Gorillaz is a English
virtual bandA virtual band , in music, is any group whose members are not corporeal musicians, but animated characters...
created in 1998 by
Damon AlbarnDamon Albarn , is a Grammy Award-winning English singer-songwriter and record producer. He has been involved in many high profile projects and collaborations throughout his career...
of
BritpopBritpop is a subgenre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom. Britpop emerged from the British independent music scene of the early 1990s and was characterised by bands influenced by British guitar pop music of the 1960s and 1970s...
band
BlurBlur are an English alternative rock band. Formed in London in 1989 as Seymour, the group consists of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Blur's debut album Leisure incorporated the sounds of Madchester and shoegazing...
, and
Jamie HewlettJamie Christopher Hewlett is an English comic book artist and designer. He is best known for being the co-creator of the comic strip Tank Girl and co-creator of the band Gorillaz.-Biography:...
, co-creator of the
comic bookA comic book is a magazine made up of narrative artwork, often accompanied by dialog and often including brief descriptive prose...
Tank GirlTank Girl is a British comic created by Jamie Hewlett and Alan Martin. Originally drawn by Jamie Hewlett, the strip is currently drawn by Rufus Dayglo, Ashley Wood, and Mike McMahon....
. The band is composed of four animated band members:
2DStuart Pot , better known by his stage name: 2D or simply spelled as 2-D, is a fictional member of the animated band Gorillaz. He performs the lead vocals and plays the keyboard for the band...
(
vocalsThe lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. Lead vocalists may also play one or more instruments...
,
keyboardA keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include various types of organs as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
), Murdoc (
bass guitarThe electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum....
),
NoodleNoodle is a fictional member of the virtual band Gorillaz. She provides the guitar as well as some main and backing vocals for the band...
(
lead guitarA lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, and guitar solos within a song structure.In rock, heavy metal, blues, jazz and fusion bands and some pop contexts as well as others, the lead guitar lines are usually supported by a second guitarist who plays...
and occasional vocals) and
RusselRussel Hobbs is a fictional member of the virtual band Gorillaz. He provides the drums for the band. He, like all other Gorillaz members, was created by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett.- Character History :...
(
drumsA drum set is a collection of drums, cymbals and sometimes other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person . The term "drum kit" first became used in the 1700s in Britain...
and
percussionA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound by being hit with an implement, shaken, rubbed, scraped, or by any other action which sets the object into vibration...
). The band's music is a collaboration between various musicians; Albarn being the only permanent musical contributor. Their style is broadly alternative rock, but with a large number of other influences including:
britpopBritpop is a subgenre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom. Britpop emerged from the British independent music scene of the early 1990s and was characterised by bands influenced by British guitar pop music of the 1960s and 1970s...
,
dubDub is an instrumental subgenre of reggae music, that involves revisions of existing songs. The dub sound consists predominantly of instrumental remixes of existing recordings and is achieved by significantly manipulating and reshaping the recordings, usually by removing the vocals from an existing...
, hip-hop, and
pop musicPop music is a music genre that developed from the mid-1950s as a softer alternative to rock 'n' roll and later to rock music. It has a focus on commercial recording, often orientated towards a youth market, usually through the medium of relatively short and simple love songs...
.
In 2001, the band's
eponymous debut albumGorillaz is the self-titled debut album by virtual band, Gorillaz, released in March 2001. It includes the singles "Clint Eastwood", "19-2000", "Rock the House" and "Tomorrow Comes Today". The album reached #3 in the UK, and was an unexpected hit in the U.S., hitting #14 and selling over seven...
sold over seven million copies and earned them an entry in the
Guinness Book of World Records as the Most Successful Virtual Band. It was nominated for the
Mercury PrizeThe Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize and currently known as the Barclaycard Mercury Prize for sponsorship reasons, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album from the United Kingdom or Ireland...
2001, but the nomination was later withdrawn at the band's request. Their second studio album,
Demon DaysDemon Days is the second studio album and a concept album by Gorillaz, released on 23 May 2005 in the United Kingdom and on 24 May in the United States...
, was released in 2005 and included the singles "
Feel Good Inc."Feel Good Inc." is a song by Gorillaz, on their album Demon Days, featuring De La Soul. The song was released as the lead single from the album on May 9, 2005 in the United Kingdom . "Feel Good Inc." peaked at #2 in the UK Singles Chart and #14 in the U.S., at the time the band's highest positions...
", "
Dare"DARE" is a song by Gorillaz and is featured on their 2005 album Demon Days. It was released 29 August 2005 as the second single from the album and became the first Gorillaz single to hit #1 on the UK Singles Chart...
", "
Dirty Harry"Dirty Harry" is a song from Gorillaz' second album Demon Days. It was the third single from the album, released 21 November 2005. It peaked at #6 in the UK. It was also released as a promo and onto iTunes earlier that year. An early version of "Dirty Harry" titled "I Need A Gun" was included on...
" and "Kids with Guns"/"El Mañana".
Demon Days went five times platinum in the UK,
double platinumMusic recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped a certain number of copies.Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories, which are named after the precious materials gold, platinum and diamond...
in the United States and earned five
Grammy AwardThe Grammy Awards —or Grammys—are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States for outstanding achievements in the music industry...
nominations for 2006 and won one of them in the Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals category. Gorillaz have also released two B-sides compilations and a remix album. The combined sales of
Gorillaz and
Demon Days had, by 2007, exceeded 15 million albums. The group is currently working on their third studio album.
Early years (1998–1999)
Damon AlbarnDamon Albarn , is a Grammy Award-winning English singer-songwriter and record producer. He has been involved in many high profile projects and collaborations throughout his career...
and
Jamie HewlettJamie Christopher Hewlett is an English comic book artist and designer. He is best known for being the co-creator of the comic strip Tank Girl and co-creator of the band Gorillaz.-Biography:...
created Gorillaz in 1998 when they were both living together in a flat on
Westbourne GroveWestbourne Grove is a retail road running across Notting Hill, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It runs from Kensington Park Road in the west to Queensway in the east, crossing over Portobello Road...
. The idea to create the band came about when the two were watching
MTVMTV is a cable television network based in New York City and launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs...
, "if you watch MTV for too long, it's a bit like hell - there's nothing of substance there. So we got this idea for a cartoon band, something that would be a comment on that", Hewlett said. The band originally identified themselves as "
Gorilla", and the first song they recorded was "Ghost Train", later released as a B-side on their single "
Rock the House"Rock the House" is a song from the Gorillaz self-titled debut album, Gorillaz. It was also the third single from that album, released in October 2001...
" and the B-side compilation
G-SidesG-Sides is a B-sides collection by Gorillaz, featuring the additional tracks from their first three singles and the Tomorrow Comes Today EP. The compilation was originally released only in Japan in December 2001. The US edition followed in February 2002...
