Damon Albarn “can guarantee” Oasis are going to reform

22 May 2023, 12:41 | Updated: 23 May 2023, 15:19

According to reports, the Blur frontman says he's "put money" on the fact that the Manchester band will get back together soon.

Damon Albarn believes that Oasis will reunite.

According to The Sun, the Blur frontman thinks the Gallagher brothers are closer than ever to burying the hatchet and thinks their relationship has changed dramatically since the news.

“I can guarantee they’re going to reform,” says the Britpop legend. “In fact, I’ve put money on it.

“They’re brothers and it would be wonderful to see them reconcile.”

According to the outlet, the Song 2 singer believes Noel and Liam Gallagher’s relationship “will have changed dramatically” since Noel’s impending divorce to Sara MacDonald.

Though Blur have almost sold out two nights at Wembley stadium this year, he believes that Oasis could outsell them several times over.

He jokes: “The only funny thing is that our two nights at Wembley will be dwarfed by their SEVEN!”

READ MORE: Blur announce intimate UK warm-up shows ahead of 2023 reunion gigs

The news comes after the band announced their first taste of new material in eight years with new album The Ballad of Darren, which is set for release on 21st July 2023.

From the record, which follow's 2015's The Magic Whip, comes new single The Narcissist, which you can listen to here:

Blur - The Narcissist (Official Visualiser)

Speaking about the title The Narcissist, Albarn told Radio X's Dan O'Connell: “I think the whole nature of being in a band… especially talking about yourself, having photographs taken... that’s all about yourself.

“Obviously there are deep practitioners of narcissism in the entertainment world, but it also applies to people like Putin, you know? It’s one of those kind of troubling aspects of modern life. There’s definitely mediations on modernity in the record for sure.”

Blur on their new single The Narcissist

READ MORE: Blur tease "honest" performance ahead of reunion gigs: "We sound really good"

Of the album's title, he teased: “Darren is many people. It is directly one person. But do we want to spoil who Darren is yet? There’s a picture of Daren in the album. Not on the front cover. It was going to be but then we put it on the inner sleeve because it’s not the sort of attention Darren will want.”

On returning with new material, Albarn referenced the band's forthcoming shows at Wembley Stadium, noting: "What’s the point of doing all of this unless there’s something that represents in some way how we all feel now?” He claimed the album's "purpose" was to reflect the band's generation, but said: "I think also it has enough of the modern world in it to kind of be relatable to people younger as well.”

Bassist Alex James added: "The fact that we’ve made a record is a surprise to me… [but] looking back it’s what we actually do.”

Pre order The Ballad of Darren here.

See the tracklisting for Blur's The Ballad of Darren:

1. The Ballad

2. St Charles Square

3. Barbaric

4. Russian Strings

5. The Everglades (For Leonard)

6. The Narcissist

7. Goodbye Albert

8. Far Away Island

9. Avalon

10. The Height

READ MORE: QUIZ: Can you name these Blur songs from one line?

Blur on what to expect from their reunion gigs

Meanwhile, this weekend saw Blur play their first gigs since reuniting with a intimate homecoming gig in Colchester Arts Centre and a show at Eastbourne Winter Gardens.

The band will play London's Wembley Stadium on Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th of July, with Self Esteem, Paul Weller and Selecta among the support acts.