Damon Albarn has given hope to Blur fans by saying a reunion for the one-time kings of Britpop is "very possible", after the singer enjoyed a reconciliatory lunch with guitarist Graham Coxon.
Coxon left Blur under acrimonious circumstances in 2002 and the band, one of the bestselling of the 1990s, have been on an indefinite hiatus since 2003 following the release of their critically acclaimed seventh album Think Tank.
But Albarn has now revealed that he is back on good terms with the guitarist, who was a childhood friend and knew Albarn before the group got together at London's Goldsmith art college in 1989. "The truth be known, Graham and I have been hanging out together a bit. We had lunch the other day," Albarn told BBC Radio 1 on Wednesday. "It's very possible I'll go back to Blur, it really is very possible ... it's fantastic to get my old friend back."
Though the band has never officially split up, Albarn has previously regularly quashed hopes Blur would ever work together again. He has found considerable success with side projects including animated group Gorillaz, supergroup the Good, the Bad & the Queen, and the Africa Express series. He received critical acclaim for his part in producing Monkey: Journey to the West, a circus opera based on 16th century Chinese literature, which opens at the 02 Arena in London this weekend.
Coxon has released three solo albums since leaving Blur and has been working with Pete Doherty on the Babyshambles singer's forthcoming debut solo album. Former bassist Alex James is now a celebrated cheesemaker and occasional talent contest judge. Drummer Dave Rowntree tried unsuccessfully to become a Labour councillor in Westminster last year