. The trio of musicians behind Gorillaz' first incarnation, Albarn,
Del tha Funkee HomosapienTeren Delvon Jones , better known as Del tha Funkee Homosapien, is an alternative hip hop artist.-Early life and beginnings:1990-1997:...
and
Dan the AutomatorDaniel M. Nakamura , better known as Dan "the Automator" Nakamura is a Japanese-American hip hop producer. He founded the record label 75 Ark, which was distributed by Tommy Boy Records during its short existence....
, had previously worked together on the track "Time Keeps on Slipping" for
Deltron 3030Deltron 3030 is a supergroup of hip hop artists, composed of producer Dan the Automator, rapper Del tha Funkee Homosapien and DJ Kid Koala. Their work features many other artists as well, all taking on various futuristic pseudonyms.-Deltron 3030:...
's
eponymous debut albumDeltron 3030 is the debut album by hip hop supergroup Deltron 3030. It is a rap opera concept album set in a dystopian year 3030.- Album information :...
. The song can be seen as the genesis of the musical style that continued into Gorillaz' first album.
Phase One: Celebrity Takedown (2000–2003)
The band's first release was
Tomorrow Comes TodayTomorrow Comes Today was the first release by the Gorillaz, issued as an EP in November 2000 . All of the songs, with the exception of "12D3", ended up on their debut album...
EPAn extended play is a vinyl record, CD, or music download which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as an LP. Usually, a CD single has around 10–28 minutes of music, an EP has up to 36 minutes, and an album generally has 30–80 minutes. Mini-LPs generally contain 20–30...
, released in 2000. It was very well received in the UK underground music scene and generated a lot of
word-of-mouthWord of mouth is a reference to the passing of information from person to person. Originally the term referred specifically to oral communication , but now includes any type of human communication, such as face to face, telephone, email, and text messaging.-History of word of mouth marketing:One of...
advertising, as well as a large shroud of mystery over who was behind Gorillaz and what could be expected from the band in the months to come. Promo outlets circulated a booklet with the fictional backstory behind the cartoon band. The band's official website,
www.gorillaz.com, is a virtual representation of Kong Studios, the band's studio and home. Inside, visitors can browse through each member's bedroom, their recording environment and even the hallways and bathrooms. Each room also has bonus surprises and games to play: for example, the lobby has a remix machine, the cafeteria contains the message board on the wall and
Murdoc's Winnebago contains a voodoo doll of
2DStuart Pot , better known by his stage name: 2D or simply spelled as 2-D, is a fictional member of the animated band Gorillaz. He performs the lead vocals and plays the keyboard for the band...
. Each member also has their own computer which contains pictures, samples used in various Gorillaz songs, their favorite websites and their e-mail inboxes. Because of the nature of the site, an official fansite,
fans.gorillaz.com, was created to hold the standard band website information, including news, a discography and the band's touring schedules.
The band's first
singleIn music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats.-History:...
, "
Clint Eastwood"Clint Eastwood" is Gorillaz' debut single, taken from their self-titled album Gorillaz, and released in March 2001. It peaked at the #4 in the UK and #57 in the US on September 11, 2001....
", was released on 5 March 2001. It became a smash hit and put Gorillaz into the global spotlight. Later that same month, their first full-length album, the self-titled
GorillazGorillaz is the self-titled debut album by virtual band, Gorillaz, released in March 2001. It includes the singles "Clint Eastwood", "19-2000", "Rock the House" and "Tomorrow Comes Today". The album reached #3 in the UK, and was an unexpected hit in the U.S., hitting #14 and selling over seven...
, was released, producing four singles: "Clint Eastwood", "
19-2000"19-2000" is a song from the Gorillaz' self-titled debut album, Gorillaz. It was also the second single from that album, released in June 2001 , with a completely new version called the "Soulchild Remix", produced by UK music producer Damien Mendis. This served as the main radio version, used...
", "
Tomorrow Comes Today"Tomorrow Comes Today" is a song from Gorillaz's self-titled debut album, Gorillaz, originally appearing as the opening track of their debut EP of the same name. The song itself was also the fourth and final single from that album, released on 25 February 2002...
", and "
Rock the House"Rock the House" is a song from the Gorillaz self-titled debut album, Gorillaz. It was also the third single from that album, released in October 2001...
". Each of the singles' videos contained humorous and often ridiculous storylines and imagery, though "Clint Eastwood" and "19-2000" were the only singles to break through the American music scene. "19-2000 (Soulchild Remix)" became popular after being featured in both an Ice Breakers commercial, as well as in
EA SportsEA Sports is a brand name used by Electronic Arts since 1993 to distribute games based on sports. Formerly a gimmick inside Electronic Arts sports games, that tried to mimic real-life sports networks, calling themselves "EA Sports Network" with pictures or endorsements of real commentators such as...
'
FIFA 2002. Around this time, a half-hour
TVTelevision is a widely used telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images, either monochromatic or color, usually accompanied by sound. "Television" may also refer specifically to a television set, television programming or television transmission...
mockumentaryMockumentary or mock documentary is a genre of film and television, or a single work of the genre. Although a mockumentary may be one of the comedy genres, serious mockumentaries also exist. The mockumentary is presented as a documentary recording real life, but is actually fictional. It is a...
entitled
Charts of Darkness was released. It follows
Channel 4Channel 4 is a UK public-service television broadcaster which began working on November 2, 1982. Although commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station owned now and operated by the Channel Four Television...
news reporter
Krishnan Guru-MurthyKrishnan Guru-Murthy is a British television presenter and journalist, currently employed by Channel 4. He anchors the Channel 4 Evening News from Friday to Sunday, and is the main anchor for the News at Noon on weekdays....
attempting to track down Albarn and Hewlett after they were placed in an insane asylum. The special also interviews
Rachel StevensRachel Lauren Stevens is an English singer, songwriter, actress, dancer, television personality and occasional model. She is a former member, and one of the lead singers, of the successful pop group S Club, and launched a solo recording career in 2003, releasing seven singles and two albums in...
of
S Club 7S Club, also known as S Club 7, was a British pop group created by former Spice Girls manager Simon Fuller, comprising Tina Barrett, Paul Cattermole, Jon Lee, Bradley McIntosh, Jo O'Meara, Hannah Spearritt and Rachel Stevens. The group rose to fame by starring in their own CBBC television series,...
fame and a few of the band's voice talents, who had been given roles to play.
The end of the year brought the song "
911"911" is a 2001 single by Gorillaz and D12 featuring Terry Hall. It is a narrative in relation to the events of the September 11, 2001 attacks. The song was also featured on the soundtrack for 2002's Bad Company...
", a collaboration between the Gorillaz and rap artists D12 (without
EminemMarshall Bruce Mathers III , known by his primary stage name Eminem, or by his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer and actor. Eminem quickly gained popularity in 1999 with his major-label debut album The Slim Shady LP, which won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album...
