Alex James "doesn't hear from" his Blur bandmates when they're not working together

He told Britain's HELLO! magazine: "It's like a marriage, and all marriages need some kind of success outside of the relationship in order to thrive.

"I literally don't hear from them because we're all so consumed by our own lives, and that's absolutely fine."

Last year saw Blur reunite for their first shows in eight years and a ninth studio album, 'The Ballad of Darren', but despite the passing of time, Alex insisted nothing felt different.

Hailing the gigs "the best we've ever done", he said: "From the first rehearsals we clicked, musically, straight away.

"It's such a precious thing, a group of people playing music together since they were kids."

And the 'Beetlebum' hitmaker admitted the sporadic nature of Blur's performances means it never feels "a drudge".

He said: "Since Claire and I got married, Blur have probably done three or four dozen shows together, so it's never become a point when it's a drudge. It's a wonderful feeling, like riding a bike downhill."

While Blur's reunion gigs gave Alex - who has Geronimo, 20, 18-year-old twins Artemas and Galileo, 15-year-old Sable and 14-year-old Beatrix with Claire - the chance to feel like a "cool dad", his older sons weren't impressed by the band's performance at the legendary Coachella festival in California.

He explained: "It's the biggest festival on the planet and a wonderful event.

"Beatrix was having the time of her life. But the boys, who are older, were a bit indignant.

"Teenagers approach a festival in the UK like a three-day bender - they get stuck into the booze and go bats***.

"Whereas Coachella isn't that over-the-top, in the trenches, and they don't really do camping in America."