“The guest appearances from Bobby Womack, De La Soul, the Clash’s Mick Jones and Paul Simonon, and more were all real. Not that Albarn really needed any help commanding attention. He sang with real soul and exhibited boundless energy… This, ladies and gentlemen, was pop spectacle done right.”–ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
“The evolving band-art project — that originally began as a partnership between Blur’s Damon Albarn and comics artist Jamie Hewlett — was at its most expansive at Coachella. Albarn acted as a composer and a conjurer, directing a mini symphony and waving his arms to inspire flashes of synthesized and electronic sounds. The Gorillaz — aided by Mick Jones and Paul Simonon, anchors of what was once one of England’s most ambitious bands, the Clash — were, in many ways, the most perfect of Coachella bands.”–LOS ANGELES TIMES
“Gorillaz, the multi-media music project helmed by former Blur front man Damon Albarn and Tank Girl co-creator Jamie Hewlett, is the most intriguing, and perhaps one of the most important, music groups to emerge from the ’00s. Nowhere was that more obvious than Sunday night at Coachella, when Gorillaz sucked the crowd from virtually every other portion of Empire Polo Field for a rousing conclusion to the festival.”–LA WEEKLY
(New York NY—April 22) Having closed Indio CA’s Coachella festival with the most visually and musically ambitious performance of the three-day festival, Gorillaz have now set their sites on The Colbert Report. The same lineup that slayed the 75,000-strong crowd at the desert fest’s closing night—with Damon Albarn’s vocals and Jamie Hewlett’s visuals joined by Mick Jones and Paul Simonon of The Clash, Bobby Womack and many more—will make its U.S. TV debut tonight on the Comedy Central mainstay (check local listings).
Despite their being dismissed by Gorillaz animated bass player and leader Murdoc Niccals as mere flesh and blood hired hands performing the music of the most popular cartoon band of all time, the first live Gorillaz extravaganza to hit American shores since 2006’ Demon Days Live has generated uniformly rave reviews. The Coachella set followed in the wake of third album Plastic Beach’s #2 U.S. debut—a career peak for the band whose previous two records have exceeded combined worldwide sales of 12 million copies—and the record-breaking premiere of the genius “Stylo” video.
Gorillaz will round out this most eventful month with shows April 29 and 30 at the Roundhouse in London, both of which sold out instantly. The UK shows—the first Gorillaz have played in London since 2001–will be documented across MTV’s World Stage Network, with some tracks streamed live via MTV sites worldwide, as well as on Gorillaz.com and the Gorillaz Facebook page.
“I am quite literally holding my breath until I walk out on stage at the Roundhouse,” Commented Murdoc Niccals. “It’s hosted some legendary gigs – The Clash, The Doors and my own personal favourite, The Greasy Truckers Party. With my deep, dark basslines poured all over them this gig is going to melt your brain. Watch out Goth girls of Camden – IT’S GOING TO BE LOUD!!!”
For up to the minute Gorillaz news, check back regularly at http://gorillaz.com, follow Murdoc Niccals at www.twitter.com/murdocgorillaz, or check out the Gorillaz YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/gorillaz