Gorillaz brought their unique blend of virtual artistry and live performance to Saturday Night Live, marking their debut as musical guests with two powerful songs spanning their career.
Revisiting a Classic
The British virtual band opened with “Clint Eastwood,” the breakout single from their 2001 self-titled album. The track, which Rolling Stone ranked among the 100 best songs of the 2000s, was performed with Del the Funky Homosapien joining on stage to deliver his iconic verses. The song’s spaghetti western-inspired beat, reminiscent of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, set the tone for a nostalgic yet electrifying performance.
Showcasing New Sounds
For their second number, Gorillaz performed “The Moon Cave” from their latest album The Mountain. The track featured a lineup of collaborators including singer Asha Puthli, rapper Black Thought, and sitar virtuoso Anoushka Shankar. The performance blended Indian classical instrumentation with hip-hop and electronic elements, reflecting the album’s global influences and themes of mortality.
The song also included posthumous contributions from Bobby Womack and Dave Jolicoeur of De La Soul, underscoring Damon Albarn’s vision of addressing death with voices both living and departed. “If we’re going to talk about the subject of death, I need some people who are dead to help me talk about it,” Albarn explained in a recent interview.
The Mountain Era
The Mountain, Gorillaz’s follow-up to 2023’s Cracker Island, is a 15-track album filled with collaborations across genres and languages. Inspired by personal losses and a formative trip to India, the record explores themes of grief, resilience, and cultural fusion. Songs like “The Manifesto” and “Damascus” further highlight the band’s experimental approach.
Upcoming Tour
Following their SNL performance, Gorillaz will launch The Mountain tour later this month in the U.K. The band is set to headline Barcelona’s Primavera Sound festival in June and Atlanta’s Shaky Knees festival in September, promising fans a global showcase of their new material alongside classic hits.
