Gorillaz @ EntertainmentCentre, Adelaide (08/12/10)

Fri 10th Dec, 2010 in Gig Reviews

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Gorillaz put on one of the truly awe inspiring shows of our times with a massive band, a huge animation show and a cavalcade of guest acts. One of the shows of a lifetime.

Little Dragon led by Swedish-Japanese singer Yukimi Nagano started the night off with her ambient electronica trip hop. Solid whilst unspectacular, this led into the the De La Soul show which unfortunately was a little underwhelming. Certainly the act know how to rev up a crowd and how to get a party started, but a lot could be said for simply performing songs and working up a bit of a groove and further, a decent dancefloor. Reminiscent of the Missy Elliott Parklife show, there was a lot of talk and a lot less music, although perhaps this could be forgiven, given their later collaboration with Gorillaz.

When the main event hit the stage and the huge Gorillaz sign lit up you could feel a tremor running through the crowd. The silhouetted string section out back and a brass section up front certainly helped things along but when enthused helmsman, Blur icon, Damon Albarn walked up front the crowd treated him with the utmost reverence. Forget the members of The Clash and De La Soul and the other collaborators to come, this was rock royalty in our midst. He knew how to speak to an arena sized crowd and hold their attention and their respect for him was more than evident.

When Gorillaz launched into the show every sonic element was in its place and the whole execution near perfect, often verging on spectacular. The four back up singers were tight, the string section rich and lush and the rhythm section rock solid with two drummers underpinning the whole thing. The James Hewlett animations were a collection of special pieces designed for the live show and the brilliant film clips, especially the epic video for Melancholy Hill, the cool car chase in Stylo. The video of Snoop Dogg brought another layer to the show and was a great way to kick-start the performance.

Highlights were littered throughout the show, but for mine, none more special than key single of this year’s Plastic Beach, Stylo. This performance early in the show was simply riveting. Each part came together perfectly: the Bruce Willis car chase film clip on screen, the ultra cool Mos Def’s slick rap, soul legend Bobby Womack’s blistering vocals and guiding it all along, the pulsating hypnotic Stylo bass line. Feel Good Inc with De La Soul understandably capped off the night although the key guitar part was unfortunately a little low in the mix. This was followed by Clint Eastwood which sent the crowd nuts, half of general admission bouncing off the walls. DARE was another song which translated beautifully live and had a great vibe to it whilst the sweet sounds of Melancholy Hill spread a warmth through the venue. Other notable moments were when support act Little Dragon collaborated on the spectacular Empire Ants and engaged in a touching romantic interplay with Albarn. The key collaborator all night had to be the incredible Bobby Womack who brought a sense of old school authenticity and credibility to the night with his stirring impassioned vocals.

There were times when the animated Gorillaz theme was left behind non quite as evident as the collaboration with members of the Syrian National Orchestra for Arabic Music on White Flag. The performance was certainly polished and well received albeit a little off target given the signature style of Gorillaz.

However all up, the combination of the animated visual on the big screen, Damon Albarn’s leadership, the incredible layers of music and the fantastic collaborators meant this was one concert to last the ages. One of the ones they’ll be talking about for years to come. I know I will be.