In a surprising twist, Damon Albarn, the lead singer of Blur, captivated the audience at Wembley Stadium by donning a replica Fila tracksuit jacket. The red and black coat gained iconic status after its appearance in the music video for Blur’s 1994 hit single, “Girls and Boys.”
During the Britpop era of the 1990s, the Italian sportswear manufacturer Fila became synonymous with the band, with the vintage 1980s Fila Velour tracktop becoming the ultimate desire of every fan. Recently, Albarn has experienced a Fila revival, often performing in tracksuit tops and embracing vintage poloshirts from the brand.
The excitement among Blur fans at Wembley was palpable as the 55-year-old frontman momentarily disappeared from the stage at the start of “Girls and Boys,” only to reemerge wearing the classic top. Addressing the crowd, Albarn exclaimed, “So, I mean, for those who care, this is the original Fila – well, it’s not the original, we couldn’t find it – thank you to Fila for recreating it. What a wonderful thing to lose something and have a whole business recreate it.”
After reaching the pinnacle of fame during the Britpop movement, Blur put on extraordinaryperformances in front of a staggering crowd of 140,000 over two nights at Wembley, marking their first headline show in the United Kingdom since 2015. The band, consisting of Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James, and drummer Dave Rowntree, is now gearing up to release their highly anticipated ninth studio album.
Expressing his gratitude for the opportunity to perform before the enthusiastic Wembley crowd, Albarn shared his sentiments with ITV News, saying, “It’s amazing for Graham and me to sit here, having started off in our little humble Portakabin in Colchester at the age of 12 and to be here, thank you very much everybody.”
