Blur bassist Alex James: “I’m so happy for Oasis.” “Liam is an incredible singer and he can’t help but be a rockstar” | Alex James

bAssistant Alex James founded Blur in 1988 with Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon and Dave Rowntree. In 2023, Blur released their ninth studio album, The Ballad of Darrenand played two sold-out nights at Wembley Stadium. Alex started making cheese in 2003 and runs an annual food and music event, the Big Feastival, on his farm in the Cotswolds. He is married to Claire Neate and has five children – Geronimo, the twins Artemis and Gallileo, Sable and Beatrix. His book, Over the rainbowis his account of Blur’s reformation and tour in 2023.

Why Over the rainbow?
I just think there was a real feeling of enchantment when Blur got back together. It was magical. But it started with me chatting around on the M40 on the way to London for my first meeting with the band to see if we could do it… four kilos too much and just thinking: “What band doesn’t hate each other?” “So much?” Period?”

But it worked.
With bands this is either completely impossible or completely effortless. And going to the gym to put on my Britpop pants was hard, traveling was hard, keeping Feastival going was hard. But actually playing bass with Blur was like riding a bike downhill, pure fun.

You lost four kilos by eating broth and exercising daily. Have you never thought about taking a weight loss vaccination?
No. The great thing about going to the gym is that it’s terrible, but it works. When you put on a festival, you never know if it’s going to work. You know: Kelis showed up but didn’t make a milkshake. Natalie Imbruglia is there, but her band didn’t show up. It could rain. Did you see the tents come apart in a whirlwind in Leeds this year? Terrible. Whatever you do, you can’t really guarantee that a festival will work. But when it comes to the gym and you do your 100th burpee, you know it works pretty darn well.

Let’s talk about the festival. It’s clear from the book that it takes a lot of time, even when touring with Blur. It’s also clear that you love it, especially the cheese Hub. What is the Cheese Hub?
It’s our party within the party at Feastival, the stupidest nightclub in the world, open three days a year. There’s food and music and geekery. Professors get a free pass: They can recruit a world expert in any field for much less effort than a B-list celebrity. What I’ve learned from running a festival is that it’s great if you can teach people something during the day and then make them forget everything in the evening. Geek out, freak out. That’s the magic formula.

Would you say your personality leans towards having a good time?
Hopefully yes. My father was a thoroughly contented soul. As a child he was evacuated to Wales and had a younger sibling who died. An incredibly challenging childhood, but he always saw the positive side of everything. I grew up in sunny Bournemouth and Graham Coxon was the first person I saw when I arrived in London. I was blessed. It’s a gift.

I’ve always thought that Graham was playing against you in Blur’s music. If you think about it girls and boysyou play a disco bass line and his guitar is edgy noise.
This is called counterpoint. That’s the magic. You need your lemon juice and you need your honey. It’s like cooking. That’s why it works. We play against each other, against all of us, not just against Graham and me. We wrote “She’s So High” the first time we were all in a room together.

What do you remember when you think of the 1990s?
For me the 90s started at the Crown on Brewer Street. As soon as There’s No Other Way was a hit, I moved from the condemned building I’d been living in in Lewisham to Covent Garden and never looked back. Drinking with people like you and that Smash hits Crew. Drinking beer, playing darts, telling stories, smoking, talking about how shitty other bands were, talking about bands we were going to see that night. It was great when (Stephen) Jelbert from the Family Cat showed up because he could empty the Triv machine.

What music did you like as a teenager?
I got beaten up because I was the only one in my class who liked “Wham!” and the Smiths. I had written it on my bag, probably a book bag. There you declared your identity and if you weren’t cool you got kicked. “Wham! and the Smiths? Wanker.” The food of your childhood and the music of your teenage years are two things you can never escape.

There’s a time in the book where the combination of Feastival and Blur almost bankrupts you.
It was hairy. The lockdown killed us – I couldn’t get a loan and wouldn’t get any money for six months. The band couldn’t pay because we needed all the money for production rehearsals.

You survive because you borrow from Claire’s mother, and then the royalties from the Vindaloo songs come in.
It’s a bit like having a Christmas record, a football record. There’s football every two years and if England are having a good run it only really starts when they reach the quarter-finals. If it gets to the semi-finals it will be completely crazy. And it came in. Oh my God, that was such a beautiful day. I literally hadn’t eaten lunch all year. Maybe an apple. And the whole family went to (Mayfair Restaurant) Scott’s. This was one of the greatest lunches ever.

Blur played two nights at Wembley Stadium. What memories do you have?
I pushed really hard for Out of Time to be included. And it started so quietly, and I actually had my eyes closed and I was just floating in it, and it was really, really quiet. I was like, “Damn, they don’t understand.” And I opened my eyes and everyone flashed their cameras. Oh my God, I could start crying. All.

Oasis are playing at Wembley next year, what do you think?
I’m so happy for her. Delighted. They are great. I like her. You know, there are some people – without naming names – who, when they walk into a room, say, “Oh, damn, he’s here.” But when one of them walks into a room, he says, “Heyyy.” He’s an incredible singer, Liam, and he can’t help but be a rock star. And it’s nice that they waited for us to get our shit out of the way, you know? These are very good manners.

When you first meet, Damon, Graham and Dave are all making their own music and they ask you what you’re up to and you say you’re trying to make a huge frazzle. Have you done it yet?
Not quite. I’m still trying to create it and really hope to have it ready for Feastival this year. But the recipe is basically a trade secret. The E numbers are all listed on the back of the pack, but it’s down to the technology. It’s like KFC. Everyone thinks it’s the Colonel’s special blend. But it’s actually the quick fryer that’s the real secret. We will do it.