Peter BurrowsPrior to Albarn and crew arriving, the tone for the night had already been set by support act Sounds Mint. Blending elements of rock, and rap, they proved to be a fitting and thoughtful complement to what followed. Their set had an easy confidence to it—genre-hopping without feeling disjointed—and crucially, they managed to warm up the crowd rather than merely occupy them. There was a rawness and energy that felt authentic, setting the stage nicely for the more expansive, polished spectacle to come.
A World Beyond the Stage
There’s always been something gloriously untamed about a Gorillaz gig—part concert, part cartoon fever dream, part cultural collage. On Thursday night in Dublin, the band’s Mountain Tour delivered exactly that, and then some. It was a show that didn’t just play music—it constructed a world, invited you into it, and left you slightly dazed when the lights came up.
From the outset, the production was meticulously orchestrated. The visuals—unsurprisingly—were a centrepiece. Gorillaz have long set the gold standard for blending animation and live performance, and here they leaned fully into that legacy. Screens pulsed with colour, characters flickered in and out of reality, and the whole stage felt like it existed somewhere between a gig and a graphic novel. It was immersive without being overwhelming, a difficult balance that they’ve clearly mastered over years of iteration.
Swag, Substance, and Shift
Musically, the night belonged as much to the ensemble as it did to the core project. The backing musicians were exceptional—tight, expressive, and clearly enjoying themselves. There’s a richness to a Gorillaz live show that comes from this collective energy, a sense that you’re watching a rotating cast of world-class performers all contributing to something bigger than themselves. That spirit was especially evident during the various guest appearances, which landed not as gimmicks but as integral parts of the performance. Each cameo added texture and freshness, keeping the set dynamic throughout.
The setlist itself was, in a word, superb. It flowed with intent, building and releasing energy in all the right places. Older tracks still hit with that unmistakable Gorillaz swaggery—playful, slightly irreverent, and full of character. There’s a cheekiness to those songs, a kind of musical wink, that continues to resonate strongly with audiences.
The moutain to climb
And yet, it’s in the newer material where things become a bit more complex.
The Mountain Tour leans heavily into recent work, which carries a more mature, reflective tone. There’s a clear shift towards broader themes—spirituality, global collaboration, anti-war sentiment. These are admirable directions, and they give the show a narrative arc that feels intentional and, at times, quite moving. But compared to the older catalogue, some of these newer tracks lack that same immediacy—the “swaggery,” for want of a better word—that made Gorillaz feel so distinct in the first place.
Where earlier songs bounced with personality and a kind of mischievous charm, the newer material can feel more restrained, even slightly earnest. The fuller, layered sound is still there, but the spark—the cheeky, chappy unpredictability—doesn’t always land in the same way. It’s less about hooks and more about atmosphere, less about punch and more about message. Whether that’s a loss or simply evolution will depend on what you come to Gorillaz for.
The Summit
What’s undeniable, however, is that the band has matured. This is no longer just a project built on novelty and genre-hopping—it’s a platform for expression, collaboration, and commentary. That shift may dilute some of the original magic, but it replaces it with something deeper, even if not always as immediately satisfying.
Crucially, none of this detracts from the overall experience of the night.
Because taken as a whole, the show was outstanding. From start to finish, it was engaging, inventive, and musically excellent. The pacing kept the crowd locked in, the visuals elevated every moment, and the performers—across the board—delivered with confidence and flair. There was a genuine sense of occasion, of people witnessing something carefully crafted and joyfully executed.
Feeling good…
And perhaps that’s the real takeaway. Even if the newer songs don’t quite hit with the same playful punch, they contribute to a broader, more cohesive artistic vision. And when that vision is realised on a stage like this, with this level of detail and talent, it’s hard not to be impressed.
As the crowd spilled out into the Dublin night, there was a shared feeling—subtle but unmistakable—that they’d just experienced something special. Not perfect, perhaps. But vibrant, ambitious, and undeniably worth it.
In other words: a wild, weird, wonderfully feeling that we had actually climbed a mountain together.
