No Distance Left to Run

I was more than pleased to see Blur being honoured at the 2012 Brit Awards with a Lifetime Achievement gong. In the UK, it's easy to recall the recent Britpop battles between them and Oasis and the reinvention of the band into indie darlings and their subsequent break-up and reformation. But alongside the usual rock-and-roll story is a selection of cracking tunes from an era when British music really did rule the airwaves.

In case you've been under a rock for the last twenty odd years, Blur were a four-piece band from Essex led by singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Formed in 1989, the band had some small initial success before drifting off the radar as musical tastes changed. But in the mid-90's, they become one of the biggest acts in the country and became engaged in a vicious feud with Oasis, a rock band from Manchester. But as each band member became consumed with their own demons, the band began to fragment and drift apart only to reunite and begin playing again which would lead to a triumphant return on the biggest musical stage of all - Glastonbury...

"No Distance Left To Run" (named after one of their songs) covers Blur's journey from art college students to stadium legends, via a number of interviews with the band mixed with footage of past and present performances. For fans of Blur, this is simply brilliant as it captures the energy of the group's live appearances as well as the dedication of their still-fanatical fans. But the interviews with the band focuses mainly on Damon and Graham as they were the driving force behind the band as well as part of the reason for their eventual demise. With Damon hooked on heroin and Graham a lonely alcoholic, the band had nowhere to go and so they each went their separate ways. For me, the best moment in the film is their reappearance at Glastonbury and the emotional impact of that night is clearly etched on Damon's face as tens of thousands spontaneously burst into song.

While not as detailed as the documentary behind another of my favourite bands - the epic Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers doc "Runnin' Down A Dream" - there is a sense of things not being covered in as much depth as I would have liked. Damon's relationship and break-up with fellow musician Justine Frischmann is barely covered as is Graham's solo career and as I've eluded to, Dave and Alex don't get nearly as much screen time. But despite the fact that the band have probably had their hand in somewhere, this remains a strong account of one of Britian's biggest and best-loved bands of the last twenty years.

'No Distance Left to Run' is a sentimental journey through Blur's beginnings, success, disillusionment, re-invention, arguments, break-ups and the emotional reunion and gigs of summer 2009.

This documentary is fantastically shot, with intertwined footage from the band's 1990's Brit- pop haze. The interviews with the band, although not altogether open and revealing, do illustrate somewhat the band's dynamics and demons they each faced.

Blur have always been a special band for me, a band which defined and re-defined the 1990s and early 2000s. This documentary is a superb representation of their chameleon-type talent: a band who were not afraid to take risks. Unlike their old adversaries, Oasis.

The film illustrates Blur as an utterly original band, whom I am sure, will be remembered in many years to come, as one of the most influential bands to come out of England of the last thirty years

Just been to a preview of the new Blur documentary "NO DISTANCE LEFT TO RUN" ... and I must say that I was pretty impressed with it ...

The film directed by Dylan Southern & Will Lovelace traces Blur's history – through their own words. It's a warts and all look at the dynamics of the band, relationships, gigs, successes and failures - right from their very early days up to when they split up and then their triumphant reunion in 2009 when they headlined at Glastonbury.

The Blur band members (Damon Albarn - Singer/Guitar, Graham Coxon · Guitar, Alex James - Bass, and Dave Rowntree - Drums) give exceedingly honest accounts of their feelings towards each other, their emotions, their ambitions, the stories behind the songs / albums, their personal lives, the split-up and the reunion ... all interlaced with great gig footage and behind the scenes "never seen before" footage that really draws you into the inner circle of the make-up of the band

The advent of "Britpop" (which Blur started) is also covered very well as well as the Blur vs. Oasis much media-hyped "Battle of the Bands"

This is a very interesting film - and it's great to get an inner perspective of what motivates / drives bands such as Blur in this "fly on the wall" way - as well as getting the real take on what the creative influences were behind many of their songs / albums

This film is a "must see" event for any Blur fans ...

"NO DISTANCE LEFT TO RUN" comes out on 19th January 2010

Blur were a pop band, influential in the "Britpop" movement celebrated by the press, and briefly the most famous band in Britain. Eclipsed by Oasis, they descended into turmoil and drugs, but continued to make interesting music; I was never a fan, but can acknowledge their interest in musical experimentation. After eventually splitting up, they reunited to play some widely acclaimed comeback gigs last year, and this documentary follows this tour while recalling the band's history. And it's actually a fascinating story; not too self-aggrandising, it's a tale of four mates who became inadvertently famous, and an insight into how people deal, or don't deal, with such a transformation. At one point, one of the band members refers to a documentary about the band Metallica, which revealed it's members to be self-obsessed, business-oriented and utterly unappealing; by contrast, Blur all seem very human, even front-man Damon Albarn. But it's shy guitarist Graham Coxon who steals the show, he seems the unlikeliest of pop stars, which explains a lot of why he found his fame so hard to deal with. I'm still don't like the music that much; but having seen this film, I kind of like the band.