Hot off of the back of releasing their best album in the last two decades, “virtual outfit” Gorillaz are celebrating its release with an expansive UK wide arena tour culminating this summer in a huge gig at Tottenham Hotspur’s stadium. Given how quickly these tickets flew out, it’s clear to see that the project created by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett over 25 years ago have never been more popular. This is highlighted by the fact that an extremely large portion of the crowd that are in Cardiff this evening weren’t even born during that time. Maybe I’ve been living under a rock for the past couple of years but I was unaware of the reach and the appeal that the band had particularly with the youth.
For me personally it was the ninth and latest album “The Mountain” which drew me back into their animated world again; a sprawling epic which deals with themes of loss and love and worms its way into your ears with tunes that you can’t get out of your head for weeks on end. This tour is a celebration of it and as the curtains draw on stage we are treated to Hewitt’s distinctive animation on the back screens as the Indian flute to the album’s opening rings out in the arena. It’s a beautiful and luscious opening one can just get swept up in, like sinking into a large beanbag chair. All of the animated band members are greeted with huge cheers as they appear on screen; just as if they were a touring boy band.
Proceedings start off with the album highlight “The Happy Dictator” which is the perfect blend of what you would hope a Gorillaz and Sparks collaboration would be and within its live setting these songs are given even more life to breathe. It’s followed up with “Tranz” with it’s groovy upbeat feeling and is the first chance for those in the crowd to have a dance along. We then get a 1-2 hit from their debut album firstly with “Tomorrow Comes Today” which feels foreboding as its baseline runs through its veins. But then in start contrast we get “19/2000” which allows Albarn to act almost like a child again as he screams along the front row for the first of many times in the evening. The production throughout the entire show is second to none, from the musicianship of all on stage, to the sound quality, to the movies and everything else in between. You feel as though you are getting every penny’s worth of your ticket.
Over the years it feels as though “On Melancholy Hill” has become somewhat of an anthem of theirs as the screams ring out during its opening. You can see the smile on Albarn’s face from the back of the arena as several thousand in the arena sing back its iconic key tones. It wouldn’t be a Gorillaz show without an collaborations and it almost seems sacrilege to not come to Wales and bring out one of its finest music exports. So with “no introduction needed”; Wales’ own Gruff Rhys along with Pos from De La Soul come on stage to one of the biggest reactions of the night with “Superfast Jellyfish”. A clear fan favourite and somewhat of a rarity in their live shows; it’s a joyous couple of minutes and definitely one of the highlights of the night.
“Andromeda” sees Damon back in the crowds again and it feels somewhat strange seeing teenage girls crying their eyes out as he walks past; reminiscent of what happened 30 odd years ago during Brit Pop at its peak. He even finds the time to sign a couple of albums along his journey! When it was initially released, there was something about Plastic Beach’s “Stylo” which didn’t quite sit right with me, however in this setting it feels like a completely different beast. Yasiin Bey gets to spit bars on stage as the late Bobby Womack blares out on the screens and it all feels incredibly vital. The same came be said with “Dirty Harry”; the juxtaposition of that light-hearted choir at the beginning mirrored with Bootie Brown’s intense rapping in the second half of the song is a wonderful moment. It feels like a firework has been popped under your seat and sparks are flying off everywhere.
From the energetic to the calm, we travel back to “The Mountain” with another appearance from Gruff during “The Shadowy Light” before closing things off with “The Sad God”. It allows for a moment of respite and reflection part of the core themes within the album and feels the end of a chapter and a journey from where we started over an hour ago. But things aren’t quite finished yet with an encore which begins with “The Hardest Thing/Orange County”; yet another pair of songs that are so infectious in getting stuck into your head in the best possible way.
It’s then followed by banger after banger; the first of which is “The Manifesto” along with support act Trueno who set the tone of the evening from the off. One of the best songs off of the latest record; it’s a seven minute epic which encompasses everything great about the band; mixing together a variety of genres and cultures into a tightly compressed packaged full of energy and soul. As soon as that iconic maniacal laugh rings out over the PA, we are already playing that bassline to “Feel Good Inc.” in our heads. Thankfully it doesn’t disappoint as Pos returns to the stage again to get everybody vamped up and give every last ounce of energy that they have.
Everything culminates to a song which recently celebrated its 25th anniversary, which is hard to believe. There’s a playful element to the start of it as Albarn plays his mouth keyboard in competition with the flautist. In all of these years of performing, there’s something about him which just feels effortless and just adds to his appeal and charm. You’ll be hard pressed to find somebody who has never heard “Clint Eastwood” such is the grip that song has had over time. It feels like the perfect way to end what has been a captivating show, but there’s one final surprise as Sweetie Irie bursts onto the stage to extract every last ounce of energy from the crowd during its remix which just keeps building and building. Arms are aloft and there isn’t a person in the room who isn’t dancing along.
Tonight has felt pretty special as whilst the new album has managed to recapture my love of the band; it’s by seeing everything in a live environment which has just solidified it all. It’s been fascinating to see how beloved they are by people of all ages and surprising to see those who seem incredibly young witness their favourite band at the peak of their powers.
Images: Will Bailey