Looking back on Gorillaz’s 2001 debut, Damon Albarn admitted that his falsetto-heavy vocals were less a stylistic choice and more a byproduct of the drugs he was on at the time.
“I can’t quite believe I can still hit the falsetto. That first record has a crazy amount of falsetto… definitely related to the drugs I was taking,” Albarn told Rolling Stone in a new interview. “I was a much more irresponsible human being. I was hitting some notes I really didn’t think coming back I’d be able to hit again.” Though those notes remain in a tenor’s range, Albarn notes that he quit smoking about a year-and-a-half ago, and that’s given him “a little more of a chance” to hit them 25 years later.
Albarn and his Gorillaz partner Jamie Hewlett needed to study up on the arrangements from their debut album, since they performed it in full as a part of their four-night residency at London’s Copper Box Arena for their “House of Kong” exhibition. Albarn and co. kicked off the residency on Friday, August 29th, dusting off hits like “Clint Eastwood” and “Tomorrow Comes Today” amid deeper cuts like “Double Bass” and “Ghost Train,” which were performed live for the first time.
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Gorillaz then followed their self-titled celebration with a play-through of Demon Days on Saturday, August 30th; they’ll return to the stage tonight (September 2nd) performing their third album Plastic Beach in full, with the final night (September 3rd) serving as a “Mystery Show.” The exhibition, which celebrates Gorillaz’s 25th anniversary and their distinctive visual universe, runs in London until September 8th.
Elsewhere in Albarn and Hewlett’s interview with Rolling Stone, the duo made it clear that the 25th anniversary celebrations mark their limit for looking backward, and are readying their focus on new music once the exhibition has concluded. “If you can make it, you’re welcome – after that, it’s back to the new stuff,” Hewlett said. Albarn had previously teased a new Gorillaz album set to arrive this year, but neither member has confirmed a release date or title.
In other Gorillaz news, the band’s virtual members are now playable characters in Fortnite for a limited time.
Editor’s Note: Gorillaz’s self-titled debut is currently available for 30% off on Amazon.