What have Blur been up to?

Back in the 1990s: Blur achieved huge success at Britpop's peak

Blur have announced they are to play a huge show at London's Hyde Park next summer.

It will be the first time Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James and Dave Rowntree will have played together in public since 2000.

Graham Coxon left the band to pursue a solo career in 2002 and since the release of 2003's Think Tank album, the band members have kept themselves busy with various projects.

Here is a round-up of what the group have been up to since their hiatus.

DAMON ALBARN

Albarn's opera Monkey: Journey to the West is currently in London

Blur frontman Damon Albarn has been heavily involved with his side projects The Good, The Bad And The Queen and Africa Express.

He is currently working on a new album with his other band, Gorillaz.

Albarn has also brought his opera Monkey: Journey to the West back to London after it enjoyed success at the Royal Opera House over the summer.

The show, performed entirely in Mandarin, is currently at London's O2 until early January.

ALEX JAMES

Alex James lives on a cheese farm in Oxfordshire

Bassist Alex James is currently hosting a show on Classic FM and has expanded his family, welcoming four children to the family cheese farm in Oxfordshire since 2004.

Since Blur's hiatus, he has co-written songs and played bass for both Sophie Ellis Bextor and Marianne Faithfull.

James also appeared on the BBC Two reality TV contest Maestro but was voted out in the fourth show.

He writes for a number of newspapers and magazines and an autobiography on his Blur days was released last year.

GRAHAM COXON

Coxon has released three studio albums since 2002

Guitarist Graham Coxon left the band in 2002 following tension between him and frontman Albarn.

He has released several solo studio albums, the most recent being Love Travels at Illegal Speeds in March 2006.

Coxon announced in February this year in a magazine interview that he was working on a new studio album.

But in July he said on his website forum that he had been dropped by record label EMI. A release date has yet to be set.

DAVE ROWNTREE

Rowntree is a keen political activist

Drummer Dave Rowntree has been studying to be a barrister since 2006.

A keen political activist, he lost his bid to become a Labour councillor in a City of Westminster by-election in July 2008.

It was his second bid for political office after coming third in another by-election in 2007.

He has since been selected as the Labour candidate to contest the Cities of London & Westminster constituency in the next general election.