Gorillaz With Mos Def Live In London, UK + Concert Review, Video, Photos and Set List

via NME

Gorillaz made their live return to the UK (Thursday, April 29), joined onstage in London by a host of guests from across their three albums.

Despite the global nature of their collaborations, Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett were able to recruit the likes of Bobby Womack, De La Soul, Shaun Ryder and Super Furry Animals' Gruff Rhys to Camden's Roundhouse.

Taking to the stage to the intro to this year's 'Plastic Beach', accompanied by a series of Jamie Hewlett's visuals, which paced the whole show, the Gorillaz band - including The Clash's Mick Jones & Paul Simonon, both sporting sailors hats, on guitar and bass - were joined by strings (also in nautical attire) and backing singers as they kicked off with 'Welcome To The World Of The Plastic Beach', with Snoop Dogg's rap delivered via a specially commissioned video.

Albarn, who began the gig on keyboards, then took centre stage, leading vocals on the 'Demon Days' track 'Last Living Souls', before returning to the back of the stage for 'O Green World' and then taking up a guitar for 'On Melancholy Hill'.



The collective then introduced their first guests of the night, as Mos Def and Womack took to the stage to loud applause for 'Stylo'.

Afterwards, Albarn was back throwing himself about for 'Rhinestone Eyes', then after chilling out on 'Broken', he was then joined by Little Dragon's Yukimi Nagano for 'Empire Ants'.

Bootie Brown then made an appearance rapping on 'Dirty Harry', before the Syrian National Orchestra were brought out for 'White Flag' with Kano and Bashy supplying vocals after an extended intro.

De La Soul then made their first appearance of the night, sharing the stage with Gruff Rhys for 'Superfast Jellyfish', they were followed by Shaun Ryder and the 'real life' Noodle, singer Rosie Wilson for a crowd pleasing version of 'Dare'.

'Glitter Freeze' was performed next without The Fall's Mark E Smith - though he is expected for the gig at the same venue tomorrow - while after 'El Mañana', soul legend Womack returned for a moving rendition of 'Cloud Of Unknowning', which he ended by thanking the crowd, the first person to speak during the gig.

Briefly leaving the stage, Gorillaz returned with Mos Def kicking of the encore on a pounding version of 'Sweepstakes'.



Little Dragon's Nagano was then back to duet with Albarn on 'To Binge', while De La Soul were out in force for a riotous version of 'Feel Good Inc'.

The group then rounded the show off with a bass heavy version of first album track and former single 'Clint Eastwood', waving to the crowd as they left the stage after the song's climax.

Gorillaz played:

'Orchestra Intro'
'Welcome To The World Of The Plastic Beach'
'Last Living Souls'
'O Green World'
'On Melancholy Hill'
'Kids With Guns'
'Stylo'
'Rhinestone Eyes'
'Broken'
'Empire Ants'
'Dirty Harry'
'White Flag'
'Superfast Jellyfish'
'Dare'
'Glitter Freeze'
'El Mañana'
'Cloud Of Unknowing'
'Sweepstakes'
'To Binge'
'Feel Good Inc'
'Clint Eastwood'

Photo links:
Wire Image
Rex Features

(video courtesy of alistairburns)

Gorillaz - 'Stylo' ft. Mos Def & Bobby Womack (video) + L.A. Times Story About

One of the first sounds heard on the new Gorillaz album, due March 9, is the relaxed drawl of Snoop Dogg. "Welcome to the world of the plastic beach," the rapper sings, referencing the album's title ("Plastic Beach") and greeting the listener with Blaxploitation-era brass notes and jazzed-up hip-hop beats.

It's at once familiar but far from routine, as notes are stretched and digitzed while the animated band, led be Blur's Damon Albarn, harmonizes behind Snoop Doog's fairy-tale-referencing lyrics. "It's like Wonderland," he sings, as the band relaxes into a trance-inducing groove of hip-hop and vintage soul.

The video for the first single, "Stylo," is a bit more violent, albeit featuring a similar psychedelic mix of old-school sounds. Actor Bruce Willis makes a cameo, chasing the cartoon desperadoes around a "Smokey and the Bandit"-like setting. Sadly, it is not embeddable (sigh), as EMI-released content is still shamefully sparse on Vevo, but we can show you a teaser below (video above).

At the very least, here's hoping that this is inducive of the kind of video content the act is kicking up for its Coachella appearance. The mix of noirish live action and animation not only cures this writer's need for a "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" fix, but it also will look great when screened over the desert landscape. (source)

Gorillaz 'Plastic Beach' Album Preview

courtesy of NPR



01. Orchestral Intro
02. Welcome To The World Of The Plastic Beach ft. Snoop Dogg and Hypnotic Brass Ensemble
03. White Flag ft. Kano & Bashy
04. Rhinestone Eyes
05. Stylo ft. Bobby Womack and Mos Def
06. Superfast Jellyfish ft. Gruff Rhys and De La Soul
07. Empire Ants ft. Little Dragon
08. Glitter Freeze ft. Mark E Smith
09. Some Kind Of Nature ft. Lou Reed
10. On Melancholy Hill
11. Broken
12. Sweepstakes ft. Mos Def & Hypnotic Brass Ensemble
13. Plastic Beach ft. Mick Jones & Paul Simonon
14. To Binge ft. Little Dragon
15. Cloud Of Unknowing ft. Bobby Womack
16. Pirate Jet

Gorillaz - 'Plastic Beach' on Virgin Records in-stores and online March 9.

