Gorillaz and Beck performed live on the in-game Animal Crossing talk show last night, and you can watch it below. That concept might need a little unpacking – it means that Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett joined Gary Whitta as avatars for a live virtual interview on the talk show that he hosts online via the form of Animal Crossing.
Obviously avatars are second nature to Gorillaz, although 2D, Murdoc and the rest of the gang have a little more character than the round-faced, smiley Nintendo figures. It’s an ambitious crossover though, since they exist on two quite different ends of the same spectrum.
The musicians performed their new collaboration ‘The Valley of the Pagans’ which comes from Gorillaz’s new album Song Machine: Season One – Strange Timez. They were joined by Beck, the collaborator on ‘The Valley of the Pagans’, in The concept of a virtual live performance in this style doesn’t seem likely to replace live music any time soon, but it’s interesting to watch it being executed (and the song is certainly just as good over Animal Crossing). It’s a little less impressive than a fully blown Gorillaz VR extravaganza.
The interview begins at 48 minutes and the performance at 1 hr 27. Whether or not the Animal Crossing aesthetic is for you, the content of the interview is brilliant, with Albarn and Hewlett both very relaxed and honest.
“We share a little bit of creative DNA,” Whitta says, referring to the fact that Gorillaz and Animal Talking both inhabit the virtual world. They also speak about the power of the internet to bring people together, especially in these strange and distanced times. It’s true, that it feels comfortingly like a talk show to see Albarn and Hewlett sat next to one another on a couch, even if digitally.
Gorillaz have played with form since they first burst onto the scene, and Song Machine is no exception. In the press release, virtual Gorillaz member Russel Hobbs declared: “Song Machine is a whole new way of doing what we do, Gorillaz breaking the mould ‘cos the mould got old. World is moving faster than a supercharged particle, so we’ve gotta stay ready to drop. We don’t even know who’s stepping through the studio next. Song Machine feeds on the unknown, runs on pure chaos. So whatever the hell’s coming, we’re primed and ready to produce like there’s no tomorrow.”
‘Season One’ is released in ‘episodes’; the latest, ‘The Valley of the Pagans’, was leaked prior to its official release, but it will be with us soon. Gorillaz have always had stellar collaborations, and this is no different – the line-up features Robert Smith, Slaves, Slowthai, St Vincent and more.
Gorillaz announced a huge show at the The O2 for August 2021. They also committed to returning to the virtual sphere for a live stream event to celebrate the release of their new album, which will take place in December. You can see the dates of their series of real-life shows below.
16/06/21 – Tanzbrunnen – Cologne
18/06 – Parkbühne Wuhlheide – Berlin
01/07 – Rockhal – Luxembourg
11/07 – The O2 – London
