Leisure - Blur

What's in a name? I'm pretty certain that Blur would not have gone on to such worldwide success if they had kept their original name 'Seymour'. I might be wrong but I just can't imagine a situation where 'Seymour' sell out Wembley Arena. I have my eyes closed and everything. Just not happening. And can you imagine a compère shouting through a stadium PA system "Ladies and gentlemen - I give you SEYMOUR". Nope - mass giggles would've surely been the result.

But Blur aren't the first band to go through a name change - pop history is littered with bands that changed their moniker and went on to great things, narrowly missing being consigned to the bargain bin of the rock world. Here are a few;

• The Obelisk - sounds like a prog-rock nightmare and a band you would go out of your way to avoid. Became The Cure.
• The Rain - a damp squib of a name but quite apt as the band came from Manchester. Became better know as Oasis.
• Hype - Not a great claim for a band starting out in the rock world. Might as well have been called 'Too Big For Their Boots'. Changed name to U2 and world domination assured. Hype returned later.
• On A Friday - At bit abstract that one and begs the question On a Friday what?. Later became known as Radiohead and became even more abstract. Tsschhh!
• Twisted Kites - can't imaging 'Lifes Rich Pageant' or 'Automatic For The People' by the Twisted Kites selling very many records.
• Composition of Sound - Oh dear! Sounds very self absorbed. Depeche Mode is much better.
• 'Johnny and the Self Abusers' - Not a name that was going to sit well with the Radio 2 brigade so a change to Simple Minds was a smart move. 

So Seymour became Blur and they proved that modern life wasn't rubbish, just their original name was. I first came across Blur when their single 'She's So High' appeared on Juke Box Jury on the BBC. I loved it but was surprised when Jonathan Ross mauled it on the show. I thought he was supposed to be cool and knowing. After buying that record and the two following singles; the far superior 'There's No Other Way' and 'Bang', there was never any doubt that I would by their debut album. It is fair to say that it's not a perfect album - it definitely sounds like they were short on ideas - but there are some killer tunes on there. 

Me and NR have saw them several times before they split in 2003 but the most memorable has to be at Middlesbrough Town Hall in 1990. Hard to believe that within three years they would be selling out stadiums. They definitely wouldn't if they'd still been called 'Seymour'. So what's in a name? Everything!