The virtual band Gorillaz are up to some real-life hijinks, sharing new song “Skinny Ape” from the upcoming album Cracker Island and announcing a two-city augmented reality live debut.
“Don’t be sad for me,” virtual Gorillaz vocalist 2-D (Damon Albarn) sings. “I’m a cartoon G/ And my intent is to breathe in a new world/ Don’t be sad for me.”
You can be sad or not in person at one of the two “immersive” live debuts of the song. The first set goes down at 2:30 p.m. ET on December 17th in Times Square, New York, with the second following at 14:00 GMT on December 18th in Piccadilly Circus, London. According to a statement, “These first-of-their-kind immersive experiences will allow fans to gather together to witness Gorillaz play in real life — actually larger than life — as Murdoc, 2D, Noodle and Russel literally tower over them, playing in the midst of two of the world’s most iconic skylines.”
The shows were conceptualized by Gorillaz co-creator Jamie Hewlett and French director and illustrator Fx Goby, and will use Google’s augmented reality product ARCore Geospatial API.
Virtual bass player Murdoc Niccals said, “To all our followers, get ready for the biggest Times Square takeover since that other gorilla smashed the place up. Bigger in fact cos there’s four of us. Thanks to the techies at Google, we’ve created the music video event of the century, so don your pink robes and come see Gorillaz like you’ve never seen us before. The future is nigh!”
Gorillaz have released a short teaser trailer for “Skinny Ape,” and it does indeed show the virtual avatars moving like King Kong between the skyscrapers. Check that out and stream the song below.
Cracker Island is due out February 24th and pre-orders are ongoing. Previously, the band shared the singles “Cracker Island,” “New Gold,” and “Baby Queen.”