Blur bassist Alex James has said he fears the band's reunion shows next summer could fail to live up to expectation.

The band's original line up announced yesterday (December 9th) that they were to reunite for a series of dates, including a concert in London's Hyde Park next July.

Speaking about the reformation, James said: "God knows what it will sound like in the studio. Now Damon [Albarn, frontman] writes operas, Graham's [Coxon, guitarist] listening to finger-plucking folk music, Dave's [Rowntree, drummer] going to be a prime minister and I'm conducting orchestras so it's going to be weird. It could be shit.”

James, who has established a career as a cheese farmer since the band's last album, 2003's 'Think Tank', told the Mirror newspaper that drums had “started to annoy” him.

“Now I listen to violin and French horns. I have an on-going love affair with orchestras, they go well in the countryside,” he added.

The band's reunion was first muted in the Autumn after Albarn revealed he had rekindled his friendship with former guitarist Graham Coxon.

Coxon left the band in 2002 during the record sessions for 'Think Tank' to establish a solo career.

(by Jason Gregory)