The Mountain by GORILLAZ must be listened to live – Rockon.it

Article by Umberto Scaramozzino

The second day of the second weekend of the festival The First Summerperhaps the richest of the entire billboard, boasts one of the most coveted headliners of the year, namely i Gorillaz. The artistic laboratory of Damon Albarn And Jamie Hewlett is currently touring the world in support of his ninth studio album, “The Mountain,” and lands at BussolaDomani Park Of Lido di Camaiore for the first of two Italian dates.

Attending a Damon Albarn concert with Gorillaz offers a totally different experience than that of those who had the privilege of admiring him with Blur. Especially in this surprising new phase, in which the project has transformed into a celebration of death and therefore of life, with very strong influences from Indian culture, both in traditional sounds and in spirituality. The passing of Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett's respective fathers, as well as the choice to record the album a Varanasithe holiest city in India, have meant that an album has almost become a parallel project, of which this tour is its most complete expression. Which is why anyone who appreciates The Mountain must necessarily listen to it live.

One thing that can only happen at a Gorillaz concert is the audience's wild and enthusiastic reaction to the appearance of the animated characters on the giant screens. When 2 appear-D, Murdoc Niccals, Noodle and Russel Hobbsthe virtual members of Gorillaz, the audience explodes in a roar that would normally be reserved for a real rock star or pop star. But it is not surprising, because those features and those colors outline a narrative world that over the last decades has been able to intercept both the taste and the sensitivity of millions of people all over the world. For a long time now these antiheroes have escaped even a little from the control of their authors, as in any self-respecting great work.

But they are the Indian sound contaminations the skeleton that holds up the entire show. On the stage, among the fourteen musicians who crowd it and fill it with colors and suggestions, we also find the flutes Of Ajay Prasanna and the sitar (which in the studio version is played by Anoushka Shankardaughter of the legendary Ravi Shankar), as a splendid integration of the already very rich arsenal that makes up the monumental band. Directing this chaos is always him, Damon Albarn, who sheds the guise of the exuberant and explosive frontman with which we saw him with Blur, to become the unpredictable but calm ringmaster of Gorillaz.

Albarn's moments of almost meditative concentration alternate with small moments of madness, stimulated by the continuous succession of the evening's guests. Take turns Kara Jackson, Pauline Black, Yasiin Bey and Bootie Brown they take the stage, arriving with the exhilaration of wrestlers cheering on the crowd as they race to the ring to cause shock and wonder. It is an irresistible show, which gives the measure of what it actually is imposing the creation of the two British artists.

You should close your eyes and try to forget about the life around you to let yourself be carried away on this incomparable sensorial journey. But no: your eyes must remain wide open, because the visual evolution, reproduced on the giant screens during the concert, is equally fundamental. The focus is “The Mountain, the Moon Cave and the Sad God”, an animated short film of approximately 8 minutes directed by Jamie Hewlett and released to coincide with the release of the album.

In this gem of contemporary animation we see the members of the most famous cartoon band ever climbing a sacred mountain, facing hostile jungles and psychedelic visions. A concept so solid and successful that it creates almost no gap with the best of the past repertoire, thus avoiding the “greatest hits” effect that penalizes long-lasting bands that intend to remain relevant.

To be honest, there is a segment that is difficult to compare with the rest of the setlist, and Damon Albarn and his musicians tackle it a few minutes from the end, when they play two pieces one after the other which alone could be worth an entire discography. Two global hits that haven't aged a single day: “Feel Good Inc.” and “Clint Eastwood”, both enriched by this further multi-ethnic reincarnation of Gorillaz.

Perhaps the studio work was already enough to confirm it, but this tour makes the statement even more peremptory: Gorillaz, almost thirty years after their foundation, are still one of the most interesting, eclectic and fresh musical projects on the world scene.