Britpop legends Blur may be in the throes of making a comeback — currently playing intimate warm-up gigs in London and gearing up for their headlining slots in Hyde Park and at Glastonbury — but bassist Alex James is clearly a multi-tasker.
James has joined forces with singer Bernard Sumner, drummer Stephen Morris, and guitarist Phil Cunningham, all formerly of seminal ’80s New Wave outfit New Order, to form new band Bad Lieutenant.
The collective have recorded an album which is due out in the fall.
Sumner described the sonic effect of having three guitarists in the same band as “pretty guitary,” adding, “I’m very proud of it, it’s a very good album.” [via BBC Newsbeat]
He also revealed that the band will begin touring later this year.
Bad Lieutenant formed in the wake of New Order’s split in 2007, which was triggered by a public bust-up between bassist Peter Hook and the rest of the band.
“We split into two factions, there’s me, Steve and Phil. The other is Peter Hook,” said Sumner. “Basically he left the band, that’s all I want to say about it.”
It’s understandable that Sumner doesn’t want to rehash the bitter details. He’s been through a lot-especially when you consider that even New Order had a painful beginning, having formed from the remnants of Joy Division in the wake of frontman Ian Curtis’ suicide.
But thankfully, when Sumner is ready to go to those darker emotional places, new bandmate Alex James will be the perfect person to consult-having helped to mend the wounds of his own recently-reunited crew. And by the time that happens, James will likely have stopped crying too.
