Escaping the heatwave is easily done with an Odeon nearby. Brave the heat and the bit of the walk where the path edges ever closer to the dock with no railing and push through into air-conditioned bliss. There is plenty of choice for cinemagoers this week and the best of this crop is Blur: To the End, the latest Blur documentary which charts their surprise return and double bill of Wembley gigs. What a difference a year makes, and how heartwarming it is to see Damon Albarn, Dave Rowntree, Graham Coxon and Alex James open up on their latest tour. Resentment is no more. Fear remains, but it is a great catalyst for what Blur stands for and how they do their business. Blur: To The End benefits from being an ultimately candid experience where the four-piece realise time is not on their side.
Others have made the same efforts over the last year, with Suede and Pulp also veering back into the spotlight, though the former has been a constant presence over the last decade. A scattershot of sudden moves made by reunion catalyst Albarn are documented as strikingly as they appear. What Toby L loses in the flow of steady progression is minor compared to the frank discussions and necessary reflection of four musicians who were at the top of their game and keep growing in every fallow period. They are still learning from one another and the open scenes of rehearsal and the emotional outpour of a first-time listen to The Ballad of Darren are the necessary building blocks. Pave the road to Wembley. For those who were there, Blur: To The End will serve as an additional layer to the experience. There is nothing like yelling Girls and Boys into your brother’s ear.
With the additional context of Blur: To The End, the gig becomes very special indeed. Albarn openly admits it is his greatest performance. The peak has been reached for the band and whether they return is open-ended. It is not the point of this piece. Instead, the band are isolated and asked a handful of questions, back together on-screen as their talking head spots overlayed. It is simple and effective documentarian work. A line blurred between fly on the wall and traditional storytelling. Blur needs both to perform well. The band needed to be documented at their best. The Ballad of Darren truly is that for Blur and the team surrounding Toby L do a monumental job. Within is a heartbreaking realisation, a succession of reflective moments, triumphant returns to the stage and an acceptance of the curtain falling.
It does for everyone, but for Blur there is clarity at the end. Blur: To The End does well to navigate the muddy waters of overwhelming reunion appeal. Rowntree has some great spots of inspiration, the quiet member of Blur delivers some of the most profound moments within. Coxon is in fine form too and there are neat plugs of The Waeve and his extracurricular work outside of Blur within. Follow the world’s greatest guitarist elsewhere. Albarn and James have some pally time together in the opening moments, but it is featured no more by the halfway mark. Toby L does well to keep all the plates spinning, an impressive feat given how much was riding on the shows, and how a legacy can shatter at any moment. But for Blur they sealed theirs with these two Wembley shows. Blur: To The End is a necessary and heartfelt peek behind the curtain.
