Obviously avatars are second nature to Gorillaz, although 2D, Murdoc and the rest of the gang have a little more character than the round-faced, smiley Nintendo figures. It’s an ambitious crossover though, since they exist on two quite different ends of the same spectrum.

The musicians performed their new collaboration ‘The Valley of the Pagans’ which comes from Gorillaz’s new album Song Machine: Season One – Strange Timez. They were joined by Beck, the collaborator on ‘The Valley of the Pagans’, in The concept of a virtual live performance in this style doesn’t seem likely to replace live music any time soon, but it’s interesting to watch it being executed (and the song is certainly just as good over Animal Crossing). It’s a little less impressive than a fully blown Gorillaz VR extravaganza.

The interview begins at 48 minutes and the performance at 1 hr 27. Whether or not the Animal Crossing aesthetic is for you, the content of the interview is brilliant, with Albarn and Hewlett both very relaxed and honest.

“We share a little bit of creative DNA,” Whitta says, referring to the fact that Gorillaz and Animal Talking both inhabit the virtual world. They also speak about the power of the internet to bring people together, especially in these strange and distanced times. It’s true, that it feels comfortingly like a talk show to see Albarn and Hewlett sat next to one another on a couch, even if digitally.

Gorillaz have played with form since they first burst onto the scene, and Song Machine is no exception. In the press release, virtual Gorillaz member Russel Hobbs declared: “Song Machine is a whole new way of doing what we do, Gorillaz breaking the mould ‘cos the mould got old. World is moving faster than a supercharged particle, so we’ve gotta stay ready to drop. We don’t even know who’s stepping through the studio next. Song Machine feeds on the unknown, runs on pure chaos. So whatever the hell’s coming, we’re primed and ready to produce like there’s no tomorrow.”

‘Season One’ is released in ‘episodes’; the latest, ‘The Valley of the Pagans’, was leaked prior to its official release, but it will be with us soon. Gorillaz have always had stellar collaborations, and this is no different – the line-up features Robert Smith, Slaves, Slowthai, St Vincent and more.

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SONG MACHINE TOUR 2021 Pssst, for first access to 2021 tour tickets, purchase your copy of Song Machine with a Circle of Friendz Pass at gorillaz.com NOW Gorillaz.com/tour

A post shared by Gorillaz (@gorillaz) on Oct 23, 2020 at 4:29am PDT

Gorillaz announced a huge show at the The O2 for August 2021. They also committed to returning to the virtual sphere for a live stream event to celebrate the release of their new album, which will take place in December. You can see the dates of their series of real-life shows below.

16/06/21 – Tanzbrunnen – Cologne
18/06 – Parkbühne Wuhlheide – Berlin
01/07 – Rockhal – Luxembourg
11/07 – The O2 – London

The band relayed all the details to followers via social media, revealing that they’ll be playing on Friday 13th November at 8pm BST, and fans will choose the setlist as well as being able to “invade the stage” virtually. General sale tickets will be sold from Wednesday 14th October at 10am, and tickets bought before midnight will allow a chance to be shown on stage.

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Brixton. By Request. We’re getting back on stage via the powers of @melodyvirtual, and you are all coming with us. You are going to pick the setlist (), and invade the stage via giant screens looming over us.⁠ ⁠ We’ll see you @o2academybrix on Friday 13th November. Tickets bought before 23:59 on Wednesday 14th October put you in with a chance to be on the stage. Screen space is limited so get your tickets fast  General sale starts 10.00am BST on Wednesday.⁠ ⁠ Our shows, in person or virtual, aren’t right without you all involved.

A post shared by Frank Carter &The Rattlesnakes (@andtherattlesnakes) on Oct 12, 2020 at 2:06am PDT

⁠Frontman Frank Carter gave more insight into the show, saying, “There are few places like O2 Academy Brixton, a venue where you feel the history every time you walk out onto the stage. Our sold out Brixton show a few years back was wild and we had to create a live album from it.”

This specific show has been dubbed ‘Brixton By Request’ in the ‘Live From O2 Academy Brixton’ series, and it will feature live versions of songs from the band’s new deluxe rendition of their 2015 debut album ‘Blossom’. Announced in June, it was disclosed that in addition to the ten original tracks, there will be fifteen unreleased songs.

Carter said of the release, “It all started with Blossom, an incendiary record as visceral as it was chaotic. An experiment in capturing pure emotion. To commemorate this prestigious event we have curated a special version of the album. Included with the original studio recordings are three previously unheard tracks that were recorded in the same session. We listened to them recently and sadly enough they sound as though they were made for the year 2020.”

