Semi-fictional band Gorillaz have kicked off their run of four London shows by playing their self-titled debut album in full.
It was the first time the band had performed at their House Of Kong venue, which is housed in the Copper Box Arena at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, and also includes an immersive exhibition giving a behind-the-scenes look at their career.
The band arrived on stage behind a screen playing TV clips from the noughties, and opted to play the record in a different order from its original tracklist, opening with M1 A1.
Midway through the set singer Damon Albarn told the crowd: “It’s a very long time ago this record, a lot’s happened.
“Some of you weren’t born, and all that bollocks.”
Early singles Clint Eastwood, 19-2000, Rock The House, and Tomorrow Comes Today, from the 2001 album, received the loudest cheers of the night, with the crowd singing along to every word.
The group’s sound is beefed up by a live band, punctuated by slashes of guitar, and pummelled by dub vibrations.
Albarn kept words to a minimum except for the odd “thank you”, but stopped and restarted 19-2000 after an error.
He told the crowd: “If I f*** up at any point, no matter how amazing you think I am, everything goes to shit.”
After playing Gorillaz in full, the band returned to play a selection of tracks from their B-sides and remixes album G-Sides, and the concert concluded with Albarn falling to his knees and bowing to the crowd.
The band, which is led by Blur frontman Albarn and Jamie Hewlett, is officially made up of fictional characters 2-D, Murdoc Niccals, Russel Hobbs, and Noodle, who are projected on to a screen during their concerts.
Gorillaz are also set to perform their second album Demon Days (2005) on Saturday and third album Plastic Beach (2010) on Tuesday. A fourth concert at the same venue on Wednesday is billed as a “mystery show” and has been rumoured to be a preview of new music.
Since beginning their career, Gorillaz have had five UK top 10 singles including one number one in Dare, which features Happy Mondays’ Shaun Ryder, along with two UK number one albums.
The band are known for their eclectic music style which merges rap, punk, funk, soul, pop and numerous other sounds, and for their ability to attract high-profile guest appearances on their records, including the likes of the late Lou Reed and The Fall’s late frontman Mark E Smith.
