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)

De La Soul Headlines The 6th Annual Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival

via the press release

Brooklyn, NY, April 29th, 2010 - Brooklyn Bodega, producers of the 6th Annual Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival (BHF), is excited to announce this year's headliner - De La Soul.

Since 1989, De La Soul (Pos, Dave and Mase) have been a cornerstone of Hip-Hop music and culture. From the groundbreaking album "3 Feet High and Rising" to "Grind Date" De La is simply one of the best to ever do it.

"To be honest, we have been trying to get De La Soul to headline the Festival since we first came up with the idea in 2005. On many levels they are the perfect flag bearers for our mission to use Hip-Hop as an agent of change. For over 20 years they have traveled the world inspiring MC's, producers, DJ's and fans alike. I can think of no better artist to usher the Festival into its new home in Brooklyn Bridge Park." - Wes Jackson, Executive Director, The Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival

In past years, the Festival has featured headliners such as Brand Nubian (2005), Big Daddy Kane (2006), Ghostface Killah (2007), KRS-ONE (2008) and Pharoahe Monch (2009). This year, De La Soul will be the anchor of the six-day-long Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival, performing on Saturday, July 10th alongside a variety of Old School, New School, Funk, Soul, local and International artists on the DUMBO waterfront.

Gorillaz With De La Soul Perform 'Feel Good' Live At Coachella Day 3

Gorillaz were one of the closers at yesterday's Coachella festival in Indio, CA. Since De La Soul played earlier in the day, it was only natural they would join the Gorillaz with 'Feels Good'.

(video courtesy of magmazing)

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)

Common and Friends Hollywood Benefit Concert Recap With Photos, Videos and Show Review

Common and Friends 'Common Ground' Benefit Concert took place at the Hollywood Palladium Saturday September 26th in Hollywood, CA.

Fan shot footage below, most good quality.













This is what Scott T. Sterling from the L.A. Times said about the Common and Friends 'Common Ground' Hollywood Benefit Show:

“I’ve been to a lot of charity events, but I’ve never seen anything like this.”

Old-school rapper Heavy D surveyed the sold-out Hollywood Palladium crowd gathered for the second annual “Common & Friends,” a star-studded affair that featured appearances from a seemingly endless cavalcade of A-list hip-hop stars to benefit Common's Common Ground charity.
The audience had already seen a series of highlights. De La Soul opened the show with a quick, high-energy set, punctuated by a surprise appearance from masked rapper MF Doom, who ferociously ripped through his verse from “Rock Co.Kane Flow.”

Black Thought and Amir “Questlove” Thompson represented for the Roots, and Ludacris ignited concertgoers with a crowd-pleasing set that culminated with “I Do It for Hip-Hop.” The latter allowed him to introduce Nas, who appears on the recorded version (video here).

Read more of the show review here:
L.A. Times - Pop & Hiss

Photos from the Red Carpet and Backstage:
Getty Images
Wire Image 1
Wire Image 2
Wire Image 3

(video courtesy of Donjuan3foo, stepz7 and moviebruin)

(show review courtesy of Scott T. Sterling of the L.A. Times)

De La Soul Performs In Toronto Video And Photos Posted

De La Soul performed at the Phoenix Theatre in Toronto, Canada
Sunday August 23.

Check out the photos here:
Star Traks Photo

(video courtesy of blackwood79)

J*DaVey and The ReBel Yell toss around ideas in the studio

Philly's own The ReBel Yell are currently working on their debut release 'Love & War'. Neo-Soul innovators J*DaVey are seen here collaborating with The ReBel Yell as they work in the studio.

In J*DaVey news, the band was recently signed to Warner Bros. and expect to see a new release from them in 2010.



'Love & War' is expected to hit stores and online August 4 on Rapster.

De La Soul: London Performance

De La Soul performed at the Camden Centre in London Thursday June 11.

De La Soul: UCLA JazzReggae festival performance posted