Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett first met when Graham Coxon asked Hewlett to interview Blur for Deadline. The meeting later became the foundation for their virtual-band collaboration.
Albarn and Hewlett began sharing a flat on Westbourne Grove in London, a living situation that set the stage for the Gorillaz concept to form soon after.
The idea for Gorillaz emerged as a pointed commentary on the emptiness they felt watching MTV—they decided to create a “manufactured” virtual band as a critique of manufactured pop culture.
Musician Damon Albarn, co-creator of Gorillaz
The band’s earliest identity was “Gorilla,” and one of the first songs they recorded was “Ghost Train,” later released as a B-side to “Rock the House”.
Albarn recorded much of the self-titled debut at his newly opened Studio 13 in London and at Geejam Studios in Jamaica—helping shape Gorillaz’ cross-genre approach from the start.
The EP Tomorrow Comes Today was released, and its music video introduced the virtual band members to the public for the first time—crucial to the project’s “band-as-worldbuilding” identity.
Albarn brought in hip-hop producer Dan the Automator to help finish the debut album, locking in Gorillaz’ template of high-profile, unexpected collaborations.
Producer Dan the Automator, who helped finish Gorillaz (album)
Gorillaz (album) was released and became a major commercial breakthrough, eventually selling over 7 million copies worldwide—propelled by “Clint Eastwood”.
On the early Gorillaz Live shows, Albarn and the touring band performed hidden behind a giant screen while Hewlett’s visuals took center stage—an unusual “anti-frontman” live concept Albarn later described as frustratingly restrictive.
The B-sides compilation G-Sides was released, expanding the project’s universe of extra tracks and remix culture beyond the main album narrative.
Gorillaz released “911,” a collaboration with D12 (minus Eminem) and Terry Hall addressing the September 11 attacks—a notably direct, news-tied release for the band.
At the 2002 Brit Awards, the virtual members “performed” in 3D animation on four large screens in a production reported to cost £300,000—one of the era’s most ambitious mainstream virtual-performer moments.
The dub/reggae remix album Laika Come Home arrived, with Spacemonkeyz reworking most of the debut album—an early sign that “alternate versions” were part of Gorillaz’ core identity.
DVD Phase One: Celebrity Take Down compiled the project’s visual output to date, reinforcing that Gorillaz “phases” were as much about video/artifacts as albums.
After touring with Blur’s Think Tank, Albarn returned to Gorillaz with Hewlett partly to prove the project wasn’t “a gimmick,” committing them to a more durable second act.
Second album Demon Days was released, hitting No. 1 in the UK and becoming the band’s most successful record—cementing Gorillaz as more than a novelty concept.
Danger Mouse was recruited to produce Demon Days after Albarn heard The Grey Album
“Feel Good Inc.” topped Billboard’s Alternative Songs chart for eight weeks and was used in an Apple iPod commercial—an especially newsworthy crossover that amplified the band’s mainstream visibility.
Instead of a normal tour, Gorillaz staged Demon Days Live—a five-night residency at Manchester Opera House with guests, performed in near-dark silhouettes under Hewlett visuals, treating the album like a live theatre event.
Demon Days Live performance imagery, with De La Soul on stage
The virtual members appeared to “perform” at the 2005 MTV Europe Music Awards, continuing their push to make animation/technology a headline part of live music.
At the 48th Annual Grammy Awards, Gorillaz “performed” using Musion Eyeliner and won Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for “Feel Good Inc.”—a high-profile validation of the project in mainstream awards culture.
The book Rise of the Ogre expanded the fictional universe as an “autobiography” of the virtual band members, showing how Gorillaz treated lore as a core release format.
DVD Phase Two: Slowboat to Hades compiled visuals from the Demon Days era, reinforcing the band’s multi-format ‘phase’ rollout strategy.
The behind-the-scenes documentary Bananaz was released, documenting the project from 2000–2006 and offering a rare real-world look behind the virtual façade.
Work evolved from an abandoned project called “Carousel” into Plastic Beach, a concept record driven by environmental themes like marine pollution and the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
Plastic Beach debuted at No. 2 in both the UK and US—then their highest charting debut—and leaned into high-concept visuals and pop-forward production.
Gorillaz performing live in 2010 during the Plastic Beach era
The Escape to Plastic Beach Tour became their first full world tour—and the first time the band performed fully in view with no screen concealing them—though Albarn later said it was so expensive they barely broke even.
The Fall received a physical release, formalizing what began as an on-the-road digital experiment into the band’s core catalog.
Gorillaz released “DoYaThing” for a Converse campaign with James Murphy and André 3000; the project included a full 13-minute version—an unusually sprawling brand tie-in.
Albarn told The Guardian that he and Hewlett had fallen out and that future Gorillaz projects were “unlikely,” kicking off a multi-year hiatus that became a major storyline around the band.
