Damon Albarn has momentarily lost track of himself.

It’s Friday evening at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and rehearsals are underway for Gorillaz’s first full-scale stadium performance — a sprawling, globe-spanning pop spectacle packed with visuals, surprise guests and more moving parts than a festival lineup.

As the band tears into Dirty Harry, the long advertising boards circling the pitch flicker to life with animated choir members belting out the refrain, “all I do is dance”.

Caught off guard, Albarn hops down from the stage to watch, grinning widely. Moments later, he notices Argentine rapper Trueno crossing the stadium floor and darts over to greet him with an embrace.

The musicians continue without him — and it takes nearly 10 minutes before Albarn remembers he is supposed to be centre stage.

“I’m the worst frontman,” he admitted earlier.

“Truly terrible. My approach to performing is very laid-back.”

In reality, that easygoing spirit shapes the entire production.

Behind the curtain at Tottenham, more than 30 performers from 15 nations are gathered, and there’s barely a trace of ego among them.

“The energy is unreal,” says South African singer Moonchild Sanelly. “Damon is open-minded, calm, humble.

“If he admires someone’s artistry, he invites them in. Even when he’s in his own zone, I’ll sit beside him just to share the quiet.”

“It’s definitely an eclectic family,” adds poet and folk musician Kara Jackson, a frequent collaborator at recent shows.

“It reminds me of growing up in the American South. You have cousins who aren’t technically relatives — they’re just people you’ve called family your whole life.”

Backstage feels like a miniature United Nations. Malian star Fatoumata Diawara chats animatedly in traditional Wassoulou dress while Johnny Marr strolls by in a distinctly Manchester parka.

Alt-pop duo Sparks arrive shortly after 17:00, retrieving their stage outfits from the boot of a car — Russell in a pink polka-dot suit, Ron dressed in somber black.

Within minutes they’re rehearsing The Happy Dictator, soon followed by Shaun Ryder leaning fully into his role on the 2005 anthem Dare!

“We’re quite an unusual assembly, aren’t we?” Marr remarks.

“There’s nothing else quite like it, at least not that I’ve seen.”

In the catering area, Syrian and African musicians share tables with Posdnuos of De La Soul and sitar virtuoso Anoushka Shankar. The spread includes honey-lime glazed chicken, roast sea bass, caramelised leek pasta and an irresistible passion fruit meringue.

“The food on this tour is serious,” laughs UK rapper Bashy.

“The first time I toured with Gorillaz back in 2010, I gained so much weight I had to hit the gym when I got home.”

One person unlikely to require a workout is Jamie Hewlett, who conceived Gorillaz as a “virtual band” with Albarn in 1998.

He roams the stadium with a film crew, documenting this singular event.

The finished project will blend footage of the real musicians with their animated counterparts — 2-D, Murdoc, Noodle and Russel — meaning every camera movement must be carefully plotted.

“We want to show what it truly takes to stage something like this,” he explains.

“Artists filming themselves boarding flights from all over the world, everyone converging here in Tottenham, the fans arriving, the show itself — and finally the aftermath, when all that’s left are empty plastic cups.”

There’s genuine astonishment in his voice. Gorillaz was never intended to span nearly three decades.

“It began as a fun, one-off album,” he says. “We never imagined it would continue this long.

“The collaborations kept it alive, and so did the animated world.

“New generations are drawn in by the characters, and suddenly a child is discovering Bobby Womack or Mark E Smith and all the incredible artists we’ve worked with.”

Yet beneath the colour and humour lies a deeper mission, one that pairs pop experimentation with cultural dialogue.

“The message feels more urgent now than ever,” Hewlett reflects.

“I once thought prejudice was fading, but it seems to be resurfacing. I find that deeply troubling.”

“The notion that one culture is superior or incompatible with another is absurd,” Albarn adds.

“We’re all clearly connected.

“We need to understand one another and resist simplistic narratives pushed for political gain.”

Kelvin “Posdnuos” Mercer of De La Soul, who has collaborated with Gorillaz since 2005, says global touring reshaped his worldview.

“I grew up with an open mind, but traveling deeply into other communities shows you how many assumptions you didn’t even know you had,” he says.

“No matter someone’s background or faith, we share common human moments.

“You learn to value similarities instead of focusing on differences.”

The band’s latest album, The Mountain, reflects that philosophy. Inspired by the Hindu concept of Samsara — the cycle of life, death and rebirth — it helped Albarn and Hewlett process the loss of their parents.

Across 15 tracks, Indian musicians intertwine with archival recordings of late collaborators, from actor Dennis Hopper to rapper Proof, forming a bridge between past and present.

“I was navigating grief and confusion,” Albarn says.

“Having those voices with me helped me move through it and come out feeling hopeful.”

Mercer understands the sentiment. De La Soul’s 2025 album Cabin In The Sky revisited unfinished ideas from his late bandmate Dave Jolicoeur, who died in 2023.

At Tottenham, Mercer performs Feel Good Inc alongside video footage of Jolicoeur, the bass vibrating through the stadium.

“Keeping that bond alive has meant everything,” he says.

“There are tears, of course — but there’s also love, and his spirit remains.”

The show offers other reflective moments.

Indian playback legend Asha Bhosle appears onscreen performing The Shadowy Light, recorded shortly before her passing in April. In it, she sings of crossing a river into the next life.

Onstage, her granddaughter Zanai provides live backing vocals — a symbolic continuation.

“She would have adored this,” Zanai tells the group during rehearsal.

The following night, 70,000 fans illuminate the stadium with their phones as Bhosle’s voice echoes through the air.

Visibly moved, Albarn asks for the final chorus to be repeated, murmuring the words like a quiet prayer.

It’s a rare pause in an otherwise vibrant, career-spanning celebration.

19/2000 sparkles, Rhinestone Eyes pulses with electricity, and Clint Eastwood brings the hook-laden sunshine.

The crowd barely stands still. And yes, Dirty Harry’s animated choir earns thousands of delighted smiles.

Albarn occasionally channels his Blur-era swagger, leaping into the audience and declaring, “I feel your love”.

Just as often, he steps aside for Little Simz or exchanges playful riffs with flautist Ajay Prasanna.

As one critic observed, he feels less like a frontman and more like “the conductor of a vast musical ecosystem”.

“I like that,” Albarn says.

“I can lead from the front, but I prefer being part of something collective.”

Moonchild Sanelly sums it up with a grin.

“Damon’s a wild guru,” she laughs. “Completely mad — in the best way.”

• The Mountain

• The Happy Dictator

• Tranz

• Tomorrow Comes Today

• 19/2000

• Rhinestone Eyes

• Saturnz Barz

• The Moon Cave

• El Mañana

• Empire Ants

• With Love To An Ex

• The Empty Dream Machine

• Casablanca

• Delirium

• Andromeda

• Desolé

• Stylo

• Damascus

• Dirty Harry

• Garage Palace

• White Flag

• The Shadowy Light

• The Sad God

Encore

• Cloud of Unknowing

• Plastic Beach

• On Melancholy Hill

• Orange County

• The Manifesto

• Dare!

• Feel Good Inc

• Clint Eastwood