Vol. 124
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Tag: Gorillaz
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Gorillaz
‘The Mountain’
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GORILLAZ – THE MOUNTAIN – ALBUM REVIEW
Since playing the record in full at the “mystery” show during their House of Kong exhibition, the hype for ‘The Mountain’ has steadily risen. New Gorillaz albums always hit a bit different, and this new collection already feels like a monumental release for the group.
With much writing and recording happening in India, the influence of the regions culture is central to the sonic ambience of this album and helps to give these songs a unique identity compared to the big hitters in the Gorillaz back catalogue. This is of course still a celebration of world music; as recent Gorillaz albums have been.
Thematically, ‘The Mountain’ is very much a conceptual record based around the themes of life, death and the afterlife. This leads to some of their most emotive work to date with songs which we will all unfortunately be able to relate to.
As with any Gorillaz record, this is a collaborative project with many guests strewn across the album including Sparks, IDLES and Johnny Marr. A particularly nice touch though considering the themes of the record is the inclusion of unused vocal takes from previous collaborators who are sadly no longer with us such as Bobby Womack, David Jolicoeur, Mark E. Smith, Dennis Hopper and Tony Allen.
WATCH THE VIDEO FOR ‘THE HARDEST THING’
The collection is an album in the truest sense. Cohesively built and designed to be enjoyed as it’s put down. For those needing a reminder of how we used to do things before short-form media – that means to listen to the album uninterrupted, in order, from track one to fifteen. The album is a long one, needing your undivided attention, but it does reward you for your time completely with a fully immersive listening experience.
If you are viewing ‘The Mountain’ through modern music consumption lenses, then you’d say that the album is bloated and some fat needs to be trimmed, for example you’d say a near five-minute intro track is unnecessarily elaborate. That really isn’t the point of this album though! Every element adds to the grandiose, intense and spiritual aesthetic that gives the album its heart and soul.
What is somewhat amusing is that this is the album that has taken Gorillaz into Stadiums and it will be fascinating to see how the album is absorbed into their big summer shows, which tend to attract more casual fans.
That is a question for then though and the only question now is how Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewitt continue to evolve one of the most evolved projects in music. The term genius is thrown around too much, but you have to sit in awe at the pure creative force of nature that Gorillaz has become!
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All Points East
Victoria Park, London
Friday 19th August 2022
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ALL POINTS EAST – FESTIVAL REVIEW
All Points East is once again taking over Victoria Park in London for a series of huge shows and community activities. The event which debuted in 2018 has brought some of the most critically acclaimed acts in the world to London over the years, and this year will include performances from The Chemical Brothers, Kraftwerk, Tame Impala, The National, Disclosure and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.
Night one plays host to iconic ensemble Gorillaz, but first fans have to battle transport issues created by strikes affecting buses, overground, underground trains. Coldplay’s show tonight at Wembley Stadium is postponed to support fan attendance, but All Points East decide to press ahead with little acknowledgement of the issues.
Almost certainly some fans will have thought twice about the journey, however as we arrive at the festival site around dinner time it is clear that many thousands have managed to navigate the issues. Attendance today is far from full, however is far greater than we perhaps expected given the challenges.
This is a highly corporate festival and this comes across in the atmosphere. There are plenty of music fans in attendance but also more than enough people clearly just looking for a very expensive place to drink in the sun with their friends! With only cans of beer available from most bars, I’d suggest a 24 pack from the supermarket, a decent stereo and a garden would’ve been a better option for some.
Watch ‘Kerosene!’ from Yves Tumor on Youtube
Upon arrival we force ourselves through the picnic benches and corporate sponsors to the ‘West’ Stage where Yves Tumor is strutting their stuff much to either the delight or bemusement of those in attendance. Tumor’s eccentric electronic rock is a great way to get into the festival spirit and helps to remind us that we are actually here for some live music!
There are many stages of varying sizes at All Points East, but for tonight we need to dart between the two main stages. These are at opposite ends of the site, but we are able to get between them in under five minutes with the utilisation of a power walk.
Watch ‘TURNSTILE LOVE CONNECTION’ from Turnstile on Youtube
It’s therefore to the ‘East’ stage next for us and American hardcore punks Turnstile. This is a group making noise both literally and figuratively with latest album, ‘Glow On’, bringing new eyes and bigger audiences for the band.
The critical acclaim achieved by ‘Glow On’ has certainly helped the band grow, but their live shows have ensured that once you take a look at them, you don’t want to look away. Today the band feel at home on the big stage and their performance is once again captivating and engaging.
The setlist is dominated by ‘Glow On’ tonight which is no surprise, and once their time is finished fans are left in awe of what they have just witnessed. So would we be if we didn’t now need to race back to the ‘West’ stage for another incredible live act, IDLES!
Watch ‘Never Fight A Man With A Perm’ from IDLES on Youtube
IDLES are one of the most visceral and enthralling acts to emerge in the last decade. Four stunning albums into what promises to be a legendary career, the band attract a big crowd to the far end of the festival site.
It’s also an impassioned crowd as they let go with their heroes to the likes of ‘Mother’, ‘Never Fight A Man With A Perm’, ‘A Hymn’ and ‘The Wheel’. IDLES are a force of nature once they hit the stage and they somehow manage to make an enormous corporate field feel like a tiny little club show.
Their performance tonight is headline quality with closing duo ‘Danny Nedelko’ and ‘Rottweiler’ eliciting a rapturous response from the crowd. The connection between IDLES and their fans is a beautiful thing to witness and surely soon enough they will be the final act of these sized events.
It’s a hard thing for any act to follow IDLES, but that is exactly what Gorillaz must do next. Thankfully for them they are the brainchild of Damon Albarn who has a natural ability to control a festival crowd.
Watch ‘Clint Eastwood’ from Gorillaz on Youtube
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Albarn is joined in Gorillaz by a collection of extremely talented musicians who together bring the vision to life. For over twenty years now the music of Gorillaz has pushed boundaries, experimented and brought together collaborators from all walks of musical life. Tonight the group showcase this to an expectant All Points East audience starting with ‘M1 A1’ and ‘Last Living Souls’.
The overall setlist tonight is heavy on the ‘Demon Days’ and ‘Plastic Beach’ albums, but it is a career-spanning set with early favourite ’19-2000’ arriving early in the show.
As you’d probably expect the bigger hits elicit the biggest reactions today, perhaps more noticeably so with this cosmopolitan crowd. Another influence on the crowd reaction measuring scale is the plethora of special guests that Gorillaz are able to bring out. The biggest surprise comes with Tame Impala joining Gorillaz and Bootie Brown on new song ‘New Gold’.
We are also treated to Shaun Ryder and Rowetta on ‘DARE’, Paul Simonon on ‘Plastic Beach’ and De La Soul on ‘Feel Good Inc’, not to mention appearances from Popcaan, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Moonchild Sanelly, Mos Def and Sweetie Irie. Yes there is a real party feel to the show tonight as Gorillaz parade their friends.
All this makes for a very memorable evening that draws to a close with ‘Clint Eastwood’. In just a few hours we’ve witness four fantastic acts all presenting their art in their own unique ways. All Points East may feel overly commercial at times but nobody can doubt their ability to curate some of the most eclectic and quality line-ups on offer by UK festivals.
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