Gorillaz’s upcoming album is called Humanz, which seemed like an interesting choice for a band that hides its human members (Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett) behind animated avatars. But the band just detailed its first tour in seven years, and it turns out there will be some humans onstage after all. Albarn and Hewlett’s animated personas Murdoc, Noodle, Russel, and 2D will share the stage with some of the musicians who appear on the album, Billboard reports.
Humanz and animationz, together
The artists who will join Gorillaz on tour include Danny Brown, De La Soul, D.R.A.M., Grace Jones, Kelela, Vince Staples, Popcaan, and Pusha T, among others. Although Gorillaz haven’t released details about what their stage show will look like, it’s safe to assume it will feature projections of the avatars (possibly in 3D, especially given Gorillaz’s love of a tech gimmick).
That possibility raises a question for the guest stars: will they interact with the avatars? Will Danny Brown rap with 2D? Will Grace Jones dance with Noodle? Or will the show divide the flesh-and-blood people from their computer-generated tour hosts? Since Gorillaz are fond of a mystery, it seems the only way to find out is to wait until this summer and see for yourself.
Humanz drops on April 28th. You can check out the tour dates here.