For a fairly brief, surreal period of my life, I felt like I was living in an episode of Stella Street. For those who don't know, Stella Street was a brilliant BBC sitcom where musicians and celebrities lived on the same suburban street, going about their mundane, everyday business.

I'd walk into Sainsbury's in the morning and see Amy Winehouse still on a night out, or I'd be standing directly behind Bill Nighy while I was buying my broccoli. Or sitting in an, otherwise completely empty internet cafe that was occupied by no one except Rhys Ifans. Or going to the local pub and seeing Pete Doherty, Kelly Osbourne, Noel Fielding and Amy Winehouse (again).

But out of all these surreal encounters, the one that stands out the most was walking into the corner shop and bumping into Graham Coxon. Whenever I saw Graham, he always looked absolutely terrified to me.

He had the distinct look of a man who constantly feared I was going to corner him by the biscuits and start singing Parklife right into his face.

There was no need to be fearful, though.

If I had a bit more confidence back then, I wouldn't have sung Parklife, I would have sung Freakin' Out into his face instead.

Freakin Out by Graham Coxon

Graham is responsible for some of my favourite guitar riffs of all time, Popscene, Song 2, or Freakin Out.

It was a strange privilege occupying the same geographic area as him for a while, and I was even lucky enough to see him perform just down the road.

He wrote these riffs like he didn't really want to, or wasn't that bothered that he could do it. It is incredibly annoying when someone is so effortlessly good that they barely seem to break a sweat while churning out pure genius.

His solo career is nothing short of prolific, releasing a mountain of music since 1998, playing almost all the instruments himself, designing his own album art, and scoring soundtracks. He has never really stopped, right up to his 2026 album release, Castle Park. But I will be honest, a lot of his solo stuff mainly didn't sit right with me. I am a sucker for something catchy, and his solo discography often leans a bit too heavily into the experimental for my personal taste.

Freakin' Out is the exception to that rule. It bridges the gap between his noisy, indie-rock sensibilities and a proper riff.

Saying all this. As much as I respect their individual side projects and undeniable talents, I prefer Blur to just be Blur. I don't want cartoon based music from Damon. I don't want artisanal cheese or champagne lifestyles from Alex. And as much as I respect Graham's solo artistry, I prefer his guitar work. They are at their absolute best when the four of them are in a room together, making proper, brilliant guitar music.

And if I ever see him in the corner shop again, I will definitely continue to just let him buy his milk in peace.