) and
Terry HallTerry Hall is the lead singer of The Specials, and formerly of Fun Boy Three, The Colourfield, Terry, Blair & Anouchka and Vegas. He has released two solo albums and also collaborated with many artists including David A...
about the
September 11, 2001 attacksThe September 11 attacks were a series of coordinated suicide attacks by Al-Qaeda upon the United States on September 11, 2001. On that morning, 19 Al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial passenger jet airliners...
. Meanwhile
G-SidesG-Sides is a B-sides collection by Gorillaz, featuring the additional tracks from their first three singles and the Tomorrow Comes Today EP. The compilation was originally released only in Japan in December 2001. The US edition followed in February 2002...
, a compilation of the B-sides from the
Tomorrow Comes Today EP and first three singles, was released in Japan on 12 December 2001 and quickly followed with international releases in early 2002. The new year also saw the band perform at the 2002
BRIT AwardsThe Brit Awards, often simply called The Brits and stylized as The BRIT Awards, are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British" or "Britannia", but has subsequently become a backronym for British Record Industry Trust...
, appearing in 3D animation on four large screens along with rap accompaniment by
Phi Life Cypher-History/Career breakthrough:Phi Life Cypher is a British hip hop group based in Luton hip hop trio comprising of two MC's, Si Phili and Life MC, and DJ Nappa. The trio started making music together around 1996, and since have had much success on the UK underground circuit...
. The band were nominated for six awards at the event, including Best British Group, Best British Album and Best British Newcomer, but left the award show empty-handed. Finally,
Laika Come HomeLaika Come Home is a Gorillaz remix album released in July 2002 . Unlike a typical remix album, it is done by just one group, Spacemonkeyz. It contains most of the songs from the Gorillaz' first album, Gorillaz, but remixed in dub and reggae style...
, a
dubDub is an instrumental subgenre of reggae music, that involves revisions of existing songs. The dub sound consists predominantly of instrumental remixes of existing recordings and is achieved by significantly manipulating and reshaping the recordings, usually by removing the vocals from an existing...
remix albumA remix album is an album consisting mostly of remixes or re-recorded versions of a music artists' earlier released material.Sly & The Family Stone's 1979 release 10 Years Too Soon featured disco remixes of the 1960s Family Stone hits...
, containing most of the tracks from
Gorillaz reworked by
SpacemonkeyzSpacemonkeyz are a musical group consisting of Darren Galea, Richie Stevens and Gavin Dodds. They came together when Galea created a dub remix of the Gorillaz' "Tomorrow Comes Today" , which Gorillaz founder Damon Albarn liked so much that he asked Galea to remix the...
, was released in June 2002. The single to follow, "
Lil' Dub Chefin'"Lil' Dub Chefin" is a single by the Spacemonkeyz vs Gorillaz, from the 2002 Gorillaz remix album Laika Come Home. It is a remix of the Gorillaz' song "M1A1".....
", contained an original track by the
SpacemonkeyzSpacemonkeyz are a musical group consisting of Darren Galea, Richie Stevens and Gavin Dodds. They came together when Galea created a dub remix of the Gorillaz' "Tomorrow Comes Today" , which Gorillaz founder Damon Albarn liked so much that he asked Galea to remix the...
titled "Spacemonkeyz Theme".
In November 2002, a DVD titled
Phase One: Celebrity Take DownPhase One: Celebrity Takedown is a compilation DVD by Gorillaz, released in November 2002 . The DVD compiles the videos and animatics related to the release of the band's first album, Gorillaz, as well as the related singles...
was released. The DVD contains the four Phase One promos, the abandoned video for "5/4", the
Charts of Darkness documentary, the five Gorilla Bitez (short vignettes), a tour of the website by the MEL 9000 server and more. The DVD's menu was designed much like the band's website and depicts an abandoned Kong Studios. Along with the release of the DVD, the band's website closed down almost completely. Kong Studios was no longer accessible, instead, visitors could only enter a
policeA police service is a public force empowered to enforce the law and provide security through the legitimized use of force.The term is most commonly associated with police services of a state that are authorized to exercise the police power of that state within a defined legal or territorial area of...
cabin, where the message board and chats were still accessible. From there, a small robot called G.R.3.G. could be used to explore the abandoned Kong Studios in a 3D
ShockwaveAdobe Shockwave was Macromedia's first multimedia player. It allows Adobe Director applications to be published on the Internet and viewed in a web browser on any computer which has the Shockwave plug-in installed....
environment, though doing so would only grant access to a few games.
The Abandoned Gorillaz Site
Rumors were circulating at this time that the Gorillaz team were busy preparing a film, but an
EMIThe EMI Group is a British music company. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major publishing arm- EMI Music Publishing- based in New York City...
interview later revealed that plans for the film were abandoned. In an interview with
Haruka KurodaHaruka Kuroda is a London based Japanese actress who is widely known for performing the voice of Noodle, the Japanese guitarist in Gorillaz, the cartoon band created by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett...
(the voice of Noodle), Kuroda stated that Jamie Hewlett rejected many scripts before giving up on the movie. Hewlett later explained why the film was abandoned, "We lost all interest in doing it as soon as we started meeting with studios and talking to these Hollywood executive types, we just weren't on the same page. We said, fuck it, we'll sit on the idea until we can do it ourselves, and maybe even raise the money ourselves."
Phase Two: Slowboat to Hades (2004–2008)
On 8 December 2004, the band's website reopened with an exclusive video entitled "
Rock It"Rock It" is a song by virtual band Gorillaz. This video was released exclusively as a promo video on the band's website on December 8, 2004. Unlike the other Gorillaz videos, which were produced by Passion Pictures, Rock It was made by Jamie Hewlett's own company, Zombie Flesh Eaters...
". Along with the music video, there was an announcement of a new album on the way, which would be produced by
Danger MouseBrian Joseph Burton, better known by his stage name Danger Mouse, is an American artist and producer. He came to prominence in 2004 when he released The Grey Album, which combined acappellas from Jay-Z's The Black Album with instrumentals from the album The Beatles .He formed Gnarls Barkley with...
. A talent contest entitled Search for a Star was also launched on 15 December 2004, allowing fans to send in a minute-long clip of video or audio or an image file. The prize included collaborating with the band to create the music and video for "El Mañana", the fourth single for the new album, as well as getting their own room on the newly rebuilt Kong Studios website. A second
promotional booklet was issued, recapping the previously issued booklet, as well as detailing the failed movie production in Hollywood and the breakup and reforming of Gorillaz. A
viral marketingThe buzzwords viral marketing and viral advertising refer to marketing techniques that use pre-existing social networks to produce increases in brand awareness or to achieve other marketing objectives through self-replicating viral processes, analogous to the spread of pathological and computer...
project named Reject False Icons was formed criticizing modern pop figures.
The first single from the album was "
Feel Good Inc."Feel Good Inc." is a song by Gorillaz, on their album Demon Days, featuring De La Soul. The song was released as the lead single from the album on May 9, 2005 in the United Kingdom . "Feel Good Inc." peaked at #2 in the UK Singles Chart and #14 in the U.S., at the time the band's highest positions...
