Have you ever heard of the Gorillaz? No, not the animals, but the animated band with four cartoon members who gave us the iconic hits ‘Feel Good Inc.” and “Dare” from their legendary album Demon Days. But here’s the twist: those four bandmates you see on the screen? The Gorillaz are such a unique band because they do so much more than just music.[/pullquote]They’re not real! Behind those virtual faces are actually two creative minds who were fed up with the traditional music industry. Together, they built an entire world that changed what a conventional band could be. Faith Saba (11) agrees, stating, “The Gorillaz are such a unique band because they do so much more than just music.” 

Phase 1: Celebrity Take Down (1998-2002)

The year is 1997, and Murdoc Niccalas, a trouble-making bassist with a tragic childhood and dreams of fame, injures a music store worker named Start Pot during a robbery attempt, ultimately putting him into a coma. Being forced to take care of him, Murdoc takes Stuart everywhere he goes; however, he gets into another accident, putting another dent in his head. This earns him the nickname, 2-D. Before this, Murdoc had been part of many bands, but all of them were unsuccessful–but with his 2-D hypnotizing voice, he decides to make Murdoc the main singer of their soon-to-be band. So together, the two of them set up shop in a creepy old mansion called Kong Studios. Soon after, Murdoc found Russel. Russel is an African American middle-class native New Yorker who is haunted by the ghosts and spirits of his dead friends, so naturally, Murdoc recruits him as their drummer. So now they have a full band — well, not for long. Murdoc and 2-D’s girlfriend, Paula Cracker, were having an affair, so when they were exposed, Paula and her bongo-playing ape were forced to leave. This left the band incomplete once again. That didn’t last long, though, because a mysterious FedEx box appeared right before them. And inside it? Their new guitarist, named Noodle, hails from Japan. Being whole again, the band set off and became officially known as the Gorillaz. Ghost Train marks the beginning of their sound. They performed their first live show at the Camden Browhouse, which had to end early because of a riot; however, this caught the attention of a few music producers. Later on, they released their hit single, Clint Eastwood featuring one of the ghosts possessing Russel, Del the Ghost Rapper. This track is what put Gorillaz in the spotlight. By the start of the new century, their self-titled debut had dropped with hits like Rock the House. But with all this fame getting to them, specifically Murdoc, Murdoc decides to try to kill 2-D. The other band members had to break it up, but this ended the Gorillaz right then and there. 

Phase 2: Slowboat to Hades (2004-2008)

After the band fell apart, Murdoc decides to take a breather in Mexico to relax, but as usual, trouble followed him. He got arrested after trying to pay with fake checks at a brothel and was sent to La Mesa State Prison, where he learned black magic from his cellmates and adopted a pet raven named Cortez. Back home at Kong Studios, it was shut down due to weird paranormal activity–as for the other bandmates? The three went their own separate way. Noodle traveled back to Japan to uncover her mysterious past, 2-D moved to LA, gaining more confidence in himself, and Russel stayed in LA, still haunted by his dead friends and the Grim Reaper. After a year in Japan, Noodle suddenly rediscovers her memory and learns that she is part of a secret government experiment to create child super-soldiers. She was the only survivor. Now that her memories were restored, she decided to return to England and clean out Kong Studio, which was infested with zombies. Inspired by this, she sends her ex-bandmates a message telling them to meet at Kong, and she began working on what would become the next album–Demon Days. Soon after, Murdoc grows restless and escapes from prison along with his other cellmates and rendezvous with 2-D and Russel at Kong. Now that the band was back together, they recorded their album. In 2005, it was released and instantly became a global hit with songs like Dirty Harry, Feel Good Inc., and White Light. But of course, all good things must come to an end. During the filming of El Manana, Noodle’s windmill island was attacked by real helicopters, leaving her missing and presumed dead. Murdoc, heartbroken and alone, decided to stay behind at Kong Studios. At the same time, the other two drifted away. Two years later, in 2007, Murdoc released D-Sides, which were leftover songs from Demon Days, but that wasn’t enough to clear the debt he had piled up. He burns down Kong for insurance money and flees the scene.

Phase 3: Escape to Plastic Beach (2008-2013)

