Blur are an English rock group, formed in London during 1988, by singer/keyboardist Damon Albarn, guitarist/singer Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree, their debut album Leisure (1991) incorporating the sounds of Madchester and shoegazing. After a stylistic change influenced by English guitar pop groups including the Kinks, the Beatles and XTC, Blur released Modern Life Is Rubbish (1993), Parklife (1994) and The Great Escape (1995). The band was central to the Britpop music and culture movement, becoming highly popular in the UK, helped by a chart battle with rivals Oasis during 1995, dubbed the "Battle of Britpop."