", released as an EP in Japan and as a CD single in Europe and Australia. The single entered the
UK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record industry. The full chart contains the top 200 singles based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 of this list...
at #22, several weeks before the CD single was released due to the single being released as a 7" vinyl in April, and new charts regulations included sales at
online music storeAn online music store is an online business which sells audio files, usually music, on a per-song and/or subscription basis. It may be differentiated from music streaming services in that the music store offers the actual music file, while streaming services offer partial or full listening without...
s, where the song had been available since 22 March. "Feel Good Inc." managed to reach #2 in the UK Singles Chart the week it was released, being the band's highest ever positioned single up to that point in time. The single stayed in the top ten for eight consecutive weeks. In the United States, it peaked at #14. The song also garnered a
Record of the YearThe Record of the Year may refer to*Grammy Award for Record of the Year*The Record of the Year, a British award based on public polling...
nomination for the
2006 Grammy AwardsThe 48th Annual Grammy Awards took place on February 8, 2006 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Irish rock band U2 were the big winners, winning five awards including Album of the Year...
later that year. it was later included in the popular Playstation 2 title "Singstar", a game where player attempt to sing along karaoke style.
The album,
Demon DaysDemon Days is the second studio album and a concept album by Gorillaz, released on 23 May 2005 in the United Kingdom and on 24 May in the United States...
, was released on 11 May 2005 in Japan, 23 May in the United Kingdom and Australia, and on 24 May in the United States. The album debuted at #1 on the UK Album Charts, but fell as low as #29 in just seven weeks. However, as the music video for the second single "
DARE"DARE" is a song by Gorillaz and is featured on their 2005 album Demon Days. It was released 29 August 2005 as the second single from the album and became the first Gorillaz single to hit #1 on the UK Singles Chart...
" started getting played on
MTVMTV is a cable television network based in New York City and launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs...
and other music channels,
Demon Days rose up to the top 10 again. "DARE" was released on 29 August 2005 in the UK, where it debuted at #1. A Japanese EP followed on 7 September. "DARE" eventually reached #87 in the United States, also becoming a Top 10 hit on the Modern Rock listings. Shortly afterwards, Gorillaz contributed an exclusive track entitled "
Hong Kong"Hong Kong" is a song by Gorillaz, written by singer and co-producer Damon Albarn. The song was first featured on the compilation album Help: A Day in the Life and was reworked for the second Gorillaz b-side compilation D-Sides...
" to the charity compilation
Help: A Day in the LifeHelp!: A Day in the Life, released in 2005, brought together many contemporary artists from Britain and Canada. It was produced by War Child UK in order to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the original Help album, and aimed to raise money to fund the charity's efforts in war-torn countries such as...
released on 10 September 2005.
The third single off
Demon Days was "
Dirty Harry"Dirty Harry" is a song from Gorillaz' second album Demon Days. It was the third single from the album, released 21 November 2005. It peaked at #6 in the UK. It was also released as a promo and onto iTunes earlier that year. An early version of "Dirty Harry" titled "I Need A Gun" was included on...
", which had already been released as a promotional single earlier that year. It was released in the United Kingdom on 21 November 2005. On its first week, it charted at #6. The release of the single raised the album once again back up to the top 10. The fourth and final single was the double A-side, "Kids with Guns"/"El Mañana". It was released in the UK on 10 April 2006. Unlike its Top 10 predecessors, "Kids With Guns" / "El Mañana" reached #27 upon its release in the UK. A week later, the single had fallen out of the Top 40 in the UK (see
2006 in British musicThis is a summary of 2006 in music in the United Kingdom including the official single and album charts.-Summary:*At both ends of the year, the chart was dominated by acts from series 2 and series 3 of the television show The X Factor...
). By the end of 2005,
Demon Days had sold over a million copies in the UK, making it the UK's fifth best selling album of 2005.
Demon Days has since gone five times platinum in the UK, double platinum in the United States, triple platinum in Australia and has sold over 6 million copies worldwide.
Plans were unveiled for Gorillaz to go on a holographic world tour in 2007 and 2008. The cartoon members would be shown as holograms on stage using
Musion EyelinerThe Musion Eyeliner is a modern commercial variation of a stage illusion called Pepper's ghost, using high definition video projection or LED screens to allow moving images to appear within a live stage setting....
technology, giving them a life-like appearance on stage. The holograms were first used at the
2005 MTV Europe Music AwardsThe 2005 MTV Europe Music Awards were presented on November 3rd in Lisbon, Portugal. These were the 12th time the MTV Europe Music Awards have been presented. The host was Sacha Baron Cohen as Borat Sagdiyev...
on 3 November 2005 and again at the 2006 Grammy Awards on 8 February 2006 with the addition of a virtual
MadonnaMadonna is an American recording artist, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, and raised in Rochester Hills, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977, for a career in modern dance...
, where the band played a pre-recorded version of "Feel Good Inc." However, the tour was eventually called off due to budget issues. Jamie Hewlett has stated that "...it was extremely expensive, extremely difficult, a million and one things can go wrong, every second that the thing's playing."
In 2005 a set of Gorillaz figures were released by
KidrobotKidrobot is a producer and retailer of designer toys founded in 2002 by Paul Budnitz, specializing in artist-created toys and imports from Japan, Hong Kong, and Europe. Kidrobot has a commercial website, as well operating retail stores in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami Beach, and...
to coincide with the release of
Demon DaysDemon Days is the second studio album and a concept album by Gorillaz, released on 23 May 2005 in the United Kingdom and on 24 May in the United States...
. Two variations of the set were released, known as the Red and Black editions, and a limited edition
NoodleNoodle is a fictional member of the virtual band Gorillaz. She provides the guitar as well as some main and backing vocals for the band...
from the music video for "
DARE"DARE" is a song by Gorillaz and is featured on their 2005 album Demon Days. It was released 29 August 2005 as the second single from the album and became the first Gorillaz single to hit #1 on the UK Singles Chart...
" was also released. Three new sets of Gorillaz vinyl figures were released in 2006. The Basic set was released on 16 October 2006 and the 2-tone and White edition sets were released on 2 November 2006. A Gorillaz
mobile phone gameA mobile game is a video game played on a mobile phone, smartphone, PDA, handheld computer or portable media player. This does not include games played on handheld video game systems such as PlayStation Portable or Nintendo DS....
called
Gorillaz Entertainment System (GES) was published by Gorillaz Partnership under license to
RealNetworksRealNetworks is a provider of Internet media delivery software and services based in Seattle, Washington, United States. The company is best known for the creation of RealAudio, a compressed audio format, RealVideo, a compressed video format and RealPlayer, a media player...
in the spring of 2006 in Europe, and summer of 2006 in the United States. The game was developed by Gorillaz Partnership in association with Zombie Flesh Eaters and Mr. Goodliving Ltd.
