For nearly 30 years, multifaceted music icon Damon Albarn and prolific artist Jamie Hewlett have redefined what a band can be. Despite being successful creatives in their own right, the duo concocted a genre-defying vehicle named Gorillaz in 1998, one that is fronted by four cartoon band members. Gorillaz is comprised of singer 2D, bassist Murdoc Niccals, drummer Russel Hobbs and Japanese guitar prodigy Noodle. Across eight albums to date, the band has embedded itself in the cultural zeitgeist while traversing multiple genres, including hip-hop, alt-rock, and electronic, among others.

From their 2001 self-titled debut to 2005’s triumphant Demon Days and 2010’s Plastic Beach, the BRIT and Grammy-award-winning group have continually pushed the envelope. Songs such as ‘Clint Eastwood’, ’19-2000’, ‘Dirty Harry’, ‘DARE’, ‘Kids with Guns’, ‘Rhinestone Eyes’, ‘Stylo’ and ‘On Melancholy Hill’ have become modern classics in the global musical landscape. The band has continued to possess a multi-generational reach, and collaboration has remained a key part of the band’s DNA. If you look at 2017’s Humanz, 2018’s The Now Now, or 2023’s Cracker Island, you can find megastars Kali Uchis, Snoop Dogg, Stevie Nicks, Tame Impala, and Bad Bunny. Even so, this roster is merely a drop in the ocean compared to the collaborations amassed since the loveable bunch of misfits first emerged.

With every album release, the band’s lore and visual style evolve; their reality is expanding in an ever-changing world. Given how Gorillaz have impacted music culture over the last 25 years, 2D, Russel, Noodle, and Murdoc have become larger than life itself. The band is now gearing up to release their highly anticipated ninth studio record, The Mountain, on Friday. Gorillaz will then embark on a UK-wide arena tour in March before performing their biggest UK headline show to date at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on June 20th. 

The Mountain is a gorgeous body of work which was inspired by Albarn and Hewlett’s trip to India. The result is a sonic landscape of rich sounds, addictive beats, and soul-stirring lyricism on mortality. From the band’s perspective, Murdoc, 2D, Noodle, and Russel are now in Mumbai thanks to four fake passports. Our group of heroes have turned their backs on pop stardom and immersed themselves in the rhythms of mystical music-making as they navigate the mountainous terrain of life.

It’s arguably one of their most ambitious projects to date and features artists performing in five different languages: Arabic, English, Hindi, Spanish and Yoruba. On the record, you can find a mix of artists from Johnny Marr, Sparks, Kara Jackson, to longtime collaborators Bobby Womack, Mark E Smith, and Tony Allen, who have all sadly passed over the years. At its core, The Mountain is a beautiful celebration of life, death, and the adventure in between. 

1883 Magazine’s Cameron Poole sits down with returning cover stars Gorillaz to discuss their new album, The Mountain, becoming playable characters in Fortnite, fame and stage presence advice for younger acts like Harry Styles, and more.

Hello, 2D, Noodle, Russel, and Murdoc. Thanks for speaking with 1883 Magazine. It’s been six years since your last cover with us. Tell us about life since then, how things are in Mumbai, and the conscious decision to turn your backs on international pop stardom?

Murdoc: How long have you got, mate? There’s been ruptures, reconciliations, demonic cult sacrifices… and that was just Christmas morning.

Noodle: The winds of chaos have always carried us to unexpected places. Like when we went to India. We didn’t plan to be here, but sometimes the universe takes you to where you need to be.

2D: I thought we were on the run?

Nearly three decades into the group’s career since forming in 1998, reaching your ninth studio record is quite the milestone. How does The Mountain reflect 28 years of growth, and where would you personally rank it within the Gorillaz discography?

Russel: Lot of growth, yeah. Noodle was only three foot tall when she showed up. If anything I’ve dropped a few pounds – must be the stress.

Noodle: I don’t try to rank our work. Each record is like the branch of a tree – it couldn’t exist without what came before. 

Murdoc: What she means is, each album is my best album. Except that one I wasn’t involved in, can’t even remember the name to be honest. 

Right, not to digress, but who the hell came up with the bright idea to make yourselves into video game characters in Fortnite?

2D: Russ says we live in a simulation anyway so I went along with it.

Russel, at the core of The Mountain there’s a beautiful meditation on mortality—an attempt to help people feel less afraid of the end. You’ve been closer to the other side than most, especially when you were possessed all those years ago. What’s your take on it all?

Russel: I don’t have the answers, if that’s what you mean. I live in both worlds and I’ve had The Reaper on my back since I was five – still don’t know what the dude wants. Maybe it’s my soul, or could be he just needs a quarter for the payphone. I’ve found peace in not knowing. 

Murdoc, you may have created one of the greatest bass lines of all time in the band’s classic mega hit, ’Feel Good Inc’. How does one surpass such a feat, and how on earth are you not back in prison or dead yet? You’ll outlast The Rolling Stones, I know it.

Murdoc: It’s a valid question. How do I compete with myself, the greatest musical genius of all time? I can’t, really. Wouldn’t mind another stint in clink, though; I was this close to finishing a lovely bedside table in the woodshop. 

2D, you’ve been fronting this ragtag group since the beginning, and you’ve pretty much seen it all on stage. Do you have any advice on navigating fame and stage presence for younger pop superstars, say, someone like Harry Styles, for example?

 2D: It’s easy to forget who you are, even with people screaming your name at you, so keep something in your pocket that reminds you where you came from. I’ve got Goldie in mine, the fish I won at the fair when I was 7. Just a skeleton now, but she’s come on every tour.

Noodle, what do you make of social media in general and all the fans dressing up as you on TikTok and doing your iconic ‘DARE’ dance? It’s having a resurgence 21 years later!

Noodle: I like the energy and the outfits. I love to see people dancing. 

Collaboration has always been central to Gorillaz. With your biggest UK headline show coming up at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this June, how do you all decide which collaborators get invited on stage — and how many does Murdoc actually believe there’s room for?

Murdoc: Honestly mate, absolute nightmare – EVERYONE wants in. They’re on the phone to me day and night, offering one of his kidneys for a moment in my spotlight. So here’s what I’m thinking: invite all the collabs to a remote island, and they play a series of elimination-style games while I drink cognac and watch, and whoever survives gets to play the show. 

Let’s be honest, it’s not wild to think there could be a Gorillaz biopic at some point. They’re all the rage in the film industry at the moment. Who would you cast to take on the challenge to portray each of you, and why?

Noodle: Totoro.

Russel: Del, gotta be.

Murdoc: Ah the impossible question: how to portray raw genius? I’ve crossed hundreds of names off the list: Hemsworth, Bautista, Crook.. until there’s just one left — me. I’m the perfect choice! Plus my old mate Ace from Powerpuff Girls can do the more dangerous stunts. Sorted.

2D: Luke Skywalker.

Murdoc: Not sure you’ve understood the question, mate.

Finally, looking towards the future, where would you like to end up next, geographically and mentally, for whenever album ten rolls around?

Noodle: In life, wherever you think you will go next, you’ll probably go somewhere else. Keep going forward – into the unknown, that’s what’s exciting.

Russel: The music takes us… simple. 

2D: Yeah. Or somewhere with a quarter pipe. 

The Mountain is out on February 27

Interview Cameron Poole

Imagery by Gorillaz