BLUR kicked-off their long-awaited comeback on Friday evening with a glorious homecoming concert in Colchester – the very place where it all started.
During the band’s gig, which exploded into life at roughly 9pm, the four-piece performed to just 400 lucky fans inside the historic Colchester Arts Centre, in Church Street.
Over the course of the pocket-sized show, as energetic as it was emotional, Damon Albarn and co. slalomed through their back catalogue, playing hits and album tracks.
Newer songs, taken from their forthcoming record The Ballad of Darren, which was announced on the eve of the Colchester show, were also given their live debuts.
Over the course of the sweaty and amazingly chaotic two-hour long set, Damon, Graham Coxon, Dave Rowntree and Alex James played 23 songs.
Here are all the songs Blur played on their first live gig in eight years:
St Charles Square
There’s No Other Way
Popscene
Trouble In The Message Centre
Chemical World
Badhead
Beetlebum
Trimm Trab
Villa Rosie
Coffee and TV
Out of Time
End of a Century
Parklife
To The End
Oily Water
Advert
Song 2
This Is A Low
Encore
Girls and Boys
The Narcissist
Tender
For Tomorrow
The Universal
READ MORE: ‘Sorry it took so long’ - Blur return to Colchester with explosive and emotional gig
In Pictures: Blur kickstart comeback with homecoming show at Colchester Arts Centre
Over the course of the two-hour long performance, Damon Albarn and co. dazzled an admiring audience of fans who had crammed into the modest-sized venue.
The high-octane show, which unsurprisingly sold-out within seconds of going on sale, proved particularly sentimental given the band’s connection to Colchester.
Damon and Graham famously met at the Stanway School, while Dave was born in the former town before studying at the Gilberd School and working at Colchester Council.
Speaking during the gig, frontman Damon said: "I don't think we have actually ever played Colchester, so sorry it took us so long.
"It has been an absolute pleasure. You have been a magnificent audience."
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