Gig Review: Gorillaz At Tottenham Stadium

With over 20 guest appearances and a career-spanning set, Gorillaz transformed Tottenham Stadium into a joyous celebration of two decades of boundary-pushing music.

If you had any doubts that Gorillaz could fill up Tottenham Stadium, you’d be sorely mistaken. Jam-packed with a multicultural and multigenerational mix of fans and featured artists popping on stage like clockwork, their largest and certainly most ambitious show to date was an electrifying and glorious reminder of why Gorillaz endures.

The band’s first stadium show and longest setlist to date, not a single moment felt wasted nor monotonous from the moment Damon Albarn and co stepped on stage to their final bows two and a half hours later. Openers and features off their latest album, The Mountain, Argentine rapper Treuno and campy pop-duo Sparks set the tone perfectly for the global genre-bending sounds and stylings Gorillaz is known to meld. 

Promptly arriving on stage at 8pm, Gorillaz’ Tottenham gig was a nonstop spritely escapade chock-full of special guests accompanying nearly every song as Jamie Hewlett’s stunning visuals lit up the massive jumboscreen. Playing at least one song off of each of their eight albums except for Cracker Island (thank god), the show naturally kicked off with two tracks from the band’s latest album and their respective features, Anoushka Shankar (‘The Mountain’) and Sparks (‘The Happy Dictator’) before transitioning into a blood-pumping pop pulse of hits and fan-favorites. I was particularly excited to hear The Now Now track ‘Tranz,’ as I’m sure my ecstatic shriek made everyone around me more than aware.

From Popcaan’s arrival on stage for ‘Saturnz Barz’ on, Gorillaz’ expansive roster of collaborators routinely, and often nonchalantly, materialized with over 20 guest performers in total making appearances: Black Thought, Asha Puthil, Yukimi Nagano, Moonchild Sanelly, Paul Simonon, Johnny Marr, Fatoumata Diawara, Yasiin Bey, Omar Souleyman, Bootie Brown, Little Simz, Kano, Bashy, Gruff Rhys, Zanai Bhosle, Kara Jackson, Trueno, Shaun Ryder, Roses Gabor, and De La Soul. 

It’s hard to pin down the most memorable moment of the night as each artist's appearance brought with it something unique and indelible. What struck a chord the most were the interactions between Albarn and his guests, from the tender moment of him holding Asha Puthil’s hand during ‘The Moon Cave,’ to the beautiful dedication of ‘The Shadowy Light’ to the late Asha Bhosle with the singer’s granddaughter (Zanai Bhosle), the pure admiration for these artists on Albarn’s behalf was palpable. A personal favorite moment of the night was bearing witness to the infectious joy and radiant energy that Fatoumata Diawara brought to the stage during ‘Désolé,’ her lively adlibs and and sheer excitement made the song, which is already in my Gorillaz top ten, all the better. Hits from Demon Days saw the crowd at its livliest, and understandably. With Bootie Brown joining for ‘Dirty Harry,’ De La Soul jumping with the crowd for ‘Feel Good Inc.,’ and Shaun Ryder’s many missed cues during ‘DARE,’ the atmosphere in the stadium was euphoric as the night drew to a close.

Unlike many other concerts I’ve attended in the past, as I joined the hordes of fans crowding the stadium’s exit, I couldn’t think of a single thing I wished had gone differently or of songs I yearned to hear. I wasn’t upset by the lack of an encore; in fact, it was the opposite. The concert, despite flying by, felt like a perfect length. It was paced beautifully, perpetually interesting, immersive, and, honestly, impressive. Perhaps the self-indulgent part of me had dreamed of the inclusion of my B-side favorites (shoutout ‘Aries’ & ‘Souk Eye’) or missed the inclusion of ‘Rock The House’ on the setlist, but my grievances fell short of the utter feat that was Gorillaz at Tottenham. In the moment and shortly thereafter, it was more than apparent that this gig was as momentous for the band and as it was for their fans lining the seats of the stadium and bouncing breathlessly in the pit. 

While their debut concert at Copper Box Arena in Hackney Wick last summer felt a tad haphazard and half-baked at best, in retrospect it feels more like a warm-up show for the more blatantly impressive showcase of the band’s twenty-plus-year career that was Gorillaz live at Tottenham Stadium. As such, it comes as no surprise that the concert was filmed and is set to be turned into a film that is excitingly expected to feature the animated band members on stage - a feat the band has had yet to accomplish and have been attempting to do since they first debuted. Despite their longevity, it is not only exciting but quite amazing that Gorillaz continue to find new and unique ways to one-up themselves, not only musically or visually, but on stage and in concert. 2026 has already proved to be an exciting year to be a Gorillaz fan, and fortunately, there seems to be even more in store.

Photography By: Luke Dyson