Blur reveal warm-up concert plan

Blur have not released an album since Think Tank in 2003

Britpop band Blur have revealed they will play a series of warm-up concerts ahead of their reunion gig in London's Hyde Park next summer.

"You can't walk on stage at Hyde Park without putting the hours in," singer Damon Albarn told Absolute Radio.

"Personally, I'd like to go and visit some places that were really important to us when we were growing up."

Speculation is mounting that Blur will perform at the Glastonbury Festival prior to their 3 July London concert.

Bookmakers Paddy Power have made the four-piece 11/8 favourites to be one of the headliners at the June event.

'More focused'

No details about the proposed concerts have been revealed, although Albarn was happy to field suggestions.

Potential locations mooted included Wolverhampton and the band's home county of Essex.

In a separate interview with Radio 1's Zane Lowe, the singer admitted the prospect of playing as a four-piece for the first time in nine years was "terrifying".

"We haven't even thought - any of us - on that scale for a long time," he said.

However, Albarn said spending nearly a decade on individual projects would enable them to come back refreshed.

"We've gone and done our own thing for a while and hopefully now we're going to come back and be more focused."