Damon Albarn has confirmed that the original members of Blur will reunite in the studio next year.

"Blur are certainly going to rehearse and see if we sound like we used to,” he told the BBC.

Speculation about the band's future has been rife since Albarn confirmed that he had recently revived his friendship with former guitarist Graham Coxon, who left the band in 2002.

The pair were also photographed together alongside Blur bassist Alex James at the London premiere of Albarn's opera, Monkey: A Journey to the West, earlier this month.

After Coxon left, Albarn, James and drummer Dave Rowntree recorded Blur's final album 'Think Tank' in 2003.

(by Jason Gregory)