Toby L talks to NME about how grief and mortality shaped the new documentary and what the future holds for British pop heroes.
The director of Blur’s new documentary To The End spoke to NME about the emotional process of making the film and what the future holds for the band.
The film, directed by Transgressive Records founder Tothrough L, follows the reunion of Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James and Dave Rowntree as they return to record the 2023 comeback album “The Ballad Of Darren” ahead of a tour culminating in two exhibitions at Wembley Stadium in London last summer.
However, as Albarn recovers from his split from wife Suzi Winstanley after 25 years and some struggle to get other members back into an arena group, the path back to the beginning was as simple as they had hoped.
In a five-star review of To The End, NME concluded, “They argue, kiss, fuck each other, do homework. “While Blur’s most recent documentary and accompanying live-action film, No Distance Left, to present a portrait of a band celebrating their legacy and giving a world hungry for nostalgia exactly what it wanted, this spiritual sequel shows a band simply supporting each other. Whether or not they will return remains to be seen. Even if they don’t, it’s a great adventure.
Watch our full interview below, where Toby L explained to NME what made it possible, the joy of seeing Blur live, Albarn not needing to play two sets at Wembley and what’s next for the band.
NME: Hi Toby, tell us how you got here to make this film. Did you know that Blur is back from the start?
Toby L: “yes, I found that Blur would be coming back in an unconventional way, in the sense that I’ve been doing projects with Damon and Graham over the last few years through my label, Transgressive. I was at Damon’s Thirteen Studios talking about a completely different project, when all of a sudden he said, “Oh, do you need to listen to the new Blur demos?”I thought he was joking, but he had that slightly cheeky gleam – his eye for which he’s known.
“We listened to all those early recordings that were essentially the blueprint for ‘The Ballad Of Darren. ‘ Even at its rawest, it can be said that the foundation of the songs was indeed exceptional. It was exciting. At that time we were informed that there was going to be a concert at Wembley, and at that time it was just a concert, and they asked my company to make this trailer in a short time.
“That’s when I said to Damon, ‘If you need someone to film and capture the concert, I’d love to throw my hat in the ring. ‘ In any case, I wrote a solution to see if we could secretly document what this album would be until the Wembley concert. As I dug deeper, I learned that it wasn’t just about reunions: I learned that it was about friendship, maturation, reconciliation, and a few hints of mortality!
Blur – “To the end”. Credit: Rubén Bastienne Lewis
It’s touching in the film to see how open Damon is to turning to music after their relationship ended. Have you had any conversations about seeming so honest in your life?
“When they asked me to do the film, we had to sit down with the four members of the band. It was a stressful meeting. I did the most productive thing I could in terms of what I thought the movie deserved to be and how it deserved to be made. I told everyone: “There is no point in making a documentary that is already made, there are already very intelligent Blur documentaries, with their own essence and their own story. ” This time we had to tell a new story about 4 friends who take on their biggest challenge yet.
“To achieve this, you had to be absolutely fair. The only way to reach the fairy is access. You have to spend more time being filmed. You can’t get in and out of the procedure too intermittently. You want to identify this relationship to get incidental candid information. I sought to orient the verbal exchange towards a fair dialogue, rather than a controlled public relations talk.
“Fortunately, the organization was probably okay with that. There’s nothing worse than a fake documentary, and the band started creating documentaries that they thought were shit because they were too vain or whatever. From that point on, nothing Surely all 4 were open at all times.
Damon Albarn in Blur’s new “To The End. ” Credit: Altitude
Alex James in the new “To The End” by Blur. Credit: Altitude
Dave Rowntree on Blur’s new ‘To The End’. Credit: Altitude
Graham Coxon on Blur’s new ‘To The End’. Credit: Altitude
It turns out that each member of the organization has their own arc in the film. How would you describe them?
“Damon has gone through a lot of changes: whether it’s as an artist observing things from a social point of view and a lot of non-public things. I feel that Graham’s arc is the most promising, in a way; He’s been through a lot and he’s arrived. Take out the other aspect to recognize that you are happier than ever in your entire life. He loves being in Blur. Il is one of the funniest characters in the movie because of his wit and free space.
“To me, Alex is a wonderfully warm character, now rooted in his family life and his farm, and then brought back to rock ‘n’ roll. He’s dealing with this change of role and open space, and he’s open about it. He talks shamelessly about how difficult it is to communicate the end of the party after this birthday party and euphoria. He talks shamelessly about this dichotomy between being a popular musician and artist and then returning to everyday life in general.
