Gorillaz come out of the cage for a new generation
By Peter Wilkinson, CNN
London (CNN) — “It’s been a very long time since this record,” Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn reminisces, while performing the once-virtual band’s eponymous debut album in its entirety for the first time in London. “Some of you weren’t born … and all that bollocks.”
It’s a rare and almost embarrassed moment of onstage nostalgia for Albarn as he steps back to the turn of the millennium, when the band’s first album became a worldwide hit.
The success of that record — featuring established stars like Del Tha Funky Homosapien and Tina Weymouth from Talking Heads — turned Gorillaz into the “most successful virtual band,” according to the Guinness Book of World Records. Initially, Albarn and a backing band performed around the world from behind screens on which artist Jamie Hewlett’s distinctive films and graphics were projected.
Eventually, the humans behind Gorillaz emerged into view, and in later concerts, the band included well-known musicians like Mick Jones and Paul Simonon of The Clash, and artists with whom Albarn collaborated, such as Bobbie Womack, Snoop Dogg and Robert Smith, made guest appearances on stage.
This time, Albarn dials down the rock superstar persona that he often revels in at gigs with his other band, Blur. There’s less banter between the songs than usual, but there’s no doubting his commitment, with the audience in the relatively intimate Copper Box Arena treated to superb performances of the eclectic mix of songs that make up the first album, including the hit singles “Clint Eastwood,” “19-2000” and “Rock the House.”
Although the band has not retreated behind the screen, it’s a slightly lower-key experience than some Gorillaz shows of recent years, with no guest contributions — but it’s none the worse for that. The music and the graphics are the stars.
An exception, and one of the night’s highlights, was the song “Latin Simone,” a collaboration with Ibrahim Ferrer, the Cuban singer who died 20 years ago. Ferrer’s voice is mixed skilfully into the live performance, as film of the “Buena Vista Social Club” singer appears on screen. Albarn gives a poignant tribute to the artist, who like many of those who’ve appeared on Gorillaz recordings, is no longer with us.
Other gigs featuring later albums in full and other material, along with an immersive exhibition in London’s Olympic Park showcasing 25 years of the band, are giving the generation who weren’t born when the album was released a chance to soak up the Gorillaz experience. And with Albarn’s prolific output, these young fans will be hoping that his new material sounds as fresh as his genre-busting first album.
The-CNN-Wire
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