Last week, Britpop favourites, Blur, announced that they are coming to Sussex in May, to play an intimate gig ahead of their two massive, sell-out shows at Wembley in July.
In another piece of good news for Blur fans – an artwork by Banksy created for the band has now arrived at Enter Gallery. Here’s everything you need to know about this exciting arrival…
Think Tank
The 5th May 2023 marks the 20th anniversary of the release of Blur’s seventh studio album, Think Tank – a concept album, which Albarn stated is about “love and politics”.
The band have always been outspoken about societal issues, and the release of Think Tank was another way for them to speak out against the invasions of Afghanistan, and Iraq.
Think Tank, which was recorded in Morocco and went straight in at number one, was co-produced by Brighton legend and Enter Gallery favourite Norman Cook aka Fatboy Slim.
Enter Banksy
This rare find, which is available now at Enter Gallery, is a promotional poster for the album. It features the image used as the record cover, as well as on all promotional materials.
Fun fact – given Transport for London’s total blanket ban on all graffiti on the London Underground, the band actually ran into difficulty advertising the album because of Banksy’s design!
Also, at the time of release, Banksy received a fair bit of backlash for designing this cover, which some said constituted selling-out. Defending his decision, Banksy stated:
"I've done a few things to pay the bills, and I did the Blur album. It was a good record and [the commission was] quite a lot of money. I think that's a really important distinction to make. If it's something you actually believe in, doing something commercial doesn't turn it to shit just because it's commercial. Otherwise you've got to be a socialist rejecting capitalism altogether, because the idea that you can marry a quality product with a quality visual and be a part of that even though it's capitalistic is sometimes a contradiction you can't live with. But sometimes it's pretty symbiotic, like the Blur situation."
Over the years, the enigmatic artist’s work has appeared on a number of album covers, including records by the likes of Roots Manuva, Blak Twang and Talib Kweli. All of this album artwork is now becoming highly-collectible. Banksy’s original Think Tank artwork sold at auction in 2007 for £75,000.
While this is an unsigned promotional poster, this piece is a rare opportunity to own a work by Banksy at a much more affordable price point.
Find more information here, or contact the gallery on + (44) 1273 724829 to discuss.
