Gorillaz will take to the streets of London for a groundbreaking performance of their new track “Skinny Ape”, in which the city streets will be transformed into one giant stage in a first-of-its-kind immersive experience.  Gorillaz members Murdoc, 2D, Noodle and Russel will tower over audiences in the streets below in the forms of their iconic animated avatars, with the famous skyline of Piccadilly Circus as a backdrop.  The performance will take place at 14:00 GMT on the 18th December.

Another “Skinny Ape” performance is scheduled to take place on the 17th December in Time Square.

The London show will be directed by artist and Gorillaz co-creator Jamie Hewlett, and Emmy-nominated Fx Goby (To Build a Fire, En Tus Brazos, Back to the Moon).  Both it and its New York counterpart are created by Nexus Studios, using Google’s ARCore Geospatial API to transform the physical performance venues.

Check out the trailer for the immersive experience, in which we catch a first glimpse of the larger-than-life animated characters roaming the city streets.

In a press release talking about the new shows, Gorillaz bassist Murdoc Niccals said, “Thanks to the techies at Google, we’ve created the music video event of the century, so don your pink robes and come see Gorillaz like you’ve never seen us before. The future is nigh!”

“Skinny Ape” is the fourth single from Gorillaz’ new album, Cracker Island, scheduled for release 24th February 2023 on Gorilaz Productions, Parlophone and Warner records.  The new album will be the eighth full studio album by the English virtual band.  The “Skinny Ape” single was debuted on Gorillaz’ 2022 World Tour, and has already become a firm favourite with fans.

The band are in good company on the album, which features contributions from Stevie Nicks, Adeleye Omotayo, Thundercat, Tame Impala, Bad Bunny, Bootie Brown and Beck.  Eight-time Grammy-award-winning multi-instrumentalist/ singer-songwriter Greg Kurstin produced the album, along with Gorillaz and Remi Kabaka Jr.  Cracker Island’s ten tracks were recorded in London and Los Angeles earlier this year.

You can preorder the new album here, and check out the official audio for new single “Skinny Ape” below.