The upcoming performance follows that of Tom Grennan who kicked things off last week on Friday 2nd October, debuting new material and playing his most popular hits. He commented, “Nothing can replace the thrill of live music, especially in a venue as iconic as O2 Academy Brixton.”

Titled ‘Everything Everything: Virtual RE-ANIMATOR’, the show is an interactive virtual reality event in partnership with Sansar running over 10th and 11th September. The band will perform a full live show including songs from the new album and previous hits, using visual elements to captivate and impress viewers. Furthermore, fans can meet the band and each other, as well as partake in the virtual reality fun themselves.

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Excited to unveil VIRTUAL RE-ANIMATOR, our first live virtual reality show. This will be happening on 10th and 11th September. Head to our website for more information and tickets to the show. Link in bio. ⁠

A post shared by Everything Everything (@e_e_) on Aug 28, 2020 at 2:06am PDT

General admission tickets are $13 each or $20 for VIP access, which allows ticket-holders to attend a virtual ‘meet and greet’ with the band. Tickets are on sale now but they’re likely to go fast, and along with every purchase comes access to a limited line of ‘Virtual RE-ANIMATOR’ merch.

Collaborators Sansar said in a press release, “We are thrilled to be in partnership with a cutting edge band like ‘Everything Everything’ who clearly sees the future of global virtual performances and the deep engagement it brings to their fans.”

They continued to surprise fans with more news; “We are releasing new fan features specifically for their performances that showcase how a virtual experience can surpass even the awesome reality of live. The creative canvas of virtual concerts is boundless, and we welcome ‘Everything Everything’ with open arms!”

Everything Everything gave their thoughts, saying, “We can’t play shows IRL, but we can do a couple IVR. We might as well try to have some fun with the limitations we all find ourselves under. This is the first chance we’ve had to play a lot of these songs. Come and join us in another dimension. See you in the Interzone.”

Check out the showtimes below:

Show 1 – 10/09/2020 – 8pm BST
Show 2 – 11/09/2020 – 9am BST

The deal promises “a truly next-generation music service” as they plan to offer a combined streaming and immersive live music service. Ultimately the intention is to bring together Napster’s library of more than 90 million tracks with MelodyVR’s catalogue of live performances.

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“I spent two days in the studio and nothing was really happening. In the end, I sat down on the piano, played these three chords and I wrote a little song. The song that changed my life.” Can you guess which tune @mabel is referring to? Watch her performance in 360° video on our app to find out

A post shared by MelodyVR (@melodyvirtual) on Jul 21, 2020 at 8:15am PDT

MelodyVR say, “It’s incredibly exciting to be unifying complementary platforms and fantastic audiences, rooted in a love of music and a deep desire to offer the very best experience to artists, fans, the wider music community and brands.”

Recently, MelodyVR hosted ‘Wireless Connect’, a virtual, ‘360°’ version of the well-loved urban music festival. Their live performance credits range from Nelly, in the series ‘Live from LA’, to Panic! At the Disco at the London O2 Academy. Coming up, live music fans can enjoy a new collaboration with London’s iconic venue, Brixton Academy.

The way MelodyVR works is that it established safe studios in London and LA for these socially distanced gigs, and fans then paid to watch on their app, using VR headsets. You can even select where you’re ‘standing’ in the crowd.

Napster has had a complicated history. In the 1990s it was an illegal downloading platform, but lawsuits from the likes of Dr Dre and Metallica ensured that it filed for bankruptcy in 2002. Since then, it has been owned by Roxio, the electronics company Best Buy and most recently, the streaming service Rhapsody.

CEO of MelodyVR, Anthony Matchett, says that “For music fans today, live and recorded music are intrinsically linked. We are as keen to see our favourite artists perform live as we are to listen to their albums. Our purchase of Napster, one of the music industry’s original disruptors, is born out of our wish to deliver the world’s foremost music experience, available seamlessly across audio and visual media and in turn presenting a truly next-generation music service.”

The CEO of Napster, Bill Patrizio, had this to add: “This is a tremendous outcome for two organizations with complementary platforms and loyal audiences, and we could not be more excited to be moving forward as one company.”

MelodyVR sees this as an opportunity for greater connection between fans and artists in the future. Additionally, they expect to share more and more of what goes on behind the scenes and what it’s like to be an artist, therefore opening the music world up to music lovers from the comfort of their own homes.