Gorillaz joined by special guests as they play Demon Days album in full
By Matthew George, PA
Gorillaz turned back the clock 20 years as they played their acclaimed second album Demon Days in full in east London on Saturday.
The band, created by Blur frontman Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, debuted the album with a run of gigs at Manchester Opera House in 2005, which took their live show to a new level.
Today, they performed it at the Copper Box Arena on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, where their immersive House of Kong exhibition is being staged.
When they played Demon Days in Manchester, special guests performing their parts on the album included Ike Turner, Happy Mondays singer Shaun Ryder and Neneh Cherry.
In London, Bootie Brown reprised his rap on crowd favourite Dirty Harry, upping the energy levels.
And De La Soul returned for a rapturously received Feel Good Inc, one of the album’s most popular tracks.
The crowd sang along to the opening salvo of Last Living Souls and Kids With Guns.
O Green World was played against the backdrop of a Hewlett animation as Albarn sat at his keyboard.
The frontman said little other than “rewind” during Fire Coming Out Of The Monkey’s Head, with the band starting again.
And during number one single DARE, when he has little to do as Ryder does most of the singing on the big screen, he went into the crowd and threw beer at them, which is very much in the spirit of Happy Mondays.
The finale saw London Community Gospel Choir on stage for an emotional version of Demon Days itself.
Gorillaz returned for a three-song encore, including Rockit from the 2007 D-Sides compilation album, and Hong Kong, featuring Qing Du playing a guzheng, a traditional Chinese zither, before everyone involved took a well-earned bow.
Gorillaz are playing four shows at the venue, which hosted events at the 2012 Olympics, with self-titled 2001 debut performed in full but in a different order from the original track list on Friday.
After a couple of days to recover, they take on third album Plastic Beach (2010) on Tuesday.
And there’s a “mystery show” on Wednesday, which has been rumoured to be a preview of new music, with the House Of Kong exhibition hinting at a forthcoming LP.
The band is officially made up of fictional characters 2-D, Murdoc Niccals, Russel Hobbs and Noodle, who are projected onto a screen during their concerts.
Gorillaz have had five UK top 10 singles and two UK number one albums, merging rap, punk, funk, soul, pop and numerous other sounds.
They have collaborated with dozens of high-profile musicians ranging from the late Lou Reed, soul pioneer Mavis Staples and Sir Elton John.