Gorillaz Entertainment System (GES) features four character-based games, each with their own individual gameplay and style. The games combined classic
arcadeAn arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, typically installed in businesses such as restaurants, public houses, video arcades, and Family Entertainment Centers...
style games and contemporary Gorillaz artwork.
On 21 September 2006, the main lobby of Kong Studios was destroyed for unknown reasons and a teaser clip for
Slowboat to Hades appeared and could be played on a TV screen. The
Phase Two: Slowboat to HadesPhase Two: Slowboat to Hades is a compilation DVD by Gorillaz, released in October 2006. The DVD is similar to the band's first DVD, Phase One: Celebrity Take Down, but compiles the videos and animatics related to the release of the band's second album, Demon Days, as well as the related...
DVD was released on 30 October in the United Kingdom, and 31 October in the United States. The official Gorillaz illustrated autobiography, titled
Rise of the OgreRise of the Ogre is an autobiography about the virtual band Gorillaz. Ostensibly written by the four band-members in collaboration with Gorillaz musician and official scribe Cass Browne, the book is 304 pages long and is extensively illustrated. It was released in the UK on 26 October 2006 by...
, was released on 31 October 2006 in the United Kingdom, and 2 November in the United States.
D-SidesD-Sides is a 2007 compilation album by Gorillaz. The album contains B-sides and remixes from singles and bonus tracks for the band's second studio album Demon Days. It was released on 19 November 2007 in the UK and on 20 November in the United States and is available in standard and deluxe editions...
, a compilation of B-side and remixes, was released on 19 November 2007 in the UK and on 20 November 2007 in the U.S.
Hopes for a Gorillaz film were revived in 2006 when Hewlett stated that they would be producing the film on their own. American film producer and
Weinstein CompanyThe Weinstein Company is an independent American film studio founded by Harvey and Bob Weinstein in 2005 after the pair left the Disney-owned Miramax Films, which they had co-founded in 1979...
co-chairman,
Harvey WeinsteinHarvey Weinstein, CBE is an American film producer and movie studio chairman. He is best known as co-founder of Miramax Films...
, was also said to be collaborating with Albarn and Hewlett. In a September 2006 interview with
UncutUncut magazine, trademarked as UNCUT, is a popular monthly publication based in London. It is available across the English-speaking world, and focuses on music, but also includes a film section. The magazine also features articles covering music-related books...
magazine, Albarn was reported saying "[Gorillaz] has been a fantastic journey which isn't over, because we're making a film. We've got
Terry GilliamTerrence Vance "Terry" Gilliam is an American-born British writer, filmmaker, animator, actor and member of the Monty Python comedy troupe. Gilliam is also known for directing several well-regarded films including Time Bandits , Brazil , The Fisher King , and 12 Monkeys...
involved. But as far as being in a big band and putting pop music out there, it's finished. We won't be doing that any more." In an interview with the Gorillaz-Unofficial fansite, Jamie Hewlett and Cass Browne revealed that in the movie the band members will act as other characters presenting a new story, instead of playing themselves. Hewlett also said that the movie's soundtrack will be the next Gorillaz album. "The soundtrack will be the third album. Damon will do the soundtrack, which will be the soundtrack, which will be the third album." As of April 2007, Cass Browne is still finishing the script and Albarn has said that he hopes production of the film will begin in September 2007. No further news was heard about the film until February 2008 when, in an interview with Gorillaz-Unofficial, Hewlett said "Ultimately we didn't think that feel we're in a position to make the kind of movie we want to make with Gorillaz at the moment. [...] But I'd still like to make a full, lavishly-animated Gorillaz movie someday."
On 24 October 2007, the official Gorillaz fansite announced that a documentary film about the Gorillaz, titled
BananazBananaz is a documentary film about the animated music group Gorillaz. It is directed by Ceri Levy.-Information:From 2000 to 2006 director Ceri Levy filmed alongside the creators behind the scenes, from first drawings, animations, music and the musicians, through to the faces behind the voices of...
, would be released. The film, directed by Ceri Levy, documents the previous seven years of the band. The film was released online on the
BabelgumBabelgum is a free to view Internet television platform supported by advertising. The project was set up in 2005 by Italian media and telecommunications entrepreneur Silvio Scaglia and scientist Erik Lumer, with the aim of developing interactive software for distributing TV shows and other forms...
website on 20 April 2009 followed by the DVD release on 1 June 2009.
Carousel
In the November 2007 issue of Q magazine, when asked what his top priority for 2008 was, Damon Albarn replied "Well, I'm doing the next Gorillaz thing, but it won't be called Gorillaz. In the February 2008 Gorillaz-Unofficial interview, Hewlett elaborated on this saying "I think the idea behind it is that it's like how
The WhoThe Who are an English rock band formed in 1964. The primary lineup consisted of guitarist Pete Townshend, vocalist Roger Daltrey, bassist John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They became known for energetic live performances including the pioneering spectacle of instrument destruction...
presented their movies –
TommyTommy is a 1975 musical film, based on The Who's 1969 rock opera album musical Tommy. It was directed by Ken Russell and featured a star-studded cast, including the band members themselves . Ann-Margret received a Golden Globe Award for her performance, and was also nominated for the Academy Award...
and
QuadropheniaQuadrophenia is a 1979 British film based on the 1973 rock opera album Quadrophenia by The Who. The film stars Phil Daniels in the leading role as a Mod named Jimmy. The film also stars Toyah Willcox, Mark Wingett, Leslie Ash, Ray Winstone, Timothy Spall, Gary Holton, Phil Davis, Michael Elphick,...
and so on. Those were presented as by 'The Who' even though none of the members of the band were in the movies. I don't think anyone from The Who was in
Quadrophenia. But it's the same people working on it, that's the principle." In a July 2008 interview with
The ObserverThe Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In about the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a left-liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-History:The...
he also said, "Gorillaz now to us is not like four animated characters any more - it's more like an organisation of people doing new projects. [...] That's my ideal model - Gorillaz is a group of people who gave you this, and now want to give you new stuff."
In the
Observer interview, Hewlett said that there is "a new project which Damon and I are working on now, called Carousel, which is even bigger and more difficult than
MonkeyMonkey: Journey to the West is a stage adaptation of the 16th Century Chinese novel Journey to the West, by Wu Cheng'en. It was conceived and created by the Chinese actor and director Chen Shi-zheng, together with the British musician Damon Albarn and British artist Jamie Hewlett.The production...
, and it isn't going to fit anywhere and no one's going to like it, ha ha ha! We've started work - I've done a lot of visuals and Damon's done a lot of music but we haven't figured out how they're going to fit together. I can't say much about it yet but it's sort of like a film, but not with one narrative story. There's many stories, told around a bigger story, set to music, and done in live action, animation, all different styles, well ... originally it was a film but now we think it's a film and it's a stage thing as well and... look, it's basically us doing what the fuck we want without worrying about whether it's for a record company or a film company or whatever. So I'm not sure how it'll pan out, or even if it will happen. But Damon's written around 70 songs for it, and I've got great plans for the visuals, but right now, at this moment, it's still just a really good idea."
