Gorillaz, Glasgow review: 'a bittersweet celebration'
Gorillaz paid tribute to absent friends with a mixture of soothing invocations, happy jams and charming tunes, writes Fiona Shepherd
Gorillaz, Hydro, Glasgow ★★★★
The Hydro could hardly have been more packed with fans of all ages to commune with an unlikely cartoon supergroup. Musically, Gorillaz are about as far from K-Pop Demon Hunters as you could imagine and they have long dropped the pretence that their lead singer is a lanky blue-haired avatar called 2D who just happens to sound exactly like Damon Albarn.
Instead, Albarn led a full live band - many in combat fatigues and CND insignia - incorporating tabla, sitar and bansuri (Indian flute) and four gospel singers into a more conventional rock line-up, while Jamie Hewlett’s ravishing animated visuals depicted 2D, Noodle, Russel and Murdoc on the spiritual pilgrimage that is new album, The Mountain.
The career-spanning show opened with the hypnotic raga title track, enhanced with the wise words of guru Dennis Hopper, beaming in from beyond the grave. He was not the only late friend to cast a friendly shadow over this bittersweet celebration - Mark E Smith, drummer Tony Allen and the soul force of nature that was Bobby Womack were all given their place in the Gorillaz pantheon while absent but still very much alive friends Sparks enhanced the chirpy authoritarianism of Happy Dictator.
Rapper Black Thought, Super Furry Animals frontman Gruff Rhys and Syrian singer Omar Souleyman also made onscreen cameos while in-person Idles frontman Joe Talbot, rappers Yasiin Bey (aka Mos Def), Trueno and especially Bootie Brown injected spasms of energy into a set of soothing invocations, happy jams and charming tunes.
The urgent indie garage of Tranz and soulful house ecstasy of Andromeda galvanized the crowd along with the inexorable bassline of Stylo, the haunted funk of Dirty Harry and the fabulous fidgety Feel Good Inc, featuring De La Soul’s Posdnuos.
Along the way, Albarn slipped in his thanks to Simple Minds (“an important part of my journey”) before the eclectic set circled back to a bass-heavy rendition of debut single Clint Eastwood.
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