Alex James could be forgiven for saying his 90s heyday was, well, a bit of a Blur. The bassist for the iconic Britpop group lived, in his own words, a whirlwind life of “travelling, boozing, and sha**ing”.
But nowadays things are very different for the 57-year-old who, far from the madcap behaviour of his twenties, would much rather enjoy a family fry-up at his picturesque Cotwolds farm.
Alex looks back fondly on his early years with bandmates Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon and Dave Rowntree, who made hits and headlines alongside their famed rivals Oasis “Being in a band just gave you everything you wanted,” Alex tells OK! as he reflects on the era in which Blur rose to success with hits such as Parklife and Country House.
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Now, at the rural home he shares with wife Claire Neate and their children, he makes a very different kind of Brit pop – his own brand of English sparkling wine, along with artisan cheese. Alex and Claire met at a club in Soho, London and tied the knot in 2003. Alex describes their seemingly idyllic life as the “anchor” he needed.
Over a span of more than 20 years, the pair have welcomed five children, now ranging from 15 to 21 years old. They are raising their clan on the 200-acre Oxfordshire cheese farm they bought while looking for houses on their honeymoon. They bought what they called a “sprawling ruin” on a whim, moving there from London shortly afterwards.
Alex says the country life suits him just fine. “Yeah, we bought the farm on our honeymoon. And I think actually, you know, I needed an anchor. I think family and kids do ground you. What’s hilarious when you’re 25 starts getting a bit sad when you’re my age, know what I mean?”
Bar the odd barn-storming concert, Alex focuses his attention on his farm and family, and that includes year-round planning for the acclaimed three-day festival he holds annually on his grounds.
The Big Feastival takes place over the last bank holiday in August and Alex welcomes a wholesome mix of music, Michelin-star cooking and children’s entertainment to his estate. This year marks the festival’s 15th year and Alex jokes of its creation, “I’ve made a bunch of booze and cheese and tunes and children, so a kind of family food and music festival kind of sits perfectly within my preoccupations.”
This year, Bastille, Basement Jaxx and Rudimental are on the line-up. Alex explains, “When it started, it was just like a stage for the bands, a cooking stage for the chefs and a big top for the kids stuff. But all those stages have got a lot bigger, and we’re up to about 30 stages in all now.”
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He admits the idea first came to fruition with the help of celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, after a chance pairing in a Comic Relief band that covered Westlife’s Uptown Girl, originally by Billy Joel. “Jamie and I really hit it off,” recalls Alex. “We kept in touch and then at one point he contacted me and was like, ‘Hey, you’ve got a farm. You love food. I love music. What about doing a food and music festival?’”
And that’s what happened, as they both realised there was a serious market to tap into – people who may be getting older and have families, but still want that festival experience, with a twist.
“As you get older, get married and have kids, you kind of still want to go to festivals. But you want to make sure that the kids are happy and you want nice food to eat while you’re jumping up and down to Basement Jaxx, you know?” Alex explains.
“When we started Feastival, nobody was majoring on food. I think people expect good food when they go anywhere now, actually, but I guess that’s what we really excel in, the gentle family vibe. I think when you have a family, kind of spending quality time with them becomes the most precious thing in the world.”
Kids at the festival will be entertained by Justin Fletcher, aka Mr Tumble, while the Fire Pit stage and Big Kitchen offer demonstrations of sumptuous meals.
Alex will be bringing his superb Britpop Classical to the stage following on from successful tour dates this year. But he says the concept for the show – where 90s hits are reimagined with a full orchestra – was formed entirely by mistake, after a previous Feastival headliner dropped out last minute.
Now, Britpop Classical fuses rock band energy with a symphony orchestra and guest singers for “90 minutes of hits”. “It’s amazing. Those songs seem to resonate more with people today than when they were written. They have just grown and grown,” he says.
While he admits that his lifestyle has changed, Alex confesses he simply can’t – or won’t – give up the feeling of being on stage. “I’m really enjoying Britpop Classical. And with Blur as well, why wouldn’t I want to keep playing with Graham for the rest of my life, and Damon and Dave. Long may it continue,” he says.
Putting any supposed rivalry behind him, Alex praises Oasis’ recent induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, but plays down any dream of Blur joining them.
“It was just really nice getting Blur back together in 2023 and seeing that those songs seem to have found a whole new audience. Both Blur’s music and Oasis’ music seem to mean more to more people than they ever have before.”
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Alex admits he has used his wild party days to help “tutor” his children as they grow up and reach the age he was in Blur’s heyday. “You’ve got to give them their heads. I think that the French approach to eating and drinking is the best one. Don’t guzzle, just enjoy yourself. You know, it’s a fine balance.”
And in a poignant piece of advice he continues to heed, he says he loves the quote “if you fail, fail again and fail better.” Thankfully for Alex, failing seems far from the agenda.
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