Third album
Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett stated in an interview with
CBC NewsEstablished in the 1930s, CBC News is the department within the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the news gathering and production of news programs on CBC television, radio and online services...
on 17 September 2008 that they will be doing another Gorillaz album. Hewlett says that from their work on
Monkey, "we just learned more about what we do, musically and artistically. That's a great place to come at when we come to another Gorillaz album. It doesn't have to be animation and music." Hewlett also expressed annoyance at having to draw the band members again, "I'm so fucking bored of drawing those characters. But then we had a moment where we had a new angle on it... I'm gonna adapt them." In a later interview Hewlett said, "they'll be the same characters, but a little bit older and told in a different way." An article by the
Toronto StarThe Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, though its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
stated that the duo hope to begin work on the album in January 2009. Albarn also said that he wants "to work with an incredibly eclectic, surprising cast of people." On 14 January 2009, Damon Albarn made an appearance as a guest DJ on
BBC Radio 1BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the BBC which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock or interviews. It is aimed...
, premiering demos of three new Gorillaz songs, which are entitled "Electric Shock", "Broken"(feat. Sid Hyet) and "Stylo". According to EMI, the album is expected to be released within their current financial year which ends March 2010. In an interview with
Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books and popular culture. Unlike celebrity-focused publications US Weekly, People, and In Touch Weekly, EWs primary concentration is on entertainment...
,
PosdnuosKelvin Mercer is a rapper, producer, and one-third of the hip hop trio, De La Soul. He is known more famously by his alias Posdnuos, or simply Pos....
of
De La SoulDe La Soul is an American hip hop group formed in 1987 in Long Island, New York. They are best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative hip hop subgenres...
said that the group had provided vocals for two songs on the upcoming Gorillaz album, "Electric Shock" and "Sloped Tropics", and revealed that the third album's tentative title was "Plastic Beach". British garage rock band
The HorrorsThe Horrors are an English Garage Rock and Shoegaze band who formed in mid-2005. They released their debut album Strange House, which reached number 37 on the UK Albums Chart, in 2007...
have recorded a track with Albarn which may appear on the album.
Fictional members
- 2D
Stuart Pot , better known by his stage name: 2D or simply spelled as 2-D, is a fictional member of the animated band Gorillaz. He performs the lead vocals and plays the keyboard for the band...
- (born in CrawleyCrawley is a town and local government district with Borough status in West Sussex, England. It is south of London, north of Brighton and Hove, and northeast of the county town of Chichester, covers an area of and had a population of 99,744 at the time of the 2001 Census.The area has been...
, United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
) - vocals, keyboardsA keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include various types of organs as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
- Murdoc Niccals - (born in Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme and Kidsgrove, Stoke forms the The Potteries Urban Area...
, United Kingdom) - bass guitarThe electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum....
- Russel Hobbs - (born in Brooklyn, New York, United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
) - drumsA drum set is a collection of drums, cymbals and sometimes other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person . The term "drum kit" first became used in the 1700s in Britain...
, percussionA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound by being hit with an implement, shaken, rubbed, scraped, or by any other action which sets the object into vibration...
- Noodle
Noodle is a fictional member of the virtual band Gorillaz. She provides the guitar as well as some main and backing vocals for the band...
- (born in Osakais a city in Japan, located at the mouth of the Yodo River on Osaka Bay, in the Kansai region of the main island of Honshū.Osaka is a City in Japan and also is designated city under the Local Autonomy Law and the capital city of Osaka Prefecture...
, Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
) - guitarThe guitar is a musical instrument with ancient roots that adapts readily to a wide variety of musical styles. It typically has six strings, but four-, seven-, eight-, ten-, eleven-, twelve-, thirteen- and eighteen-string guitars also exist. The size and shape of the neck and the base of the guitar...
, vocals
Additional members
- Del – vocals: A ghostly depiction of Del tha Funkee Homosapien
Teren Delvon Jones , better known as Del tha Funkee Homosapien, is an alternative hip hop artist.-Early life and beginnings:1990-1997:...
, and the blue phantom in the "Clint Eastwood"Clint Eastwood" is Gorillaz' debut single, taken from their self-titled album Gorillaz, and released in March 2001. It peaked at the #4 in the UK and #57 in the US on September 11, 2001....
" and "Rock the House"Rock the House" is a song from the Gorillaz self-titled debut album, Gorillaz. It was also the third single from that album, released in October 2001...
" music videos and the Gorilla Bite "Jump The Gut"Jump the Gut" was one of the first "Gorilla Bites" that were used to promote the first studio album of virtual band Gorillaz.In the short clip, lead singer 2D making an attempt to jump over drummer Russel, who is sleeping, on a bike...
" was, one could say, another band member. In 2003, he was finally separated from Russel when the Grim Reaper turned up to claim him; he appeared as a mass of living ectoplasmEctoplasm generally refers to the inner part of a cell's cytoplasm.Ectoplasm may also refer to:* Ectoplasm , a supposed physical substance that manifests as a result of spiritual energy or psychic phenomenon...
and said his final goodbye to his old friend before leaving. The shock of losing the friend who had hidden inside his body all that time, coupled with Russel's continuing belief that the Reaper was stalking him, lead to a trauma that took Russel an entire year to recuperate.
- Paula Cracker – Guitar: 2D's ex-girlfriend and the band's original guitarist. She played guitar in Ghost Train
Ghost train may refer to:*Ghost train , a paranormal phenomenon describing phantom trains*Ghost train , a type of travelling theatre performed on board a train*Ghost train , a funfair ride...
. In the Gorillaz storyline, she was ultimately fired and replaced with Noodle after Paula was caught having sex with MurdocMurdoc is a fictional character in the television series MacGyver played by Michael Des Barres. Murdoc is an assassin working for the Homicide International Trust, an international group of assassins...
in the studio toilet. Later, Paula Cracker is one of several people hired by Jimmy Manson to eliminate Gorillaz. Her status post-Jimmy Manson is unknown. It was stated in Rise of the OgreRise of the Ogre is an autobiography about the virtual band Gorillaz. Ostensibly written by the four band-members in collaboration with Gorillaz musician and official scribe Cass Browne, the book is 304 pages long and is extensively illustrated. It was released in the UK on 26 October 2006 by...
that Paula was sick in the head, on strong medication, and has a personal grudge against current guitarist Noodle. During her brief time in Gorillaz, she was described as "the weak link" by the rest of the band; Murdoc called her "depressingly ugly" and 2D never disagreed, only saying that it was the principle of Murdoc stealing his girlfriend.
