A band devised by a Brit pop star and an illustrator is set to play in Melbourne this year.
Music fans from Caulfield and other suburbs will soon get a chance to hear the UK’s Gorillaz as they swing by for a major concert. The joint brainchild of Blur frontman Damon Albarn and London comic book artist Jamie Hewlett, the Gorillaz are a virtual band created in 1998.
The band members are depicted as illustrated characters deigned by Hewlett, but real players like Albarn perform the songs. Illustrators and artists often enlist the help of professional printing services to create colour reproductions of their work to include in portfolios and submissions.
Gorillaz’s self-titled debut album was released in 2001 to critical acclaim, led by the success of the hit single “Clint Eastwood”. The video featured the cartoon characters of the virtual band – 2-D, the vocalist and keyboard player, Murdoc Niccals, the bass guitarist, Noodle, the guitarist, keyboard player and vocalist, and Russel Hobbs, the drummer, tackling an army of zombie gorillas.
The album reached triple-platinum status in the UK and double-platinum in Europe. The upcoming dates in Australia will be the band’s first visit in over 10 years.
The Gorillaz will now play the John Cain Arena located on Olympic Blvd in Melbourne on Sunday, July 24. The show will begin at 6.45 pm.