Murdoc, now on the run, was on the lookout for a new hideout. Coincidentally, he stumbled upon a strange floating island in the middle of the ocean. This place was called “Point Nemo,” and it was created by a big heap of garbage and debris that had fused over time. Thinking this was perfect–mainly because it was the furthest land point from any spot on Earth–Murdoc sprayed it bright pink and placed the Gorillaz headquarters on top, naming it Plastic Beach. And by using the insurance money that he obtained by burning Kong to the ground, he shipped all the old equipment to himself. Now the only thing he was missing was his band. Murdoc attempted to track down Noodle, but all he could find was just one strand of her DNA. So with that, he built a Cyborg Noodle, who became his new guitarist and personal bodyguard. Meanwhile, 2-D had moved to Beirut after failing law school; however, he was quickly kidnapped and stuffed into a suitcase, which was sent straight to Plastic Beach. There, Murdoc forced him to record vocals for their next album. 2-D only agreed because he was scared of the giant whale watching him below. Now, there was one bandmate left–Russel. Russel had been MIA since returning to Brooklyn. He fell into a deep depression and disappeared into the ocean, leaving behind what looked like a suicide note. But instead of dying, he mutated into a giant version of himself–almost the size of the island itself because of all the pollution and toxic waste. Anyway, with only Cyborg Noodle and 2-D by his side, Murdoc began to record Plastic Beach, which was released in 2010 and features artists like Snoop Dogg. Critics loved it, but it didn’t sell well, leaving Murdoc in a massive debt to dark forces known as The Black Clouds. To get out of the unfortunate situation, Gorillaz decided to return to the stage, headlining at Coachella 2010. But on the day of the show, Murdoc was deported, forcing the band to perform with him. Soon after, the group released more singles like On Melancholy Hill which revealed that Noodle was indeed alive! She survived the attack and was hiding on a ship called M. Harriet. When that ship was attacked, giant Russel saved her. All this leads to the Battle of Plastic Beach. An entity from Murdoc’s past, known as Boogieman, led an attack with the Black Clouds, essentially destroying the island. Russel, in retaliation, throws a whale at the enemy plane, and Noodle reappears alive. The four now reunited narrowly escape, but it doesn’t last long as they are separated. Murdoc was captured and was forced to reunite the Gorillaz for more money, and Noodle washed up in Japan before returning to England. Russel was displayed as a whale in North Korea before shrinking back to his normal size, and 2-D was in the stomach of a dead whale before making his way back home. Reunited once again, the core 4 teamed up with Andre 3000 and James Murphy to release a chaotic single DoYaThing which shows the Gorillaz living in a rundown flat. But since they weren’t making enough money, they were evicted, which forced them to split up once again. So left alone again, Murdoc was arrested for countless crimes and thrown into Dungeon Abbey, a secret prison beneath Abbey Road Studios.

Phase 4: We are Still Humanz (2014-2018)

After two and a half years of being locked up, Murdoc was offered parole on one condition. Keep making Gorillaz music, so naturally, Murdoc agreed. Now being a free man, he headed straight for Studio 13 in West London. He sets up shop without telling anyone, but his secrecy doesn’t last long since he runs into Russel. The two hadn’t really spoken since the events of Plastic Beach, but after a few awkward encounters and one afterparty, they agreed it was time to start making music. Meanwhile in Japan, Noodle had gotten into pearl diving, but her peace doesn’t last long when she accidentally releases a shape-shifting demon known as a Maazu. But Noodle, being an ex-super soldier, was able to hunt it down and behead it. She then decided to ship herself to London in a FedEx box addressed to Murdoc. In England, 2-D had heard the news of the band’s reunion and, to prepare himself, joined a silent retreat; however, he got kicked out because he talked too much. So by 2015, the members were all back together, and by 2017, they released Humanz, their first album in 7 years! Murdoc threw an afterparty, which didn’t go too well since it was infested with demons. 2-D even dropped his own solo track called Sleeping Powder while Murdoc was in a week-long coma. Later on, they went on tour and headlined at their own festival. They were reunited and stronger than ever–well, at least until Murdoc got arrested…again later that year, but for a brief moment it seemed like there was hope for these cursed 4. 

Phase 5: No more Unicorns Anymore (2018-2019)

Even though Murdoc was jailed…again…the Gorillaz decided to keep their momentum going with another release the very next year. While still on tour, the band brought in a new member: Ace–leader of The Gangreen Gang from The Powerpuff Girls. Now with a temporary bassist, the band recorded The Now Now on the road, and it was officially released in June 2018. The first song of their album is Humility. It features 2-D roller skating down Venice Beach, looking happy compared to his usual gloomy vibe. However, this quickly ends when Russel accidentally trips him, causing his eyes to flash from white to black, hinting at something more. Meanwhile, Murdoc was busy plotting his escape from prison…again. He claims that an evil demon named El Mierda framed him for smuggling, but he was just arrested for unpaid parking fines. But Murdoc, still wanting out, decided to escape through the sewers, which went horribly wrong, and everyone believed he had drowned. While the band continued to tour, Noodle began to investigate El Mierda because she thought that he might be a soul harvester. She set out for Patagonia. However, she quickly discovered that El Mierda was a retired old man who ran a wellness spa. Not a soul-eating demon. Murdoc, still alive, showed up soon after, tied to the top of a Yak named Madge. And it just so happened that the whole arrest thing was just a publicity stunt. After being lectured by Noodle, he apologized and returned to the band. So by the end of 2018, the Gorillaz were once again back together and toured, finishing in 2019. 

Phase 6 and 7: Wish You Were Ear and The Static Channel

This phase was mainly chill as the band just began to travel around the world, sending postcards. But each one hinted at a mysterious project called the Song Machine. In 2020, the machine was activated during a song, creating a series of chaotic collaborations featuring famous artists like Elton John. The video showed the band traveling through various portals. And after a sinkhole destroyed Kong Studios once again, the group hit the road, releasing EPs and singles. By 2022, they released an album called Cracker Island, and despite all the crazy conspiracies, the band seems to be at peace…for now, finally. 

And that is everything you need to know about the Gorillaz! This animated band is more than just catchy songs. But it’s about storytelling and creativity. Maddie Baez (11) states, ‘They can blend all these genres of music and still make it sound like a masterpiece.”