Damon Albarn and Alex James of Blur. Photograph: Franka Bruns/AP
Pop ate itself long ago, and 2007 has been the year when the patient finally went into convulsions. Already, it has thrown up reformations from the Jesus And Mary Chain, the Police, the Jam (sort of) and the Only Ones. New Rave is currently led by the technicolour yawn of Hadouken!, a cross between EMF and Altern-8.
At Glastonbury, Cud, Back to the Planet and Neds Atomic Dustbin will all entertain revellers on Friday night. Meanwhile, toxic (sc)avengers the Happy Mondays tour the country, providing one last bellyache for baggy veterans.
Great - as Bez has admitted - for straightening out their respective tax bills, but what does this avalanche of nostalgia say about the state of pop? And are we creating a cultural log-jam for bands who don't know their Inspirals from their Dinosaur Jrs?
In the light of all this, news Blur are returning to the studio comes as little surprise. Having failed in his bid to become a Labour councillor, drummer Dave Rowntree clearly needs something to chew on. For arch dilettante Alex James - who, in the last week alone, has swapped recipes with Gordon Ramsey, dissected Britpop at Hay-On-Wye and announced plans to write a book on cheese - it will, at least, provide another chapter for his memoirs. As for Graham Coxon -who left the band in 2002 during sessions for Think Tank vowing never to return - we can only assume Peter Hook's old adage applies.
"You start out as friends, become bitter enemies, argue over money, waste it, and then become friend's again," growled the New Order man on the subject a couple of years ago. And let's face it, he should know.
Damon Albarn, of course, gets to hang out with his old gang again, having amassed enough cash in the meantime to persuade even the Smiths to settle their differences.
Great for all concerned, then. But where does it leave us?
