur, James told NME: “What surprised me about the last Blur tour was how many of my kids’ mates bought tickets and came to the shows.”
When asked about whether another comeback was on the cards, he responded: “As long as we like doing it and we don’t overcook it, then there’s no reason to not keep doing it. It would be a lovely thing to think we could keep on doing it until at least one of us is dead.”
The bassist later talked to NME about Blur while discussing his ‘Britpop Classical’ tour – which featured some powerful orchestral covers of Oasis, Pulp, Radiohead, Stone Roses and more.
He said: “It’ll be three years this summer since [Blur at] Wembley. That’s the first time we’ve ever got to the end of a tour or album cycle with at least one of the band going, ‘Fuck this, fuck that, fuck you, fuck off’. It was a good place to leave it.”
James’ update followed bandmate Graham Coxon telling NME that Blur “can’t leave it too long” before returning again “because we’re knocking on”.
“Creatively, we’ll always be able to do something, but it’s important that we live life for a bit and hopefully not go through something so traumatic before getting back together again,” Coxon said.
“Damon’s always said too that we need to live life so we have something we can bring together if we’re ever going to do anything again. If that all happens, then there shouldn’t be any reason why not.”
Coxon then spoke to NME again this month, and confirmed that “no one has said anything” yet about another Blur return. “I’m always going to want to make music,” he said. “And Blur too: Damon and I will probably both do it until we pop our clogs.”
As for Oasis, Liam Gallagher revealed at the end of last year that the band wouldn’t be touring again until 2027 at the earliest. The frontman then teased this spring that the Britpop giants would “without a doubt, 100 per cent” play Rome next year.
This followed rumours of a European run, a potential return to Knebworth, a homecoming residency at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, and further concerts at London’s Wembley Stadium.
LG had previously implied that more dates were on the horizon, saying: “I know things you don’t know.”
At Wembley Stadium last September, Liam told the audience: “See you next year”, before jokingly slapping himself on the wrist. However, he later said that Oasis needed to “sit down and discuss” their plans first. “Next year might be a little enthusiastic,” he shared.
During the final Live ’25 concert in Brazil in November, Liam told the crowd: “We love you, thanks for all your energy. Take care of yourselves, and we’ll see you again sometime.”
Last year, Damon Albarn said Oasis had “done a very good job of making Britpop feel like it’s the biggest thing on Earth”. He previously admitted that he was “happy to concede defeat” in the legendary Britpop rivalry.
“I think we can officially say that Oasis won the battle, the war, the campaign, everything,” he explained.