Graham Coxon has been talking to the Sun about his new/old album and his songwriting heroes.
The album in question is Castle Park. There are, of course, numerous Castle Parks around the globe – in California, Doncaster and Bristol to name but three – but the one Coxon’s album is named after is in Colchester and was a regular haunt of the Blur guitarist during his teenage years.
“There were a few occasions when me and a group of friends would stay in the park rather too long, get locked in and have to climb over the fence,” he recalls. “I remember being slightly inebriated and dancing around the bandstand - and then, of course, there was the statue.”
He's referring to the bronze Angel Of Victory which stands at the southern entrance to the park. “I had some dangerous moments when I climbed up and gave that statue a kiss,” he says. “I used to do it regularly - she was very beautiful.”
The album has been residing in the Coxon vault for well over a decade. It was originally recorded around 2011, but got postponed after a burst of fresh Blur activity during 2012: “I’m really not sure what happened. Maybe it was lack of confidence. Maybe I thought these songs weren’t fashionable and who would give a sh*t?” Fans though got wind of its existence and would often ask him about it. “They even knew the name of the album,” he says.
The interview briefly alights on Coxon’s influences, which close followers of his work will know all about: “Ray Davies is the best songwriter we ever had, followed closely by Paul McCartney, and The Jam was a huge band for me. I thought that being a Jam fan elevated me as a person.”
With Blur on the back burner once more after their 2023 album Ballad Of Darren, the guitarist’s main gig these days is as one half of The Waeve, with his partner Rose-Elinor Dougall. They’re working on a third album at the moment that Coxon promises will be “a lot less hard-edged” than their 2024 effort City Lights.
“It’s more floaty and summery,” he reveals. “Lyrically, there’s a lot more affection. Rose and I go through life together and, sometimes, saying things in lyrics is the nicest way to show affection away from our normal hectic lives.”
In the meantime, Castle Park is out next week via Transgressive and Coxon has got some solo UK dates lined for November. There’s more information at www.grahamcoxon.co.uk