After an afterparty during Albarn’s solo tour, Albarn and Hewlett agreed to make another Gorillaz record; Hewlett said he immediately started relearning how to draw the characters, restarting the project’s visual engine.
Recording for Humanz began across London, New York, Paris, and Jamaica, co-produced with the Twilite Tone and Remi Kabaka Jr.
The Twilite Tone, co-producer of Humanz
“Hallelujah Money” (feat. Benjamin Clementine) was released on the day of Donald Trump’s inauguration—because the album concept imagined that exact night, turning the release into a real-time political moment.
Humanz was released—Gorillaz’ first studio album in seven years—framed as a soundtrack to “a party for the end of the world,” with a notably feature-heavy cast that sparked debate about Albarn’s reduced presence.
Gorillaz on stage at Brixton Academy, London (June 2017)
The “Saturnz Barz” video used YouTube 360° video and was reported to cost $800,000—an unusually expensive, tech-forward music video production that generated significant attention.
The first Demon Dayz Festival took place at Dreamland Margate, launching a Gorillaz-curated festival concept that later expanded internationally.
The Now Now was released, intentionally featuring far fewer guest artists; Albarn described it as a record where he was “just singing for once,” leaning into the 2-D persona.
In a headline-grabbing crossover, Ace from The Powerpuff Girls became the band’s “temporary bassist” in the storyline during The Now Now era, replacing Murdoc while he was imprisoned.
A Tokyo show billed as “The Now Now World Premiere” featured the band playing the full album live (the only time they did so) and was broadcast by Boiler Room.
The documentary Gorillaz: Reject False Icons screened worldwide for a one-day theatrical release, giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at Humanz/The Now Now and their tours.
Gorillaz announced Song Machine, shifting from album cycles to a “season/episode” model of releasing new tracks monthly—an unusual structural experiment for a major band.
“How Far?” was released as a tribute after Tony Allen died on 30 April, and it notably arrived without a music video—an exception within the episode concept.
Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez was released, turning the web-series approach into a full “season” artifact with a wide guest roster including Elton John.
“The Valley of the Pagans” video was made using Grand Theft Auto V, then the original YouTube upload was set to private days later; an alternative version was posted in March 2021.
For the debut album’s 20th anniversary, the band teased non-fungible tokens, which drew criticism over climate impact given Plastic Beach’s environmental themes; no NFTs ultimately released.
At a free show for National Health Service workers at the O2 Arena, Gorillaz debuted three new songs that became the Meanwhile EP, then repeated them at the public concert the next day.
Albarn said an animated Gorillaz film was in production at Netflix, a major entertainment-news item that later ended when the project was cancelled by February 2023.
Gorillaz launched a major world tour across multiple continents, debuting new material live as they went—continuing their tendency to develop new eras in public, on the road.
They released “Cracker Island” (feat. Thundercat) and teased a “Last Cult” campaign—an attention-grabbing rollout blending marketing, lore, and live performance.
Their set at the first Splendour in the Grass in Queensland was cancelled due to torrential rain—a notable live-news disruption during the touring cycle.
“New Gold” (feat. Tame Impala and Bootie Brown) was performed live and released as a single alongside the announcement of the album Cracker Island.
To promote “Skinny Ape,” the band announced virtual shows in Times Square and Piccadilly Circus, leaning into public-space spectacle as a promotional tool.
Album Cracker Island was released (produced with Greg Kurstin), featuring guests including Stevie Nicks, Bad Bunny, and Beck.
The previously announced Gorillaz animated film project at Netflix was reported as cancelled, closing a high-profile cross-media expansion attempt.
A deluxe edition of Cracker Island added bonus tracks with returning collaborators including De La Soul and Del the Funky Homosapien, tying the new era back to the band’s earliest identity.
Cracker Island received a nomination for Best Alternative Music Album at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, keeping the band in the awards conversation more than two decades into their career.
For their 25th anniversary, Gorillaz released “Nostalgiaz,” a retrospective video built from past music-video clips set to “Pirate’s Progress,” highlighting how central their visuals are to their legacy.
They launched the London “House of Kong” exhibition at the Copper Box, including daily live performances of their first three albums and a closing “mystery show,” turning a museum-style exhibit into a live-concert residency.
Gorillaz were added to Fortnite Festival, a major pop-culture crossover that placed the band in a prominent gaming music platform.
At the closing “mystery” House of Kong show, they revealed a new album in full by performing 15 songs with multiple guests (including Sparks and Johnny Marr)—but did not disclose the album title at the time.
Gorillaz officially announced their ninth album The Mountain with a release date of 27 Feb 2026, and released the lead single “The Happy Dictator” (feat. Sparks) alongside the announcement.
The Mountain Tour was announced to promote the new album, with concerts scheduled across Europe—continuing the band’s pattern of pairing big conceptual eras with large-scale live production.