Blur

Parklive

EMI

Okay, so it was a special occasion – and it was on the back of the rolling special occasion of Blur playing nice (and sometimes playing well); a reunion for the people (apparently).

Hey, I like Blur. I really do. I like them more now than then in fact. Back then I only liked a few key songs but now I’ve found my way to everything in the corners of the albums, lots of fabulous stuff. There was a live DVD already – from the first reunion. And that was emotional, particularly when packaged with a warts-n-all and strangely moving documentary. But this double live album arrives after reissues of the Blur catalogue.

Yep, it’s milking time.

Great set-list, pretty hard to fault, really. But do you really need the fan souvenir of pissed-up revellers singing along, drowning out Albarn (who, it has to be said, doesn’t sound that great when singing live – with Blur anyway)? This is Carry On Karaoke – a postcard to say you were there. Nothing more. And often a whole lot less. Brutally, blatantly unnecessary. You’ll chuck it in the bin after one listen. (Thank me later).