Blur had a well-documented rivalry with Oasis during the 90s (Picture: Jim Dyson/Getty Images)
As the filmmaker behind a documentary about Blur, who famously sparred with Oasis at the height of Britpop, Toby L is well-versed in good old-fashioned music rivalries.
Aside from the odd war of words between the likes of Drake and Kendrick Lamar, or Taylor Swift and Katy Perry feuding over dancers, today’s pop world is a sanitised place compared to the debauchery of the 90s.
But could the music industry benefit from a small dose of healthy conflict and competition between artists? Toby L, who followed former hellraisers Blur for six months for Blur: To The End, thinks so.
He mused to Metro.co.uk: ‘I actually think it’s important for artists to challenge the idiom and to challenge each other because there’s a lack of authenticity in a lot of pop culture.
‘What I mean by authenticity is there are a lot of people masquerading as if they’re the real deal, doing everything authentically, when there are massive machines behind them doing a lot of that work and it’s important for artists to question that.’
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‘A bit of jousting within an artistic or creative community is healthy because otherwise, everyone’s just covering their mouths and saying everything’s fine, and that, to me, is quite a dangerous place to get to.’
Toby has called for more ‘health jousting’ between artists (Picture: Karwai Tang/WireImage)
He has directed a documentary about Blur’s road to Wembley (Picture: Brian Rasic/Getty Images)
Toby added: ‘I don’t like anyone bullying; I don’t like anyone picking fights; but I do think artists having a healthy back and forth is not a bad thing.’
Toby himself, at least, is not lacking a bit of rock n roll in his life. For blur: To The End, he followed the band on the road for six months and up to 12 hours a day. Outside of filmmaking, he’s the co-founder of record label Transgressive Records.
He said he was keen not to cast the experience of Blur musicians Damon Albarn, Dave Rowntree, Graham Coxon and Alex James in a ‘nostalgic’ light. The foursome first found fame in the 90s, and are behind timeless classics including Song 2, Country House, and Parklife.
But it is decades after they first burst onto the scene that Blur, now all aged 50 and over, played their biggest gig to date at London’s Wembley Arena last year, the journey to which blur: To The Ends documents. Lots of their fans today weren’t even born when they released their first few albums.
The documentary showcases the enduring friendship between the band members (Picture: Altitude Film Distribution. All Rights Reserved)
During the documentary, Damon bursts into tears while listening back to his new music (Picture: DDA PR)
Aside from the music, blur: To The End paints a touching picture of an enduring friendship between four men – and their vulnerabilities. Damon even bursts into sobs when listening back to most recent album The Ballad of Darren.
‘I was surprised, I think everybody was surprised,’ Toby said of Damon’s reaction.
‘But what was interesting was that Alex didn’t know he was crying: he thought he was laughing and misinterpreted it, which opens up this other layer in the film about how men communicate with one another – particularly Men of a Certain Age. And, actually, it’s not always the best of communications.’
Why did you think Damon was crying? ‘I wouldn’t want to speak on his behalf but it was interesting that maybe just having his friends back and being able to be that honest – musically and lyrically – made him able to emote in that way and release in the moment.’
He added: ‘Every gamut of emotion is reflected by Damon in the film and for him to allow that to be witnessed by the world – without wanting to interfere with it -that speaks to the testament to his character.
Toby said that ‘every gamut of emotion’ is reflected by Damon in the film (Picture: DDA PR)
Toby followed Blur on the road for six months and described the experience as ‘intense’ (Picture: DDA PR)
‘It was a really profound moment and it happened on the first day of filming. So you can imagine, on my side, I was like, “This is going to be quite an intense experience”.’
But there are lots of moments of levity in blur: To The End, including when Damon and Graham revisit their former school, where they have now named a music room after them, and suggests it’s missing a cannabis plant. The current headteacher looks like all the blood has been drained out of his body.
‘I just love the way the band regressed slightly, in a way, like you just see Damon and Graham become little boys again, and they become cheeky and rebellious,’ Toby said.
It’s unusual to see popstars having fun and not worrying about their image. Toby, too, has noticed that artists today have a ‘fear of speaking out’ due to social media and so instead operate in a ‘PR controlled world’.
Blur are more popular than ever decades after their first album (Picture: DDA PR)
He said: ‘I think it’s sad that artists aren’t challenging the idiom. ”Artists are afraid about speaking about the things of our times that need to be challenged, particularly on a societal or governmental to moral level. I’m finding there’s less inquiry.’
‘Artists are afraid about speaking about the things of our times that need to be challenged, particularly on a societal or governmental to moral level. I’m finding there’s less inquiry.’
Is there any hope for new music, particularly in the UK? No artists from the UK have had a number one hit for six months and the last act to reach the top spot was Wham!’s 1984 song Last Christmas in January.
Toby, however, was optimistic and insisted that there is ‘always great music’ if you look for it. He even predicted a new music scene could be just around the corner.
The director said: ‘I can’t quite envision something like Britpop emerging but in terms of another national movement of music… I mean, why not?’
blur: To The End is in UK and Irish cinemas from July 19th
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