IT'S ALL A BLUR
I spent £1m on champagne as a Britpop legend – now I’m a farmer with five kids
BLUR star Alex James has lifted the lid on his VERY wild life, explaining he's spent a whopping £1million on champagne.
But life couldn't be more different for Alex, 54, these days, as he runs a 200-acre Oxfordshire farm, which situates his stunning 18th-century home.
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The dad-of-five enjoys cosy breakfasts, feeding his family “à la carte eggs” as well as workouts in his home gym and meetings to plan his family-friendly Big Feastival at the countryside abode.
Alex, his wife Claire Neate and their children - Geronimo, 19, twins Artemes and Galileo, 17, Sable, 14, and Beatrix, 13 - share the property with chickens, pigs, ducks, pet dogs, cats and around 200 to 300 sheep.
He told that he renovated the Cotswold-stone house, building a music studio and "disco-balled outbuildings" for parties - which are considerably toned down compared to his Blur days.
The bassist said, “A lot of musicians end up living on farms, I think it’s all those years living out of the suitcase.
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"It’s a chance to put down some roots. I didn’t really choose for Blur to stop when it did, but fortunately I was still young enough to have the energy to embark on another mission.”
The Britpop sparkling wine founder added, “I’m no angel but I think the anchoring influence of a family is massive. They say some adults make babies, but also some babies make adults. Being in a band gives you everything you want when you’re young.
“Young people want to drink and s**g and you just do that to a greater extent when you’re in a band. But it’s a hard thing to contain. I definitely met my match with Claire. She was the making of me.”
Last November, Blur announced they would perform at Wembley Stadium on 8th and 9th July 2023, marking their first headline performances since 2015.
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Frontman Damon Albarn sobbed on stage in a moment of pure emotion during the band's second sold out show.
The singer, 55, sank to his knees behind his piano after performing Under the Westway, but there was little privacy in the tender moment as he was projected onto the stage's huge screens.
The rapturous audience were deeply moved and many cheered to let their hero know it was okay.
The tears came amid a career-spanning set that had fans and critics in awe.
New material such as St Charles Square and The Narcissist sat comfortably alongside old classics like Tender, Coffee & TV and Park Life.
A celebration of the Britpop legends' three decades as a band, the four-piece were as close and tight a unit as at any time in their history.
The previous night, Damon told the crowd that playing the iconic stadium was a dream come true.
And with the group's new album - The Ballad of Darren - due for release later this month it feels like a new chapter rather than a grand farewell.
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