Category: Gorillaz

Musical band Gorillaz is a unique phenomenon in the history of music – it’s a virtual band with real voices. It was created by Damon Albarn, a Blur frontman, and his friend, graphic artist Jamie Hewlett who takes care of illustration and visuals. It consists of four different fictional individuals with long and complicated histories. The lead vocalist of the band is 2-D, his real name Stuart Pot, whose singing voice is Albarn’s in reality. 2-D can be playing the keyboards alongside with Noodles. Son of a mechanic and a nurse, 2-D wasn’t the smartest boy yet a good person. It was Murdoc that blinded him. And he got his nickname, 2-D, from Murdoc, which stands for two dents in his head.
Murdoc Niccals is the king of bass guitar and the founder of the band – he plays the drum machine as well. It’s an aggressive type of person with cruelty in his blood. Lead guitar is played by the only girl in a band, Noodle – its female vocalist and the last but the biggest member is Russel Hobbs responsible for drums and percussion. In 1998 they all appeared in the Kong Studios creating one of the most popular bands in the world. Gorillaz’s music clips explain their relationships, history, adventures, and their universe in general. The mastermind behind their music is mostly Albarn who works in collaborations with other musicians. All in all, they have released five albums and numerous videos.
Their first music video – Tomorrow Comes Today – was released in 2000 on their album of the same name. This video introduces band members in their animated versions. A lot of artwork made by Banksy are presented, and of course, the audience can spot a big red gorilla several times during the video. It is their next single, Clint Eastwood, that made them famous. This is an allusion to one of the most successful Eastwood’s films – The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. Out of nowhere, huge tombstones appear from the ground, and the cemetery rises around the band. The spirit of Del comes from beneath Russel’s cap saying that he’s finally out implying that evil is released. Zombie gorillas come from the underground and attack Murdoc, but Noodle punches one of the gorillas in the face, and that macabre dance stops. The scenery becomes bright and sunny.
The second album of Gorillaz Demon Days hit the spotlights tremendously, and their single Feel Good Inc. became a landmark. There is a flying island with Noodles and a Feel Good Inc. tower where 2-D is closed – it symbolizes freedom and people who have awakened from media pressure. 2-D is doing his best to wake people from their zombie-like state – he yells at them like politicians do, though a megaphone. The Windmill is powering a land like in the Castle in the Sky by Miyazaki. 2-D is lying in the tower repeating “Feel Good” all the time trying to convince himself that everything is alright.
El Manana or Tomorrow in Spanish is the continuation of this video showing how the Noodle’s island was attacked by heavy military helicopters. Noodle was floating peacefully when they appeared and started to fire from machine guns. Eventually, her island falls into the canyon, and an additional bomb from the helicopter destroys it completely. There is a dim depiction of a parachute jumper in the smoke. So maybe Noodle managed to escape death. All members of the team consider her to be dead and Murdoc even creates Cyborg Noodle to replace her. This is not the end of their story, which has an extensive history ahead…