Short answers, pulled from the story.
Blur formed in December 1988 in London when bassist Alex James joined Damon Albarn's band, which was then called Circus before being renamed Seymour. The group changed its name to Blur after Food Records signed them in March 1990.
In 1995, Blur and Oasis released new singles on the same day to compete for the top spot on the UK singles chart. Blur's "Country House" outsold Oasis' "Roll With It" by 274,000 copies to 216,000, giving Blur their first number one single. The event was dubbed "the Battle of Britpop" and attracted widespread media coverage, including an appearance by Damon Albarn on the News at Ten.
Coxon left Blur during sessions for Think Tank in 2002. He had developed a drinking problem and experienced anxiety and depression linked to the business side of the music industry. He said there were no rows, describing it as a mutual recognition that the band needed time apart.
"Song 2", the second single from Blur's 1997 self-titled album, reached number six on the Billboard Modern Rock chart and remained on that chart for 26 weeks. It became the most recognisable Blur song in the United States after being licensed for use in soundtracks, advertisements, television shows, and the video game FIFA: Road to World Cup 98.
Blur released six consecutive UK number one albums beginning with Parklife in 1994. The streak continued through The Great Escape (1995), Blur (1997), 13 (1999), Think Tank (2003), and The Magic Whip (2015).
The Magic Whip is Blur's eighth studio album, released in April 2015. It was conceived over five days in Hong Kong following a cancelled Japan tour in 2013. It was Blur's first studio album in twelve years and peaked at number 24 on the US Billboard 200, their highest-charting album in the United States.