Gorillaz – Live Review – Leeds First Direct Arena
By David Schuster, March 2026
If ever there was a band suited to arena performance, then it’s Gorillaz. The larger-than-life virtual quartet of 2-D, Murdoc, Russel and Noodle, literally only exist for the show, conjured into existence by the esoteric talents of Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett. Twenty-seven years on, and they don’t look a day older. Although they now share the stage with quite a retinue of human performers, it’s interesting, and quaintly touching, that the appearance of each of the individual avatars is greeted with the same enthusiasm and applause given to the real life musicians.
Spectacle is the keyword here. A huge curved screen fills the back of the Leeds First Direct arena, creating an immersive setting of ever changing images, many created by Hewlett. This wraps around a stage area formed from a ziggurat of ascending platforms linked by short flights of stairs, reminiscent of the carved summit of Machu Picchu. Appropriate imagery, as this is the tour promoting their latest epic album, The Mountain. The lighting is cleverly designed not to detract from the back projections. Where normal floodlit colours would dim the crisp beauty of the images, instead hundreds of small coloured pin-spotlights are used, providing a kaleidoscopic starry canopy over the stage.
“Brilliantly synchronised”
As with the record, the show opens quietly with the title track. It’s a beautiful refrain, which in keeping with the whole atmosphere of the acclaimed LP, draws heavily on traditional Indian instrumentation. It also highlights that the touring members of the band now also include talented flautist Ajay Prasanna and Bharat Singh on tabla. In fact, including Albarn, the band is comprised of 14 musicians permanently on stage.
However, Gorillaz has always been a very collaborative enterprise. Indeed, there’s a huge range of famous contributors on the latest release including Johnny Marr, Anoushka Shanker, IDLES, Sparks and Paul Simonon. That must pose a huge logistical challenge when planning live shows, not least of which is that several of those talents, such as Mark E. Smith, Bobby Womak and Dennis Hopper, are no longer with us. That’s handled in part by the audio-visuals, with recorded parts brilliantly synchronised into the live performance.
“Enthusiasm”
But, the draw of the opportunity to appear with the band is such that there’s no less than seven guest singers brought on during the course of the evening. So, amongst others, we are treated to appearances from Joe Talbot, of IDLES, on ‘The God of Lying’ and Yasiin Bey (who formally performed as Mos Def) on ‘Stylo’ and the excellent ‘Damascus’. Undoubtedly though, the highlight of the live collaborations tonight was Argentinian rapper Trueno. Albarn takes time out to explain that they first met in Buenos Aires, where the youthful singer was freestyling over ‘Clint Eastwood’. From that meeting, the Gorillaz front-man invited him to take lead vocals on the studio recording of ‘The Manifesto’. Fast forward a year or so and Trueno is not only supporting the band on tour, but also guesting live on this joyful fusion of Eastern and Western indie-pop.
As I said in my review on the release of The Mountain, it’s very much a concept, world-music record. In the concert environment however, some of that holistic coherence is lost. Earlier singles are more bass heavy and, whether by poor sound engineering or acoustics of the arena, at some points the bass elements of the mix overwhelmed the traditional instrumentation that’s central to the album. That niggle aside, the new tracks and old, were received with the same enthusiasm by the widely varied age demographic, which is always good to see.
“Obvious joy”
Other outstanding moments from a generous two hour, 25-song set, included the electro-pop ‘The Happy Dictator’, the aptly named ‘Delirium’ featuring the menacing voice of Mark E. Smith, both from this latest release, and ‘Kids with Guns’ from their second album Demon Days.
Despite the magnificence and technical skill of the show, it’s the human contribution that sticks in the mind; the sparkling sea of mobile-lights swaying with the audience to ‘The Shadowy Light’, or rapper Posdnuos encouraging us all to our feet for ‘Feel Good Inc.’. It was also lovely to see Trueno’s obvious joy at being unexpectedly invited back on stage by Damon, on his twenty-fourth birthday, to reprise his freestyle rap from their first meeting over the closing encore. Indeed, Albarn’s charismatic presence is the glue that binds all the show’s disparate components together.
The live performance of The Mountain and listening to the album are two very different and complimentary experiences. The record is more reflective, the gigs more flamboyant and dynamic. Treat yourself to both.
images: Matt Eachus
David Schuster describes himself as an “adventurer, collector, musician and writer. Not necessarily in that order.” Growing up west of the Pennine hills of the UK and living his adult life east of them, he’s inclined to think that the Wars of the Roses were a mistake. David loves discovering new bands and musicians and is happiest listening to live music. He has travelled extensively in the UK and is fascinated by the variety, history and landscapes of the thousands of islands that comprise the British Isles. David is always reassured when online shops confirm that he’s not a robot.