Actual members
There have been waves of speculation surrounding who is actually behind Gorillaz ever since
Tomorrow Comes TodayTomorrow Comes Today was the first release by the Gorillaz, issued as an EP in November 2000 . All of the songs, with the exception of "12D3", ended up on their debut album...
was first released. In the half-hour
TVTelevision is a widely used telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images, either monochromatic or color, usually accompanied by sound. "Television" may also refer specifically to a television set, television programming or television transmission...
mockumentaryMockumentary or mock documentary is a genre of film and television, or a single work of the genre. Although a mockumentary may be one of the comedy genres, serious mockumentaries also exist. The mockumentary is presented as a documentary recording real life, but is actually fictional. It is a...
Charts of Darkness, it was explicitly stated that
Damon AlbarnDamon Albarn , is a Grammy Award-winning English singer-songwriter and record producer. He has been involved in many high profile projects and collaborations throughout his career...
and
Jamie HewlettJamie Christopher Hewlett is an English comic book artist and designer. He is best known for being the co-creator of the comic strip Tank Girl and co-creator of the band Gorillaz.-Biography:...
were behind the project. However, many people work on various aspects of Gorillaz. To quote Albarn, "There could be fifty [people] here, but there's two." In short, the Gorillaz as real, singular human beings do not exist. Rather, they represent the many people working on the project. More or less, the only thing that has remained constant in every song is that Albarn performs the singing voice for 2D.
During the "hidden" credits to the DVD
Phase One: Celebrity Take DownPhase One: Celebrity Takedown is a compilation DVD by Gorillaz, released in November 2002 . The DVD compiles the videos and animatics related to the release of the band's first album, Gorillaz, as well as the related singles...
, it states the names of the creators, the voice talents and those responsible for performing live. This list of the group's integral performers has changed drastically since the first album, with the exception of Albarn himself. For a more or less complete list of people involved in Gorillaz, see
this site.
In the most recent live performances (
Demon Days LiveDemon Days: Live at the Manchester Opera House is a Grammy Award nominated live DVD by Gorillaz, released 27 March 2006 in the UK...
), the roles of 2D (vocals and piano) are assigned to Damon Albarn as 2D, Noodle's (guitar and backing vocals) to
Simon TongSimon Tong is a guitarist and keyboardist who was a member of The Verve between 1996 and 1999 and is currently a member of Erland and the Carnival...
and Rosie Wilson respectively, Murdoc's (bass guitar) to
Morgan NichollsMorgan Nicholls is an English musician, best known for performing with Senseless Things, Gorillaz, The Streets, Muse and most recently, Lily Allen. He also spent a short time as a solo musician under the name Morgan....
, and Russel's (drums) to
Cass BrowneCass Browne was a member of the band The Psychotics who became the Senseless Things in 1986. The Senseless Things had a couple of top 20 hits and may other singles in their nine years together, they split up in 1995. Jamie Hewlett was a big fan of the band and designed many of their sleeves...
. However, there are two touring keyboardists (one on a piano and the other on a
synthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument that is capable of producing a variety of sounds by generating and combining signals of different frequencies...
), so one could say that both of these people also perform the role of 2D. Similarly, there is both a drummer and percussionist on the tour, both at a drum kit, so these people are essentially both Russel.
The band's artwork are created by Hewlett and his company Zombie Flesh Eaters. The band's music videos (for the exception of "
Rock It"Rock It" is a song by virtual band Gorillaz. This video was released exclusively as a promo video on the band's website on December 8, 2004. Unlike the other Gorillaz videos, which were produced by Passion Pictures, Rock It was made by Jamie Hewlett's own company, Zombie Flesh Eaters...
" and "
Tomorrow Comes TodayTomorrow Comes Today was the first release by the Gorillaz, issued as an EP in November 2000 . All of the songs, with the exception of "12D3", ended up on their debut album...
") are created by
Passion PicturesPassion Pictures is a film and animation production company based in Rathbone Place, off Oxford Street in London's West End. They have been responsible for much of the production of the visual element of the animated rock band Gorillaz....
whose animators include Pete Candeland and
2000AD artist
Rufus DaygloRufus Dayglo is a London-based comics artist working for 2000 AD in the United Kingdom, and IDW Publishing in the United States.-Biography:...
.
Phase One live performances
For the tours affiliated with the debut album, the physical band played behind a specially designed screen which covered the entire stage area. Videos, animatics and image
collageA collage is a work of formal art, primarily in the visual arts, made from an assemblage of different forms, thus creating a new whole....
s were projected onto the audience side of the screen, while choreographed lights behind the screen lit up silhouettes of the physical band, creating a meld of the physical and animated. For their first tour of the United States, two screens were used; one was simply the animatics, while the second, lower screen displayed the band's silhouettes along with various quotes from interviews to make the fictional band members appear to be present, talking to the audience (particularly, Murdoc and 2D). In the majority of the shows only Noodle and Russel spoke live to the audience. 2D spoke in only a few shows and Murdoc is known to only have spoken during one show, which was the only show where all four band members spoke live to the audience.
Phase Two live performances
Following the release of their
Demon Days album, Gorillaz began an American radio tour. In keeping with the style of the band the 'Demon Detour' featured a set of songs played on select radio stations, along with comments by the four band members.
Between 1 November and 5 November 2005, there was a Gorillaz "festival" billed as Demon Days Live with collaborators from
Demon Days (
Neneh CherryNeneh Mariann Karlsson and known as Neneh Cherry is a two-time Grammy Award-nominated and MTV Europe Music Award-winning singer-songwriter and rapper. Cherry is also an occasional DJ and broadcaster...
,
Bootie BrownBootie Brown is a West Coast rapper who was one of the four founding members of the innovative hip hop group The Pharcyde...
,
De La SoulDe La Soul is an American hip hop group formed in 1987 in Long Island, New York. They are best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative hip hop subgenres...
,
Ike TurnerIke Wister Turner was an American musician, bandleader, talent scout, and record producer. Considered to be one of the fathers of rock and roll, his first recording, "Rocket 88" by "Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats," in 1951, is considered by some to be the "first rock and roll song" ever...
,
Roots ManuvaRodney Hylton Smith , better known by his stage name Roots Manuva, is a rapper from Stockwell, South London. He is currently signed to Big Dada.- Biography :...
,
Martina Topley-BirdMartina Topley-Bird is a British vocalist who first gained fame as the featured female vocalist on trip hop pioneer Tricky's debut album Maxinquaye . She was educated at Clifton College where she sang in the choir. It was while she was a young precocious teenager at the school that she met trip hop...
and
Shaun RyderShaun William Ryder is an English vocalist and songwriter and an ex-postman who became famous in the Madchester era.-Happy Mondays era:...
all appeared live; for other collaborators such as
Dennis HopperDennis Lee Hopper is an American actor, filmmaker and artist, with a career that spanned half of the 20th century. Hopper became interested in acting and eventually became a student of the Actors Studio. He made his first television appearance in 1955, and appeared in two films also featuring...
and
Ibrahim FerrerIbrahim Ferrer was a popular Afro-Cuban singer and musician in Cuba. He performed with many musical groups including the Afro-Cuban All Stars. Later in life, Ferrer became a member of the internationally successful Buena Vista Social Club...