“Dave ran before a Labour MP and spoke about the state of the United Kingdom as it is, but he also had a major physical challenge with his leg injury jeopardising the Wembley concerts. The 4 of them have a lot to experience, but the lovely thing is to see them go through those beads individually, and then watch them join, bond, and conquer. You realize the strength of the numbers we can have as humans. This is what happens when we combine.
Especially for Damon: he said he’s been through a lot, but he can only make those songs with the other people who know him best.
“Yes, definitely. He says in the film that he can only blur when he needs to. Obviously, that’s what the crowd expects all the time because it’s a very special group, but it goes in any direction. The explanation for why The important thing every time Blur records or plays shows is that everyone needs it, but it’s also like it’s the last time. This is something the film flirts with: “Is this the end?I have the impression that this is not relevant. As long as we have the moment and the music, that’s all that matters. We’re all obsessed with setting a big bar on things, but it’s a little more complex than that.
“Whatever the band decides to do in the future, lately things are in the most productive position they’ve ever had for them. “
Have you ever thought that they wouldn’t make it to Wembley or that they wouldn’t have it with them?
“When I was watching the movie, there are moments when it’s like that. The movie starts in Devon with them recording the album and everything is perfect: they eat together, they make music, they have fun in the sea. . . it’s all idyllic. So, Being part of an organization starts pretty quickly. Suddenly they have to promote, rehearse, plan the production of shows. This tension is real and it’s in the movie as it is, but I was worried about the energy.
“Not all the band members travel constantly yet. It’s a huge adjustment to go from a way of life in a family circle to suddenly finding yourself on the bus, on stage, in a practice session, or doing an interview, each and every day. . It’s a lot of hard work. Although it is the most productive task in the world, it comes at a price. “
Blur at Wembley (Credit: Tom Pallant)
Damon spoke of a certain reluctance to make two appearances at Wembley instead of just one. Did you feel that at the time?
“I think it seemed like we’d already done something, so passing out and repeating it for a moment seemed strange. The irony of all ironies was that the timing of the night ended fitting into Damon’s favorite display. I get it. The wait for The first night was colossal and they did everything they could. It must have been very difficult to think about starting again, but they did it. What I liked about capturing the total excursion was that they necessarily did the same exhibition, whether it was in Colchester versus. another 400 people or at Wembley. There were some additional lighting fixtures, but there was no electronic step ramp, no pyrotechnics, no choreographed dancers, no lasers just Blur with amazing songs.
“This is something that maybe other artists might take note of: as we enter the world of infinite probabilities for live production, just because you can do anything doesn’t mean you should. Blur managed to make Wembley Stadium look small because the songs, the air of mystery and the quality of functionality did all the work. “It would be great if more artists had more courage in their convictions. ”
To what extent did you become interested in doing something spiritually different from Blur’s last great documentary, No Distance Left To Run?
“Extrêmement. Me freaked out when I saw this the week before I started shooting this movie. Even if we knew them, we had to make sure that our tone of voice, our cinematic taste, and our overall direction had their own point of distinction. No Distance Left To Run is a very clever retelling of the band’s origin story up to 2009 and that first reunion. We didn’t want to do that again and we had to move into another emotional space. That is why we have placed more emphasis on the dynamics of friendship and fraternity.
“No Far Left to Run is gorgeously framed and composed, and while there are many lovely portraits in this film, it’s also raw and ready. It’s a fly on the wall. I wanted the viewer to feel like they were in the room at all times.
“In many ways, I sought him out to be the brother of this film, but also to be autonomous. “
Is this the end of Blur or is it possible we’ll see a return in the near future?
“What I love about Blur is that there were so many times where I thought it was over. I have no idea. At the end of the movie, there are clues about whether this could continue or not. Again, this is ambiguous. That That’s the wonderful thing about this film and the Wembley live concert film: no matter what happens, those are glorious memories that will exist.
“The organization has had life and this momentum. I hope there’s more to come, but we’ll have to ask the wonderful men. “
To The End has its official London premiere tonight (Tuesday, July 16) before being in theaters on Friday, July 19.
This will be followed by the Wembley concert film: Blur: Live at Wembley Stadium. An album will be released on July 26, before the film hits cinemas in the UK and Ireland on September 6.
Coxon and his wife Rose Elinor Dougall are recently preparing to release their second album under the name THE WAEVE, with “City Lights” arriving September 20 on Transgressive Records.