Rumours

Even as he was bringing together the best tracks from his 2004 session for the Gorillaz second album, Damon Albarn realised that his vision, if recreated live, would work best if it reproduced the album in its entritiy. And with large dependence on special guests (not to mention choirs and an orchestra, on some tracks) justice could only really be done to the songs in a most elaborate live setting. The ideas behind what would become the ‘Demon Days’ album, were originally connected to the Gorillaz film that was eventually shelved by late 2003 and so perhaps naturally the album took on a theatrical element, strong themes that ran throughout, and a cohesion in its running order.

It was Damon’s idea to recreate the album at a special live event. But with the above constraints, would it be possible? He called a friend, Alex Poots, who he had first worked with when Poots organised the logistics behind the ‘Mali Music’ (Damon’s 2002 collaborative effort with African musicians) live event, to ask for his help. Undaunted by the task, Poots asked for only one thing: that it take place in Manchester as a ‘trailblazing’ event for a festival he was already involved with, the Manchester International Festival. Damon readily agreed and so preparations begain in earnest. In addition to the ambitious list of musicians and performers that would be required, there was also a visual component to prepare. Jamie Hewlett and his company, Zombie Flesh Eaters, would be hard at work on video footage to accompany the songs onstage, and give it that ‘Gorillaz’ feel.

The first hints we had that a live event was in store were given out by Gorillaz co-creator Damon Albarn at his very first official press engagement to promote the new Gorillaz album – at the SXSW festival in Texas in March 2005. Back then the shows were supposedly taking place ‘in the summer’, and no venue was confirmed. But the idea that this would be a mass collaboration by the artists who worked on Demon Days, live on stage, was already present, as was the idea that the performances would use silhouettes, as opposed to a screen which had been an everpresent during Gorillaz performances in phase one. “Shaun Ryder and Dennis Hopper on the same stage is pretty exciting.” commented Damon, and Gorillaz fans worldwide nodded their heads in silent agreement. By late Spring the creators had realised they would have to put the dates back a bit and it was in June that the month – November – and the venue – Manchester Opera House – was let slip, first in an MTV interview and then to a XFM journalist who was covering Damon’s Appearance at a charity event at the London Eye. The number of shows was shaved from seven, to six, and then finally to five.

This still left a gap of many months before anything was confirmed officially. By the time September had rolled around, and knowning how promoters like to have dates announced well in advance, I, along many others, was on the verge of giving up hope. But along came the announcement that yes, the shows would go ahead, from November 1st to 5th, as part of a series of showcase events to promote the new Manchester International Festival, due to take place in 2007. The 10,000 tickets for the event sold out within hours of going onsale, as queues snaked around Manchester’s Opera House, and telephone callers jammed the ticketmaster switchboards.

In the event, of the performers on the ‘Demon Days’ album, only two (Dennis Hopper and MF Doom) were unable to attend. A kid’s choir was recruited from two local junior schools, and the Manchester Community Choir was drafted in on general choir duties. The events were universally praised by the press in glowing terms, and adored by the fans in equal measure. ‘Demon Days Live’ was a triumph for everyone concerned… to get the full picture of what the shows were like, check out the many reviews, images, pictures, audio and video!