, recordings were used) and Damon Albarn performing songs from the album live on those five nights at the
Manchester Opera HouseThe Opera House in Quay Street, Manchester, England is a 1,920 seater commercial touring theatre which plays host to touring musicals, ballet, concerts and a spectactular Christmas pantomime. It is the sister to the Palace Theatre which is a similar venue in nearby Oxford Street at its junction...
. The visual element of the evenings was provided by Gorillaz co-creator Jamie Hewlett and displayed on screens on the stage, and the artists performed in front of the screens, with Damon Albarn in silhouette form for most of the concert (unlike previous concerts, where the musicians were behind the screens, with only silhouettes visible). The event was filmed by an EMI film crew for a
DVDDVD, also known as Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc,is an optical disc storage media format, and was founded in 1995. Its main uses are video and data storage...
release,
Demon Days LiveDemon Days: Live at the Manchester Opera House is a Grammy Award nominated live DVD by Gorillaz, released 27 March 2006 in the UK...
, in late March 2006. It was later announced that an American version of the event would take place from 2 April to 6 April 2006 at the famed
Apollo TheaterThe Apollo Theater in New York City is one of the most famous music halls in the United States, and the most famous club associated almost exclusively with African-American performers. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and is the home of Showtime at the Apollo, a...
in
HarlemHarlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, long known as a major African-American residential, cultural, and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands.Harlem has been defined by a series...
. Within an hour of release tickets were sold out. The 6 April show was filmed for a live
webcastA webcast is a media file distributed over the Internet using streaming media technology. A webcast may either be distributed live or on demand...
at
MSN VideoMSN Video is an internet video streaming service created and run by Microsoft. It features various content, including music videos,news video,sports videos, movie videos, JibJab, iFilm picks and other viral videos, original content, TV shows such as Arrested Development, and news shorts...
. Palladia (then known as MHD) also broadcasted an Apollo Theater show in
HDTVHigh-definition television is a digital television broadcasting system with higher resolution than traditional television systems...
on 31 December 2006.
For the band's live performances at the 2005/2006 award shows, a different visual effects technique was used to project the band onto the stage: similar to the
Pepper's ghostPepper's ghost is an illusionary technique used in theater and in some magic tricks. Using a plate glass and special lighting techniques, it can make objects seem to appear or disappear, or make one object seem to "morph" into another.-Illusion:...
trick, the
Musion EyelinerThe Musion Eyeliner is a modern commercial variation of a stage illusion called Pepper's ghost, using high definition video projection or LED screens to allow moving images to appear within a live stage setting....
system allowed animations of the band to be projected on transparent film placed in front of the stage, creating the appearance that the band members were actually present on the stage. The first such performance by the band was made on 3 November 2005, the third night of the
Demon Days LiveDemon Days: Live at the Manchester Opera House is a Grammy Award nominated live DVD by Gorillaz, released 27 March 2006 in the UK...
performances, when the band simultaneously appeared at the
2005 MTV Europe Music AwardsThe 2005 MTV Europe Music Awards were presented on November 3rd in Lisbon, Portugal. These were the 12th time the MTV Europe Music Awards have been presented. The host was Sacha Baron Cohen as Borat Sagdiyev...
in
Lisbon, PortugalLisbon is the capital and largest city of Portugal. It is also the seat of the district of Lisbon and the main city of the Lisbon region...
and performed their song "
Feel Good Inc."Feel Good Inc." is a song by Gorillaz, on their album Demon Days, featuring De La Soul. The song was released as the lead single from the album on May 9, 2005 in the United Kingdom . "Feel Good Inc." peaked at #2 in the UK Singles Chart and #14 in the U.S., at the time the band's highest positions...
". At the
2006 Grammy AwardsThe 48th Annual Grammy Awards took place on February 8, 2006 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Irish rock band U2 were the big winners, winning five awards including Album of the Year...
, held on 8 February 2006, Gorillaz opened the show using the same technique, sharing the stage with a virtual
MadonnaMadonna is an American recording artist, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, and raised in Rochester Hills, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977, for a career in modern dance...
. Their performance was a
mash-upA mashup, bootleg or blend is a song or composition created by blending two or more songs, usually by overlaying the vocal track of one song seamlessly over the music track of another.- Synonyms :...
of the Gorillaz' "
Feel Good Inc."Feel Good Inc." is a song by Gorillaz, on their album Demon Days, featuring De La Soul. The song was released as the lead single from the album on May 9, 2005 in the United Kingdom . "Feel Good Inc." peaked at #2 in the UK Singles Chart and #14 in the U.S., at the time the band's highest positions...
" and Madonna's "
Hung Up"Hung Up" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Madonna and producer Stuart Price for her tenth studio album Confessions on a Dance Floor. Initially used in a number of television advertisements and serials, the song was released as the album's lead single on October 17, 2005...
". However, there was a slight problem concerning the projections. The music on all of these occasions was rather low in volume, which Jamie Hewlett revealed to be a flaw with the Musion Eyeliner system: if the music was too loud, the screens reflecting the band on stage would vibrate, making their images blurry. This happened with the mash-up performance with Madonna's "Hung Up". A week later, on 15 February 2006, Gorillaz performed their song "
Dirty Harry"Dirty Harry" is a song from Gorillaz' second album Demon Days. It was the third single from the album, released 21 November 2005. It peaked at #6 in the UK. It was also released as a promo and onto iTunes earlier that year. An early version of "Dirty Harry" titled "I Need A Gun" was included on...
" at the
2006 BRIT AwardsThe 2006 BRIT Awards were the 26th edition of the biggest annual pop music awards in the United Kingdom. They are run by the British Phonographic Industry and took place on 15 February 2006 in Earls Court Exhibition Centre, London. It attracted 4.70 million viewers, one of the lowest viewed...
, with Bootie Brown and the Children's Choir San Fernandez. This concert had giant versions of the video clips on large screens, with Bootie Brown and the Children's Choir San Fernandez to either side of the screens. A similar, but not completely identical, version of this performance was shown on
Friday Night with Jonathan RossFriday Night with Jonathan Ross is a comical chat show presented by Jonathan Ross. It is on the British terrestrial TV channel BBC One and is broadcast at 10.35pm on Friday nights. It was first shown on 2 November 2001 and is in it's seventeenth series...
and the video was projected at the 2006 Designer of the Year Award exhibition, which Jamie Hewlett later won.
A world tour was planned using the hologram technology described above. However, due to extreme costs and fine technical difficulties, the tour was cancelled.
External links
- Gorillaz.com (Official website, requires Flash
Adobe Flash is a multimedia platform originally acquired by Macromedia and currently developed and distributed by Adobe Systems. Since its introduction in 1996, Flash has become a popular method for adding animation and interactivity to web pages...
)
- Fans.Gorillaz.com (Official fansite)