Blur perform Wembley Stadium warm-up gig in Colchester

The Britpop rockers, who announced details of their new album The Ballad of Darren on the eve of the concert, took to the stage of Colchester Arts Centre at about 9pm.

Over the course of the two-hour long performance, Damon Albarn and co. dazzled an admiring audience of 400 lucky fans who had crammed into the modest-sized venue.

Some of the more die-hard gig-goers among the crowd had queued for hours outside the former church, desperate to get to the front of the stage before anyone else.

Throughout the legendary show, Damon, guitarist Graham Coxon, drummer Dave Rowntree and bassist Alex James played hit after hit, deep cuts and new material.

Setlist staples such as Song 2, There’s No Other Way and Parklife, were given an airing ahead of the band’s huge Wembley Stadium gigs, each unsurprisingly sending the crowd into a frenzy.

Beetlebum, Tender, Coffee and TV, and Girls and Boys were also performed, much to the delight of the sweaty gig-goers.

New single The Narcissist, released just over 24 hours before the show, was also given its live debut, as was St Charles Square, which opened the night.

The high-octane show, which unsurprisingly sold-out within seconds of going on sale, proved particularly sentimental given the band’s connection to Colchester.

Damon and Graham famously met at the Stanway School, while Dave was born in the former town before studying at the Gilberd School and working at Colchester Council.

And the emotion only further crescendoed with arrival of moving set closer The Universial, which powerfully tugged on the heartstrings of all. 

READ MORE: Blur reveal details of first album in eight years on eve of historic Colchester show

Anthony Roberts, director at Colchester Arts Centre, said: “Blur are without doubt the biggest celebrities ever to take the stage at our venue.

“The atmosphere of expectation and excitement had been building all day – when they come on it was like pressure cooker exploding. They played all the hits and more.

“Keeping the show secret was a bit of a challenge because with something as big as this the old rumour mill usually gets going pretty quickly.

“Fortunately, Colchester Arts Centre is run with a very small team so that made it a little bit easier.”

Staging such a pocket-sized gig for stadium-sized band such as Blur unsurprisingly did not come without complication, admits the Colchester stalwart.

But Anthony and his team were resolute, taking it all in their stride.

Delight – Anthony Roberts, director at Colchester Arts Centre (Image: Newsquest)

“As things fell into place, the show we never thought would happen took shape and we started preparing in earnest for things quite outside our usual routine, he added.

“Things like road closures, security checks, police liaison, dressing rooms and sound – everything was working on a different scale and intensity.

“Putting a band on stage is something we do every day of the week – but it was all the other things that surround the show we needed to look at.

“There’s nothing that beats the visceral thrill of when you favourite band walk on stage and strike up the first number.

“When that happened we all knew it had all been worthwhile.”