Blur’s Graham Coxon has said that there is a good chance that he “probably would have ended up in Oasis” if he were from Manchester.
Both Oasis and Blur were involved in a legendary rivalry that ran throughout the height of Britpop in the 1990s, and it remained so infamous that in 2024 it was revealed that it had inspired a West End play.
The feud came to a head with a 1995 chart battle, when Blur’s ‘Country House’ and Oasis’ ‘Roll With It’ came out on the same day and each raced to reach the top spot on the charts – with the Number One position ultimately going to Blur.
Things have mellowed over the years and members from both bands have shared praise for the other at various times. Damon Albarn and Noel Gallagher have collaborated on stage and on the Gorillaz track ‘We Got The Power’, becoming friends after sharing experiences in the ’90s, and Liam Gallagher has also offered friendly words to Blur, calling Albarn a “great songwriter”.
Following news of Oasis reuniting in 2024 – which Albarn predicted the year prior – Blur drummer Dave Rowntree said he’d be “first in the queue” to get tickets, and both guitarist Graham Coxon and bassist Alex James spoke about how it was great to see their former rivals reform.
Now, Coxon has taken things a step further in a new interview and said that he believes there is a strong chance that he would have been in Oasis if he was born and raised in Manchester – where the band are from.
“I’m from Derby, which is not as north as Manchester, but if I had grown up in the same area as the Gallagher’s I probably would have ended up in Oasis,” he said, going on to recall common ground he had with the Gallagher brothers.
“We all liked the same music, so I probably would have ended up in Oasis… which is a strange thought.”
The common ground comes as they all draw inspiration from the Mod movement and some of the biggest British bands of the 1960s, including Pink Floyd, The Beatles, The Kinks, The Who and Syd Barrett.
There was also more common ground between the two bands’ musical styles in their earlier days, with Blur leaning more into the baggy Madchester sound when they were starting out. This was seen across their debut album, 1991’s ‘Leisure’, and most prominently in songs like ‘She’s So High’, ‘Bang’ and ‘There’s No Other Way’.
Also in the interview with Les Inrockuptibles, Coxon shared that another band he could see himself being in, if he never joined Blur, was California indie rockers Pavement.
“Pavement would have been fun, they were just the right side of chaotic, and kind of loose and expressive,” he said, going on to share what it was that made them stand out to him.
“I used to like watching them play live because they inspired me in a way where I didn’t want to be so rigid in my playing. I wanted to be able to be a little bit more abstract and expressive… the right notes didn’t matter particularly,” he added. “It’s not a jazz sort of approach, but it’s almost getting towards that sort of sense of expression and freedom.”
While Damon Albarn predicted the Oasis reunion back in 2023, he said after news was announced that he wouldn’t be going to any of the reunion dates as he was too busy.
Ahead of the Oasis comeback being confirmed, Blur had dominating headlines in 2024 with their To The End documentary which followed their reunion and 2023 comeback album ‘The Ballad Of Darren’. They also embarked on some huge shows at London’s Wembley Stadium in summer 2024.
Speaking about Oasis’ reunion, Albarn said that while Blur might’ve won the 1995 chart battle, he believes the Gallagher brothers won the war. “Well, it was obvious, wasn’t it? I think we can officially say that Oasis won the battle, the war, the campaign, everything,” he said.
“They are the winners. They take first place. In the face of such overwhelming evidence, I am happy to accept and concede defeat. It’s their summer and God bless them. I hope everyone has a wonderful time but I’m going to be in a very, very different place.”
As well as being in Blur, Coxon is also a solo artist and one half of The Waeve. He recently shared plans to release the never-heard-before 2011 album ‘Castle Park’, and confirmed that he would be reissuing all of his solo records, starting with 1998 debut ‘The Sky Is Too High’ and its 2000 follow-up’, ‘The Golden D’.
The reissues will span all nine of his studio albums and three original soundtracks, with ‘Crow Sit On Blood Tree’ (2001), ‘The Kiss Of Morning’ (2002), ‘Happiness In Magazines’ (2004), ‘Love Travels At Illegal Speeds’ (2006), ‘The Spinning’ Top (2009) and ‘A+E’ (2012) all on the way.
On top of that, fans can also expect the two original songs and score album soundtracks for The End of The F***ing World 1 (2018) and The End of The F***ing World 2 (2019) and the original soundtrack to the graphic novel (2021).
This winter, the artist will embark on a UK tour, which includes shows in Edinburgh, Manchester, Bristol, Brighton and London. These will mark his first full live band performances in over 10 years, and you can find remaining tickets here.
