Years have passed since the early days of Gorillaz, when the real musicians behind the cartoon band remained hidden from view onstage. Yet some things never change, and while there was plenty of cheering for the arrival of Damon Albarn onstage, it was dwarfed by the roars for the first appearances of 2-D, Murdock, Russel and Noodle on giant video screens overlooking the stage.
Those cheers came from a wildly diverse crowd, from kids with their parents to Britpop stalwarts who have presumably followed Albarn ever since. Perhaps some of the younger fans were drawn by the anime style of the band, especially as material from this year's "The Mountain" album was accompanied by videos showing stylish stories playing out on those large screens. Or perhaps they just liked good tunes.
Whatever the case, they could enjoy the night as a visual feast. At one stage Albarn namedropped Simple Minds, an act unlikely to have been on anyone’s bingo card for a mention. Yet Jim Kerr and his stadium rock cohorts would surely have appreciated the sheer spectacle on display here, from the band’s rolling music videos to vibrant, throbbing lights displays and occasionally some surreal additions - like a Muppets esque character who wandered onstage a couple of times, complete with a big red button for Albarn to press.
The songs themselves carried equal colour and character. Opening with the mystical vibe of the new album's title track, this presented both a sitar opening and an appearance by the head of Dennis Hopper (virtually, thankfully) while the full band - which included four backing singers - eased themselves into the show. It was those backing vocalists who shone the most on the following track, with “The Happy Dictator” offering up a dose of call and response gospel, and the more spiritual tones of "The Mountain" album consistently felt grandiose in a large arena setting.
The whole show carried such ease in those surroundings, with the several strong band sounding terrific, not always a guarantee in a building like the Hydro. It meant the group’s genre-hopping was pulled off in dynamic, ever-shifting fashion, going from the fulsome bass and cheerful pop tone of “On Melancholy Hill” to the sleek dancefloor ready engine of “Tranz” and a propulsive groove that powered along the hard-hitting “Stylo”.
This cohesion was perhaps surprisingly, given the scores of guest vocalists who popped up for a number or two, from Idles frontman Joe Talbot giving a hyperactive boost on “The God of Lying” to De La Soul’s Posdnuos giving a storming rendition of “Feel Good Inc” during the encore. Like the rest of the band’s big hitters, including the hip-hop and hymnal fusion of “Dirty Harry” – an anti-war message that sadly remains relevant as now as when first written about the second Gulf war – and the closing, swaggering beat of “Clint Eastwood”, it sparked delirium among an increasingly bouncing crowd.
The band themselves were showing some spring too, with both bassist Seye Adelekan and guitarist Jeff Wooton jerking and jolting themselves around with glee. Amidst this Albarn was a calmer presence, saying little and occasionally venturing towards the crowd. Fittingly, a quieter moment were therefore a stand-out – the dreamy “The Shadowy Light” provoked an unprompted display of phones being held aloft as makeshift lights, the impromptu nature making it a moment to savour.
Of course, there were livelier moments of equal value too, with Michelle Ndegwa delivering a powerhouse vocal throughout “Kids With Guns” and Argentine rapper Trueno stealing the show with an electrifying guest stint on “The Manifesto” during the encore. For all the group are portrayed as cartoons, this was a live experience thrillingly rooted in reality all night.
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