Gorillaz to Perform for the First Time in India
JAKARTA - The British virtual music unit, Gorillaz, officially announced their first performance schedule in India which is planned to take place in early 2027.
The tour, titled "The Mountain", was a historic moment for the group, which was founded by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett, considering that most of the material for their latest album was recorded in the country.
Gorillaz are scheduled to take the District Arena stage in Terraform, Bengaluru, on January 23, 2027. After that, the journey continues to Mumbai to perform at the Jio World Garden on January 27, 2027.
This concert is sure to involve a line-up of special guest musicians, including a number of local Indian collaborators who also contributed their talents to the album "The Mountain".
Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn said that bringing a visual-musical project to India was a long-held ambition. He admitted that he was very enthusiastic to showcase the Gorillaz aesthetic in person in front of fans there.
"It has been and remains my dream to bring Gorillaz in all its technical glory to India. This is just the beginning and I really look forward to the experience," Albarn said, quoted by NME, Friday, April 10.
In line with Albarn, Hewlett added that this tour is the realization of their artistic vision for a long time. They admitted that they can't wait to return to Mumbai and Bengaluru to present an immersive performance.
Amid the happy news about the tour, Damon Albarn also gave his critical view on the development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology in the creative industry. Currently, he is involved in an artificial film project by director Luca Guadagnino which tells the story of the founders of ChatGPT and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
Albarn emphasized that the process of creating art must still have the weight of difficulty and emotional depth that cannot be replaced by a machine. According to him, the essence of a work of art lies in the intuitive journey between the artist and the listener.
"Music and art shouldn't be easy. Once everything becomes easy, the art loses its meaning. Through strange intuition, the listener can capture the journey an artist goes through to create something, whether it's through the tone of voice and other aspects. You can't replace that," Albarn said.
Gorillaz's move into India and Albarn's involvement in the AI issue underline their position as a creative entity that continues to evolve in accordance with the dynamics of the times without abandoning organic identity in their work.
The "The Mountain" tour is predicted to be one of the most anticipated music festivals in South Asia in the coming year.