25 years in, Damon Albarn & Co. remain in top form.

When Gorillaz released its self-titled debut album 25 years ago, many didn’t know how to interpret Blur frontman Damon Albarn teaming with Tank Girl creator Jamie Hewlett to create a “virtual band.” Was it a one-off experiment? Was it real music — or music for 3-year-olds, as Oasis’ Liam Gallagher termed it?

The band’s current tour behind its new album The Mountain is, if nothing else, a testament to Albarn’s persistence and genius at creating not so much a band but a musical collective. At Denver’s Ball Arena October 18, Gorillaz opened with the slow, then soaring title track from The Mountain and thundered through a 27-song set that ended with a throwback to that first album and its hit “Clint Eastwood,” featuring the song’s original rapper, Del the Funky Homosapien.

With a quarter-century of signature music videos to draw from, a Gorillaz show is as much a visual experience as an audio one. Hewlett’s depictions of the band’s animated members (2-D, Murdoc, Noodle and Russel) and their antics color every song. Albarn, sporting a beard, a beret and military fatigues in keeping with The Mountain’s “Happy Dictator” song, looked thrilled to be there, often descending into the crowd to shake hands and sign merch while singing.

Gorillaz performs ‘Stylo’ with imagery from the music video in background. | Photo: Alex Miller

The Gorillaz orchestra

From the get-go, Gorillaz has brought in a variety of musicians, rappers and singers to augment its core sound. Reproducing that live is no mean task, and when I first saw Gorillaz live in 2022, I was amazed at the number of personnel onstage. Four years later, things have only expanded.

Sponsored

The sheer size of The Mountain Tour lineup makes it more of an orchestra than a band. I counted four percussionists, three keyboardists, four backup singers, a bassist, guitarists, a bansuri (Indian) flutist — plus Albarn on keys, guitars and melodica, and a rotating cast of guest singers and rappers for individual songs. (Full list here.)

With The Mountain, Gorillaz has added another layer of influence to its sound in the form of classical Indian instrumentation. The album features the bansuri and the sitar as well as some singing in Arabic, Hindi and even Spanish. Rather than gimmicky, the result is an overlay of sadness and nostalgia, born of both Albarn’s and Hewlett’s experience of losing family members during production.

Live, that sound provides a melancholic foundation for the otherwise up-tempo Gorillaz repertoire. Listen to the lyrics and you’ll find many of the themes relate to alienation and escapism, not to mention consumerism and environmental decay. Albarn’s voice has always had a plaintive, little-boy quality to it, and his frequent use of a lo-fi CB-radio mic flattens it even more. Against the enormous sound of the band, it makes for a striking contrast.

Visuals are a key element of Gorillaz live shows. | Photo: Alex Miller

Dream setlist

For Gorillaz fans, The Mountain Tour’s typical setlist is a career-spanning wonder that touches on every era. The signature hooks are instantly recognizable, and the band pumps up every element to make each song almost anthemic. The addition of guest rappers like opener Little Simz on “Garage Palace” and Posdnuos on “Superfast Jellyfish” and “Feel Good Inc.” adds excitement to classic hits that were already bangers. (Full setlist here.)

Meanwhile, the addition of a half-dozen or so songs from the new album affirms the fact that, after 25 years, Gorillaz is not content to rest on its laurels or devolve into a legacy act. Albarn may be the driving force and musical north star for the collective, but he’s also more than willing to share the spotlight with others in studio and onstage. At the Denver show, Gorillaz pulled out all the stops to reward the capacity crowd with a dazzling display of musicianship, camaraderie and respect for the audience that’s followed them for a quarter century.