Gorillaz

After dominating the 1990s with Blur, Damon Albarn needed a change of scenery. Rather than embark on a standard solo career, he chose to team up with illustrator Jamie Hewlett to create the animated band Gorillaz.

As a concept, Gorillaz is both pioneering and genius. The animated aspect of Gorillaz allowed Albarn and Hewlett to flex their storytelling muscles by creating wild backstories for Murdoc, 2-D, Russel Hobbs, Noodle, or whichever new character they choose to dream up to join their imaginary universe. At first, it seemed like a one-off project, but Gorillaz have been going strong for over two decades.

While the idea of an animated band is intriguing, the songs still need to meet a certain standard, and Gorillaz have never forgotten that golden rule. From the moment they announced themselves with ‘Clint Eastwood’, Albarn and the band did not let their artistry slip, hence why they have headlined Glastonbury and sold out arenas across the planet.

With hit songs like ‘Clint Eastwood’, ‘Feel Good Inc.’, ‘Dirty Harry’ and more, Gorillaz have also collaborated with a string of iconic names such as Robert Smith, Vince Staples, Snoop Dogg, Peter Hook and others.