Gorillaz celebrate 25th anniversary with Copper Box residency in London

Gorillaz returned to London this week for a four-night residency at the Copper Box Arena, marking the virtual band's 25th anniversary with full-album performances, visual exhibitions and a string of surprises for longtime fans. On Friday and Saturday nights the project led by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett played its 2001 self-titled debut and 2005's Demon Days in their entirety, backed by a large live band, guest vocalists and the multimedia trappings that have defined the group since its inception.

The residency is part celebration and part retrospective. For the Demon Days night, the band opened with the album's rarely performed intro accompanied by apocalyptic film clips projected on a massive overhead screen, then moved through Last Living Souls and the album's singles with tight, faithful arrangements. Reviewers and attendees said the stage setup was relatively simple but effective: the virtual band's videos played on the screen while Albarn and his backing musicians performed below. A gospel choir joined the finale, amplifying the record's religious imagery, and guest appearances included De La Soul for Feel Good Inc. and Bootie Brown for Dirty Harry....