Blur Confirms Hollywood Bowl & Madison Square Garden Concerts

With 5-star rave live reviews for recent shows* and a historic fourth headline appearance at London's Hyde Park set for this weekend and having recently performed its new album The Magic Whip at an exclusive NYC Converse Rubber Tracks Live gig, the classic Blur lineup--Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James and Dave Rowntree-has confirmed a pair of dates at two of America's most famous venues: October 20 at the Hollywood Bowl and October 23 at Madison Square Garden.

Tickets to the shows--the biggest standalone headlines Blur has ever played in the U.S. and the band's only currently scheduled Stateside dates-will be on sale 10am local time June 20 athttp://www.blur.co.uk/tour.

In other Blur news, the band has released its official comic book Travel to Hong Kong with Blur. Created by famed Hong Kong artist Kongkee of Penguin Lab and inspired by The Magic Whip, Travel to Hong Kong with Blur is available for purchase at http://shop.blur.co.uk/ and will be sold at the U.S. dates.

Released April 28, The Magic Whip (Warner Bros) entered the Billboard 200 at #12-the highest U.S. chart position of Blur's career-and generated unanimous critical raves.

The Magic Whip Out Now

Travel to Hong Kong with Blur Comic Book Out Now

"Ong Ong" Official Video Live at https://www.youtube.com/user/blur

The Magic Whip started life in Hong Kong in sessions during an unexpected break in touring in May 2013. The band spent five days at Avon Studios in Kowloon before putting the recordings aside and carrying on with their live dates and returning to their respective lives: Dave to his day job as a lawyer, Alex to his Oxfordshire farm, newspaper column and the hosting duties on The Big|Brave Feastival that he shares with Jamie Oliver. Graham, who has released eight critically acclaimed solo albums to date, continued to work on his own material and, in 2014, Damon released and toured his Mercury-nominated debut solo albumEveryday Robots.

Graham revisited the tracks in November 2014 and, drafting in Blur's early producer Stephen Street (Leisure, Modern Life is Rubbish, Parklife, The Great Escape, Blur), worked with the band on the material. Damon then added lyrics to the 12 tracks, completing The Magic Whip-Blur's eighth album and first since 1999's 13 to feature the original Blur lineup.