Damon Albarn “Happy to Concede Defeat” in Oasis vs Blur Rivalry: “They Are the Winners”

Damon Albarn has conceded the great Britpop Rivalry, declaring the newly reunited Oasis the victors over Blur. “Well, it was obvious, wasn’t it?” he told The Sun. “I think we can officially say that Oasis won the battle, the war, the campaign, everything.”

Blur famously “beat” Oasis in the early days of the Battle of Britpop when Albarn moved the release date of Blur’s “Country House” to compete with Oasis’ “Roll with It.” “Country House” edged out the Gallagher brothers on the charts, which temporarily gave Blur the crown. As Oasis’ “Live ’25” tour is proving to be a massive success, however, Albarn says he’s “happy” to abdicate the throne.

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“They are the winners. They take first place. In the face of such overwhelming evidence, I am happy to accept and concede defeat,” he said. “It’s their summer and God bless them. I hope everyone has a wonderful time, but I’m going to be in a very, very different place.”

Albarn previously said the Oasis reunion was “a good thing,” but noted he wouldn’t be attending. In this new interview, he shared his thoughts on the size of Oasis’ tour schedule, which dwarfs Blur’s previous reunions (first in 2009 and then in 2022 for The Ballad of Darren): “I couldn’t do as many gigs as they’re doing. That’s a lot of the same emotion. They’re very brave and I hope it’s worth it. You know, money isn’t everything.”

It’s a shame that Blur’s impassively received Coachella 2025 set may well be the band’s last, but Albarn apparently has no hard feelings towards Britpop acts still making waves. Asked about Pulp’s reunion and new album, More, Albarn laughed, “God bless them as well. God bless everybody!”

With Blur behind him, Albarn is focused on his latest project with Africa Express, Africa Express Presents… Bahidorá. Oasis, meanwhile, are in the middle of their five-night hometown reunion in Manchester, and will arrive for their North American tour leg in August. Get tickets here to catch the official Kings of Britpop at one of the summer’s can’t-miss shows.

Oasis also have announced the Oasis: Complete Studio Album Collection box set, packaged as an 8xCD or 14xLP collection. Due out August 22nd, and pre-orders for standard CD and vinyl are ongoing, as are Amazon-exclusive gold CD and vinyl variants.

Watch Oasis play “Cigarettes & Alcohol” in Manchester this past weekend below.