Last night, Gorillaz began their House Of Kong residency in London, celebrating their 25th anniversary. At the Copper Box Arena, in their first show in over two years, Damon Albarn and co. played through their eponymous 2001 debut album, with album contributors Miho Hatori on vocals for five songs and Kid Koala on turntables throughout.
With the Japanese singer-songwriter and Cibo Matto co-founder, the band did "Re-Hash" for the first time since 2018. On their own, they did "Punk" for the first time since 2018, plus "Sound Check (Gravity)," "Starshine," and "Slow Country" for the first time since 2002. As for live debuts, they did "Double Bass" and B-side "Ghost Train" for the first time ever. Sweetie Irie joined for a reprise of “Clint Eastwood” to close.
Gorillaz have three more shows at the venue. The second will be for Demon Days, the third for Plastic Beach, and the fourth a “mystery show” that will include new music, Albarn recently confirmed. Watch footage from last night below.
@stereogum Last night, @Gorillaz began their 25th anniversary House Of Kong residency at London’s Copper Box Arena, their first show in over two years. The set featured their 2001 self-titled debut played in full, with album contributors Miho Hatori joining on vocals for five songs and Kid Koala on turntables throughout. That meant a bunch of cuts they hadn’t done in decades, and “Double Bass” and B-side “Ghost Train” performed for the first time ever. Sweetie Irie joined for a reprise of “Clint Eastwood” to close. Gorillaz have three more concerts at the venue that’ll see them performing ‘Demon Days,’ ‘Plastic Beach,’ and a “mystery show” that will reportedly feature new music. [?: allthesasyoungmen] #Gorillaz #HouseOfKong #MihoHatori
♬ original sound - stereogum
@glennmatchett Just witnessed Gorillaz tear through their debut album at the Copper Box tonight. First time they’ve done it in years and it felt like stepping back into 2001. Damon was mashed. Pure energy, deep cuts like Ghost Train, and a crowd that knew every word. A truly special show. #Gorillaz #damonalbarn #LiveMusic #GorillazLive ♬ original sound - Glenn Matchett
