Blur

Blur are one of the defining British bands of the 1990s. Formed in London in 1988, the band — Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James, and Dave Rowntree — became central figures in the Britpop movement before deliberately subverting it. Their albums Parklife (1994) and The Great Escape (1995) made them household names in the UK. They then pivoted sharply with 13 (1997) and Think Tank (2003), leaving Britpop behind entirely in favor of something stranger and more emotionally raw. After a hiatus Albarn went on to co-create Gorillaz while the full band reunited periodically, releasing The Magic Whip in 2015 and The Ballad of Darren in 2023.