December9, 2008
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It ended in acrimony, with the guitarist branding the singer an "egomaniac".

But after months of speculation, Blur have confirmed that they will be reuniting for a massive gig in London's Hyde Park next summer.

Unlike many a recent rock reunion, the reformed Blur of 2009 will actually consist of the original members: Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James and Dave Rowntree. It will be their first performance together since the Royal Festival Hall in 2000.

"It just felt right again," Albarn told NME.com. "There's something for us to do again, we're not completely useless or pointless, we've got a reason to exist."

Formed in Colchester in 1989, Blur broke into the mainstream in the mid-1990s with hits including Parklife, Charmless Man and Song 2. They became one of the two defining bands of the Britpop era, famously pitting their Country House against Oasis' Roll With It in a chart battle that ended with Blur victorious.

After recording seven studio albums and notching up two No 1 singles, the group have been on indefinite hiatus since 2003 following the release of their critically acclaimed seventh album Think Tank.

Since the band's split, Albarn has found success on various projects including animated pop group Gorillaz, supergroup the Good, the Bad & the Queen, the Africa Express series, and the opera Monkey: Journey to the West.

Guitarist Coxon has found modest success as a solo artist, bassist James reinvented himself as a cheese-maker, while drummer Dave Rowntree tried unsuccessfully to become a Labour councillor in Westminster.

Albarn had previously started rumours of a reunion after telling Radio 1 last month: "It's very possible I'll go back to Blur, it really is very possible ... it's fantastic to get my old friend back." However, this is the first time the band have confirmed that they are reforming.

Although many fans hope Blur will play next year's Glastonbury festival, nothing is confirmed as yet. Albarn told NME.com, however, that there would be more shows "in other parts of the country".

The London Hyde Park concert will take place on Friday July 3 2009. Tickets will go on sale from 9am Friday December 12 2008 at www.livenation.co.uk. Tickets are £45, limited to six per person, and subject to a booking fee.

2007/2008 certainly have seen a lot of reunions.

i just imploded!