Gorillaz debuted their new, unreleased ninth album during a “Mystery Show” on the final night of their four-show residency at London’s Copper Box Arena.

The “Mystery Show” followed three nights of full album playthroughs; Gorillaz first performed their 2001 self-titled debut in full on August 29th, then played 2005’s Demon Days on August 30th, and rounded out the trilogy with a playthrough of their 2010 album Plastic Beach on September 2nd. Concurrently, the band launched their “House of Kong” exhibition, which celebrates Gorillaz’s 25th anniversary and runs until September 8th.

For the final show, Damon Albarn and co. previewed Gorillaz’s latest effort. Unlike the prior three shows, the band had attendees lock their phones away to prevent any leaks; but according to fans who attended, the new album takes inspiration from South Asia and the Middle East, with a large orchestra backing the band and several non-Western instruments in the mix. While Albarn hasn’t named any specific inspirations for the new project, he did tell The Times recently: “My new Gorillaz record is in four languages.”

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In addition to the large orchestra, Gorillaz brought plenty of guests to perform alongside them. According to attendees, the night featured guest appearances from Johnny Marr, IDLES’ Joe Talbot, Black Thought, Sparks, Omar Souleyman, Yasiin Bey, Kara Jackson, The Clash’s Paul Simonon, Asha Puthli, Asha Bhosle, Gruff Rhys, Anoushka Shankar, Ajay Prasanna, and Trueno. Gorillaz also listed a group of deceased artists as “Voices from Elsewhere,” including Dennis Hopper, Bobby Womack, De La Soul’s Dave Jolicoeu, Tony Allen, Proof, and Mark E Smith.

Albarn initially suggested that Gorillaz’s new album would arrive this year, but told The Times this summer that the band will formally begin their next era in 2026. He also recently reflected on the group’s debut album, marveling at how much falsetto he included in his vocal parts: “That first record has a crazy amount of falsetto… definitely related to the drugs I was taking,” he said.

Mystery Show (spoilers)
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