Gorillaz

Review: Many years ago, Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett sat in the flat they shared, watching clip after clip on MTV, their minds becoming progressively duller as they realised how rarely anything of substance was being produced.  It was from this that the musician and artist decided to create Gorillaz, a cartoon band whose visual component was just as important and creative as the music.

What struck me when I was watching the Gorillaz at the Entertainment Centre was that the plethora of stimulation on stage really made them a band of their time. Today's youth (including myself) have become accustomed to being able to access every dimension of a band via youtube, music blogs, magazines and TV. The visual representation and the way they construct their identity through these mediums has become an important part of their identity and no other band has engaged with this in quite the same way Gorillaz have.

On stage, Gorillaz certainly didn't lack substance. The creativity and uniqueness of their music was laid out for all to see: on stage accompanying the usual members was a string section (made of good-looking girls in Santa outfits which my male companion approved highly of) and a brass section, as well as two drummers, back-up singers and numerous guest performers, including Little Dragon and De La Soul. Albarn had enormous amounts of energy and gave a great performance, jumping around the stage, playing the piano, even on his knees at one point during ‘To Binge' with Little Dragon.

Sadly, however, some of the energy was lost in the cavernous ceilings of the Entertainment Centre: the acoustics did them no favours. The seating structure of the venue was similarly a setback - it's hard to get properly involved whilst sitting down.  My companion and I were even asked to "give the other spectators a chance" after we were inspired to stand up and have a boogie anyway. A chance at what, may I ask? Being the most boring concert attendees that ever existed? Needless to say, the lack of appropriate response by the Sydney audience was a bit of a buzz-kill.

Gorillaz gave a flawless performance, with their hits ‘Dare' and ‘Feel Good Inc.' particular highlights. ‘Stylo' was one of the best of the night, which was exhilarating to listen to live while watching the frantic car chase with Bruce Willis and their visual counterparts. ‘Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach' was another high point, seeing Snoop Dogg dressed in a sailor's outfit doing his sexy sneer on the big screen was a kick.

However (and I am pulling at threads here), it was a tad disappointing to see the familiar videos play as a background to every song. A large part of the band's ingenuity is in their visual aspect; it would have been a truly live performance seeing brand new video art on the screen. It felt a little like we were seeing Albon's band while Hewlett was down at the pub, having already done his part.

All in all, it was a highly enjoyable performance, thrilling to see the cartoon monkeys in the flesh, which was only hindered by a few minor setbacks. I would be first in queue to see them again if we are lucky enough to have them back down under in the not-too-distant future. Georgia Booth