Sorry for the delay in news y’all! I’ve had a bit of a holly jolly break from the internet. Here’s what’s been going on lately!
- Song Machine LIVE!
- Backstage Bitez and Party Playlist
- The Lost Chord Trailer
- Murdoc’s on the Air – Again!
- Damon in Rolling Stone
- Jamie and Damon AMA
- Noodle on the WAVE Mag Cover
- Noodle Discogs Interview/Playlist
- Russel Hypebeast Interview with Earthgang
- Shipment Details
Song Machine LIVE!
Gorillaz absolutely blew fans away with their three-show livestream this past weekend. These performances felt so authentically ‘Gorillaz’ — Damon hamming it up in huge pineapple sunglasses and a set design oozing with Jamie’s humor had me smiling the whole time.
The set had a good number of guests – some in hologram form, some in cartoon form, and some in person:
Opium and Momentary Bliss live were big high points, along with a cozy and acoustic “encore” at the end of the show. Here’s what Consequence of Sound had to say about the shows:
Not only were the songs themselves replicated almost perfectly — with slight variations surely apparent to diehard devotees — but the lengths to which Albarn, Hewlett, and company went to embody the band’s entire aesthetic (sound, look, and feel) was breathtaking. They really went all out to give viewers everything they’d get at an actual Gorillaz concert, producing an endlessly rewatchable experience that proves not only how singular Gorillaz remain, but also how remarkable streaming shows can be moving forward.
Setlist:
Strange Timez (with Robert Smith)
The Valley of the Pagans
The Lost Chord (with Leee John)
Pac-Man
MLS
The Pink Phantom
Opium
Aries (with Peter Hook and Georgia)
Dead Butterflies (with Kano)
Désolé
Momentary Bills (with slowthai and Slaves)
Fire Coming Out of the Monkey’s Head (with Matt Berry)
Acoustic B-Stage
Last Living Souls
Dracula
Don’t Get Lost in Heaven
Demon Days
Clint Eastwood (with Sweetie Irie)
If you missed the shows this past weekend, they have been uploaded here:
Backstage Bitez and Party Playlist
To get peeps hyped up for the trio of shows, Gorillaz released some backstage snippets, as well as a party playlist on Spotify.
The Lost Chord Trailer
It looks like we are in for an absolute treat on Christmas Eve — a return to Plastic Beach with the episode for The Lost Chord!
Murdoc’s On The Air – Again!
Just like Pirate Radio, Murdoc came back on the air to deliver the finale of the Apple Radio series. This time with EXTRA special guests — Damon and Jamie!
You can listen to the full recording of the show here:
Damon in Rolling Stone
Damon appeared in Rolling Stone, looking back on 20 years of Gorillaz brilliance, as well as into the future.
Now, with this, I suppose we’re taking it to another realm, where you’re not quite sure what’s real and what isn’t. In a way, we’re playing with the idea of a TV show. If this goes well, maybe we’ll make more TV specials, and do something that’s completely lacking out there, which is a really cool music show that highlights new, old, eclectic [artists]. There’s not much of that around.
So much potential for future Gorillaz!
Jamie and Damon AMA
In preparation for their upcoming Song Machine Live shows, D and J took to Reddit to answer some fan questions. They got to the important stuff, like what their favorite cheeses are…
Noodle on the WAVE Mag Cover
In addition to the beautiful new art we’ve seen in the Almanac (see Shipment Details), we enjoyed this new image of Noodle on the cover of WAVE Magazine. 😍
Noodle Discogs Interview/Playlist
Speaking of Noodle, Discogs caught up with her to find out about her record collection, as well as her recent playlist of music. Read the interview here!
Russel Hypebeast Interview with Earthgang
Gearing up towards the livestream event, Russel x Hypebeast interviewed Earthgang, the stars of Opium. Read the interview here!
Shipment Details
Finally, after months of waiting and delays, the almanac has been shipping out. Z2 has acknowledged that because the Super Deluxe will be delayed until January, fans who bought it from their site will also be shipped a regular hardcover version as compensation. Here’s what they said about the status of the books:
You’ve probably received your Almanac by now, but if not, you can see what it looks like below (spoilers!!)
Gorillaz/Warner also acknowledged their shipping issues with a message on Twitter. Fans were relieved that they are now attempting to rectify a lot of the customer service problems people have experienced this year!
Gorillazland 