BLURB: It was good in Reading last night.

DAMON ALBARN: Well, it's been a long time since playing a gig - the longest break we've ever had. It's a difficult thing when you're in between albums. The next album is going to be such a radical change again - you want to really go for that, but with Glastonbury you can't. It's not possible to not play certain anthems. Personally, I'm looking forward to Glastonbury, but ideas-wise, I'd have liked to have left it a little longer, because it's all changing. Glastonbury '94 was focused as it was all geared around Parklife, whereas this year is different. If you surprise people, you piss 'em off. It's okay when you've got a record out - then you can really go to town. I don't want to cheat people by doing stuff nobody knows, and at the same time, I don't want to cheat us. Reading's set list wasn't really right for Glastonbury. I've never seen a succession of fast songs to go down well at Glastonbury. People want big emotional in-yer-face shit.

BLURB: Have you been itching to get back to playing live again after six months off?

DAMON: Yeah, but I would rather be playing the new album. I'd like to give people a whole new experience whereas it's not possible until we finish the album.

BLURB: Playing stuff like Essex Dogs live, is that a challenge for yourselves, coz you must go into autopilot on the singles?

DAMON: Yeah, well we just didn't seem to get that song together on the last tour. I just think at Glastonbury, there'll be people on the periphery that don't really like our stuff, hear that and think, "Fuckin' hell, that's something I really like."

BLURB: I was told you were considering playing "101%"

DAMON: That's really good, I think. I don't know why, but it's always been a bit of a problem getting everyone to change their instruments. We can all play each others' instruments, well... I can't play the drums, but Graham's a great drummer. Graham plays drums on 101% and Thurston Moore plays guitar.

BLURB: Does it have cut-up guitar effects like Essex Dogs?

DAMON: Yeah.

BLURB: We did a readers' poll this year, and a lot of people didn't seem to want to hear Parklife and Girls & Boys anymore.

DAMON: That's bollocks. I just don't believe that, y'know. Can you imagine not doing Parklife at Glastonbury? There's a hundred thousand people there and maybe, about half of them have got one or two of our albums. With set lists, we start getting into these committees where y'know, Fan Clubs have their preferences, all your mates have their list of preferences, and then there's the great unwashed out there that don't give a fuck what you play. You can never do the perfect set when you've done so many albums really - it's just down to the vibe and whether everything gels on the night.

BLURB: Why have you included Repetition in the live set?

DAMON: Well, if you listen to Leisure, there's actually quite a lot of good tracks on it. I think Come Together's great, and Repitition sounds really good in the set. They sound quite current - not dated, which is weird, really.

BLURB: Well, they're the ones without the baggy drums on them.

DAMON: Exactly! If we hadn't have been badgered by Dave Balfe, the first album would have been very different. It would have comprised of much more heavy tracks and the b-sides that we put on the singles.

BLURB: From what I've heard of South Park, and the Cowboy Song, is that a good indication of what to expect from the next album?

DAMON: Well, not really. I'm really happy with South Park. I've demoed 18 songs, so it's all ready to go - we'll start recording as soon as the World Cup's finished. It's all very different, very eclectic. It does sound like the best... Well, they're the best demos I've ever done, anyway. From the demos, I've got a good idea of how it's gonna go, and I'm excited.

BLURB: Of those two tracks...

DAMON: What two tracks?

BLURB: South Park and Cowboy Song...

DAMON: What's Cowboy Song?

BLURB: The Dust Brothers collaboration.

DAMON: Yeah, well that wasn't a great success.

BLURB: I really like the original track, that Cowboy Song was based on.

DAMON: Well, they're both not quite right, those songs. The Dust Brothers song didn't work out the way it could've worked out, but South Park I'm really happy with.

BLURB: Was that written for the cartoon series?

DAMON: Yeah, we were asked to write something for it. I haven't seen much of it.

BLURB: You're not going to reverse your decision and decide to tour with the next album?

DAMON: Who knows... I think we will tour again. We're just not going to slog ourselves to death. I'm not going to play big places - maybe when the album comes out we'll do a couple of Brixtons, and a few gigs around the country. I don't understand how bands keep doing it for 20 to 30 years - and they're bands who just play the same songs over and over again - the only thing that gets them through it is the size of the gigs. U2 keep themselves interested by spending more and more money on their sets.

BLURB: I've heard that you've been rehearsing stuff and playing through new material.

DAMON: Yeah.

BLURB: Is that the way you normally work?

DAMON: Well, I suppose it has changed dramatically from when we first started. We're very lucky in that we've got our own studio now, so we can just go in there and fuck about.

BLURB: Are you just trying to work out the arrangements before you go into the studio?

DAMON: To a degree, but then we're bringing William Orbit in and fuck knows what's going to happen then.

BLURB: What inspired that partnership?

DAMON: Well, partly wanting a change in the studio. We needed to make a break.

BLURB: Stephen Street seemed quite willing and easy to adapt to your ideas.

DAMON: Yeah, I know, but we'd worked with him for nearly eight years, and we just want to see if something else works.

BLURB: How did Stephen react to the news?

DAMON: Well, I think he was pretty upset, but I still play football and go for a drink with him.

BLURB: I've had a few letters from Blur fans who seem pretty concerned about the split.

DAMON: Well... we're either gonna come out with egg on our faces, or come our with something that's really quite special.

BLURB: But William's not going to work on the whole album, just a few tracks...

DAMON: Well, it depends. If it's working really well, then he'll work on the whole album. But it's not going to be a dance album. William is there to have another opinion, and try and subvert what we do. I honestly can't say what's going to happen, but it feels like a good change. It's quite cool working with Madonna's producer.

BLURB: I'm surprised that you aren't producing your own albums, now?

DAMON: Well, with Stephen we were really co-producing, but none of us were really pushing each other because we'd got this really good relationship.

BLURB: Are you hoping to have the new album finished by the end of the year?

DAMON: I hope so - we've got the material. It's just trying to get everybody into a working regime, as they've all been allowed to meander.

BLURB: Is it not strange, getting back together after everyone's been doing high-profile solo things??

DAMON: No, not at all. I don't think any of us are naive enough to think that we're greater than the...

BLURB: ... Sum of your parts?

DAMON: Yeah exactly. I think it was the right moment to give everyone a bit of space to do what they wanted.