I discovered Blur with "Boys and Girls" and hated it right away, unlike millions of you. So it may be strange of me being an absolute fan today. Another in a series of unexplainable turning points in my life, I guess.  Anyway. I am sure that a lot of fans already know this video and won’t be inclined to buy it a second time and that those who don’t know this video won’t be inclined to buy it neither because it does not contain "Boys and Girls." This is a re-issue of an old VHS released something like 10 years ago after the second album ‘Modern life is rubbish’, which introduced them to the British charts. I guess that in those times of DVD fever, Blur could not but release one. The point is that the video in itself is not so good. Clichés from the road, backstage vomit, hotels catatonia, she-fans euphoria, hangover music and swimming. This kind of inside the tour video, just like the inside the studio videos, needs to be very original to be really interesting. For example, I had a lot of fun watching a Pantera DVD with Dave Rebel. In Starshaped, the live performances of the early songs are all fine but the in between footage is colourless. For once, bonus material make this DVD worth buying. There is something like one hour and a half of live material from the era. 5 songs from an early gig when the band had not been signed yet, taped from the pit and really enjoyable because of the mushroom haircuts and this kind of genuine local band attitude they have. Then there is a whole concert played a few time after they were signed, maybe a little more professional, which contains most of the songs from the first album Leisure. So if you don’t Leisure…

Correct me if I am wrong, but I see Leisure as Blur’s british answer to Seattle’s grunge wave of the early 90’s. Post your comments to the webzine or fuck off. onlyangelshavewings@hotmail.com

- Angus ‘Chateau Latour 53’ Anderson

/dec 1st 2004/