Live Review: Blur, Jamie T

British singer-songwriter Jamie T walked a fine line between passion and aggression in the delivery of his songs. If You Got The Money, with its mouthy narrative, got the crowd going but his best was the closing Zombie, which exchanged the somewhat limited variation in his other more abrasive songs for a much dancier edge.

As one of the big two of the 1990s Britpop era, a Blur show these days could easily be an aging band reliving past glories while taking most of their audience in spirit back to pre-kids-and-mortgaged-home days for a little under two hours. But this year's unexpected The Magic Whip album is as good as anything they've recorded and as it received a deserved large share of the setlist the band hit just the right balance of nostalgia and 'the now' to show they're still relevant. As a band who have always played around with their sound anyway those new songs slotted into the set with ease, particularly the pop and sentiment of Lonesome Street, which sounded like a classic already. Inevitably the old songs got the biggest response, though. The heavy, tense groove and carefree chorus of Beetlebum, together with a massive instrumental finish, was a highlight. The riotus Parklife and short sonic blast of Song 2 exploded with energy. The more reserved This Is A Low was utterly triumphant despite its melancholy.

Throughout, frontman Damon Albarn appeared more jovial than his oft arrogant air in the past and maintained a strong rapport with the crowd, particularly with the frequent touching of hands for those in the front row. "So, 18 years," he quipped early on in reference to the last time Blur played in Sydney. Now with that original line-up together again, and despite jetlag, they sure made up for it.