Gorillaz: Telegraph UK Newspaper Gives 'Plastic Beach' 5 Star Album Review

Their official Facebook page may list Essex as Gorillaz’ HQ, but this action- packed concept album finds the cartoon band on an isolated island constructed entirely of consumer detritus and exploring the melancholy beauty of mankind’s interaction with the natural world. It’s a great metaphor for the playful way Damon Albarn has built up the Gorillaz’ danceably eclectic sound from offcuts of hip hop, funk, alternative rock, pop, world and electronica. He doesn’t steal, borrow or lazily recycle from other genres. He lovingly salvages the things they’ve left behind, like a hip, 21st century Womble.

And the shiny, platinum-selling pop songs he assembles from this musical bric-a-brac have attracted a deliciously disparate collective of artists to Plastic Beach.

The album opens with a warm wash of oceanic strings, before hitting a shore of hard, dissonant brass notes – powerfully reminiscent of that sinister old Open University theme music. Then the hip hop beat drops in to the bark of Plastic Beach’s first celebrity inhabitant. Snoop Doggy Dogg greets us like a guard dog pacing back and forth on the island’s perimeter, while Albarn’s distorted voice hovers above like a melodic military drone. From there the seductive rat-a-tat tabla, flute and strings of the Lebanese National Orchestra lures us into the arms of London grime rappers Bashy and Kano, who prepare us to meet some big names along the road.

For the kids, this record will be like hearing a coolly remixed version of their parents’ iPods on shuffle. Albarn’s scavenged up Eighties soul sweater Bobby Womack, the Clash’s Mick Jones and Paul Simonon, hip hop grandmasters De La Soul and narky post-punker Mark E Smith.

Plastic Beach’s finest moment comes when laconic ol’ Lou Reed slouches in for the transcendent Some Kind of Nature. He’s beachcombing for “some kind of majesty/some chemical low/some kind of metal made from glue/some kind of plastic I can wrap around you” while Albarn’s brine-brimming, manga-eyed falsetto reminds him that “all we are/is stars”.

All that Eastern philosophy Albarn read while writing Monkey – Journey to the West must have rubbed off – Plastic Beach plays out like the Tao of 2010. (source)

Gorillaz - 'Plastic Beach' Album Artwork & Tracklist Posted Online

via the press release

New Album Out March 9; First Single "Stylo" Available January 26;
April 18 Coachella Headline Slot Confirmed

Plastic Beach the new album from Gorillaz, will be released by Virgin on March 9, 2010.

The album is preceded by first single Stylo (featuring Mos Def and Bobby Womack) which will receive its radio broadcast premiere tonight and will be available for download on January 26.

Confirming "Stylo," Murdoc Niccals twittered, "A leak! A leak! Plastic Beach has sprung a leak! One of those Russian pirates has put a bullet hole in my island! My single's leaked! STYLO!"

Five years on from the release of Demon Days, Murdoc Niccals and co. return with Plastic Beach. The band have taken up residence, recording on a secret floating island deep in the South Pacific, a Plastic Beach HQ, made up of the detritus, debris and washed up remnants of humanity. This Plastic Beach is the furthest point from any landmass on Earth; the most deserted spot on the planet.

The world's biggest animated band, Gorillaz formed in 1998, and have since sold 12 million copies over two albums Gorillaz (2000) and Demon Days (2005). They have hit number 1 in more than a dozen countries and picked up awards including Grammys, Novellos, VMAs and EMAs.

The Gorillaz' return will be marked by a headline appearance at this year's Coachella festival. The Sunday April 18 performance will be the first Gorillaz live spectacle on U.S. soil since the awe-inspiring Demon Days Live run in April 2006 at New York's Apollo Theater.

01. Orchestral Intro
02. Welcome To The World Of The Plastic Beach ft. Snoop Dogg and Hypnotic Brass Ensemble
03. White Flag ft. Kano & Bashy
04. Rhinestone Eyes
05. Stylo ft. Bobby Womack and Mos Def
06. Superfast Jellyfish ft. Gruff Rhys and De La Soul
07. Empire Ants ft. Little Dragon
08. Glitter Freeze ft. Mark E Smith
09. Some Kind Of Nature ft. Lou Reed
10. On Melancholy Hill
11. Broken
12. Sweepstakes ft. Mos Def & Hypnotic Brass Ensemble
13. Plastic Beach ft. Mick Jones & Paul Simonon
14. To Binge ft. Little Dragon
15. Cloud Of Unknowing ft. Bobby Womack
16. Pirate Jet

Gorillaz - 'Plastic Beach' on Virgin Records in-stores and online March 9.