BLUR TO PLAY FREE SHOW FOR FANS ON MAY 1st: THE MAGIC WHIP LIVE IN BROOKLYN

Converse Rubber Tracks Live Showcases First Blur Classic Lineup Show in New York Since 2000

Appearing On The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon April 30

The Magic Whip Out Now on Warner Bros

Blur Converse Rubber Tracks
Blur Converse Rubber Tracks

“Blur’s classic lineup—singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree—has made its first new album in 16 years, one as quixotic and seductive in its modern searching and subversive pop highs as those Nineties winners… Blur have returned with inspiration to spare.” — ROLLING STONE

New York, NY – Already en route to New York for an April 30 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Blur will treat fans to a free performance of the just-released The Magic Whip (Warner Bros) in its entirety on May 1 at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, NY as part of Converse Rubber Tracks Live music program. The early evening, all-ages show will feature the first time in 15 years that Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James and Dave Rowntree have performed live as Blur in New York.

This intimate pop-up show is only the second time the band have done this, the first time being in a small club in London a few weeks prior to the release of The Magic Whip. Support will be provided by Honduras, who has recorded at the Converse Rubber Tracks Brooklyn recording studio, and was chosen as the opening act for this special show.

Registration for free tickets will be available beginning Wednesday, April 29 at 12 p.m. EST for fans atConverse-Music.com/Blur. Fans who receive a confirmed “ticket” will be allowed to enter the venue on a first come, first serve, with admission based on capacity day of event. No hard or downloadable tickets will be distributed in advance.

Its release this week heralded by a 4-star lead review in the current Rolling Stone, The Magic Whipstarted life in Hong Kong during an unexpected break in touring in May 2013. The band spent five days at Avon Studios in Kowloon before putting the recordings aside, before carrying on with their live dates and ultimately returning to their respective lives: Dave to his day job as a lawyer, Alex to his Oxfordshire farm,Telegraph column and the hosting duties on The Big Feastival that he shares with Jamie Oliver. Graham, who has released eight critically acclaimed solo albums to date, continued to work on his own material and, in 2014, Damon released and toured his Mercury-nominated debut solo album Everyday Robots.

Graham revisited the tracks in November 2014 and, drafting in Blur’s early producer Stephen Street(Leisure, Modern Life is Rubbish, Parklife, The Great Escape, Blur), worked with the band on the material. Damon then added lyrics to the 12 tracks, completing The Magic Whip—Blur’s eighth album and first since 1999’s 13 to feature the original Blur lineup.

ABOUT CONVERSE RUBBER TRACKS

Converse Rubber Tracks is a state-of-the-art recording studio that is located in the Williamsburg neighborhood in Brooklyn, NY. The 5,200 square-foot, full-service recording space aims to support emerging artists by providing them access to a top-level recording studio at no cost. Artists and bands of all genres and ages from around the world are encouraged to apply and, upon acceptance, may reserve time in the studio to work alongside a team of experienced engineers. Converse Rubber Tracks Live is a free concert series that originally launched in 2012 in Brooklyn and has since expanded to support cities with vibrant music communities around the world. The lineups for these shows include previous Converse Rubber Tracks recording artists hand-picked by the headliners. Through Converse Rubber Tracks, Converse is giving back to the creative community that has embraced the brand throughout its over 100-year history. Converse Rubber Tracks provides a platform for artists to unleash their creative spirit that will change the world.  http://www.converse-music.com/rubbertracks/brooklyn/

For more information about Converse Rubber Tracks Please Contact:

Keith Gulla
Converse
646-563-7318 / keith.gulla@converse.com

Zeena Koda
Cornerstone
212 741 7100 / zeena@cornerstoneagency.com