Review: Gorillaz Demon Days Live at Copperbox Arena

Amid their four-night run at the Copper Box Arena in East London that marks the last week of their ‘House of Kong’ month-long exhibition, Saturday night saw Gorillaz bring ‘Demon Days’ back to life, start to finish, for the first time since 2005. Twenty years on, the album hasn’t lost any of its weight, and if anything, the full-run performance allowed it to feel even heavier, sharper, louder, and more urgent than ever.

From the moment the band took to the stage and ‘Intro’ started, played live for the first time rather than piped in on the screen, it was clear the tone was going to be serious and expansive. Stark lighting and unsettling visuals cast a shadow across the stage, and Damon Albarn, dressed in black with a preacher-like collar, led the band into that eerie, familiar landscape. What followed was just over an hour of music that felt tightly wound and emotionally charged, performed with a sense of care that made it feel brand new again.

Jamie Hewlett’s unique and highly recognisable visuals – war zones, oil fires, melting landscapes, flickers of surreal animation – deepened everything whilst also highlighting one of the most signature and creative aspects that aided their rise to fame some twenty-five years ago.

A band built on collaboration and known for thriving through it, Gorillaz have always celebrated the creativity that comes from bringing different voices together. Saturday night was no exception, with guest appearances that delivered some of the most memorable moments of the show.

Michelle Ndegwa brought warmth and clarity to ‘Kids With Guns’ while Bootie Brown’s verse on ‘Dirty Harry’, backed by the Lifted Up Community Choir Youth, notably evoked an emotional sense of joy and uplift throughout the room. Skye Edwards returned for ‘All Alone’, a track that hasn’t been played live since 2006. Then came De La Soul with ‘Feel Good Inc.’ – one of the loudest and most iconic moments of the night. Everyone knew every word, and you could feel the years between now and then folding in on themselves.

There was a gripping energy to the whole thing, somewhere between performance and ritual. Albarn moved through different moods, sometimes relaxed and smiling, other times quiet and still. When Shaun Ryder didn’t show up for ‘DARE’, he walked around and by the crowd instead, spraying water and shouting into the air, a chaotic stand-in that felt half serious, half joking.

The last stretch of the album brought the London Community Gospel Choir to the stage, lifting ‘Don’t Get Lost in Heaven’ and the final title track into something bigger, before a brief stage hiatus was followed by an encore that consisted of ’68 State’, ‘We Are Happy Landfill’, ‘Rockit’ and ‘Hong Kong’

The show reflected just how influential and monumental a project like this can be, with everyone in the band knowing they weren’t just bringing something back to life, but reminding us all of its lasting impact. ‘Demon Days’ is still alive, still relevant, iconic, and powerfully nostalgic.

For those of us who grew up with the record, who first heard it on tinny headphones or burned CDs, and those of us (myself) who avidly remember car journeys home after school listening to ‘DARE’ and ‘Dirty Harry’, seeing it like this made it feel more real than ever.

Ten out of ten performance. No notes whatsoever.

Gorillaz, on August 30, at Copper Box Arena played:

‘Intro’ (with Ben Castle) (First time played live instead of from tape)
‘Last Living Souls’
‘Kids With Guns’ (with Michelle Ndegwa)
‘O Green World’ (Damon piano intro; with false start)
‘Dirty Harry’ (with Bootie Brown) (with Lifted Up Community Choir Youth)
‘Feel Good Inc.’ (with De La Soul)
‘El Mañana’
‘Every Planet We Reach Is Dead’
‘November Has Come’ (first time live since 2010)
‘All Alone’ (with Skye Edwards) (first time live since 2006)
‘White Light’
‘DARE’ (with Michelle Ndegwa) (and Rebecca)
‘Fire Coming Out of the Monkey’s Head’
‘Don’t Get Lost in Heaven’ (with “Demon Days” choir intro; with false start)
‘Demon Days’ (with London Community Gospel Choir)
Encore:
‘68 State’
‘We Are Happy Landfill’ (live debut)
‘Rockit’
‘Hong Kong’ (with Qing Du)

Facts and source: NME

On Tuesday, September 2, Gorillaz will perform their third album, ‘Plastic Beach’, in full for the first time since two shows at London’s Roundhouse 15 years ago. The performance will also feature the original visuals from those gigs, bringing the experience back to life.

The final show, on September 3, is being billed by the band as a ‘Mystery Show.’ Details are still under wraps, and it’s unclear whether there will be special guests or which songs will be played, leaving fans eager to find out what’s in store. In a recent interview however, Damon teased new music, so perhaps a setlist including unheard Gorillaz’ tracks could be in the pipleline.