The Gorillaz have shared a new track, “Skinny Ape” from their upcoming album, Cracker Island and have announced a two city augmented reality live debut. The first set is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. ET on December 17th in Times Square, New York, with the second show at 14:00 GMT on December 18th in Piccadilly Circus, London. A statement reads, “These first-of-their-kind immersive experiences will allow fans to gather together to witness Gorillaz play in real life — actually larger than life — as Murdoc, 2D, Noodle and Russel literally tower over them, playing in the midst of two of the world’s most iconic skylines.”
The sets were conceptualized by Gorillaz co-creator Jamie Hewlett and French director and illustrator Fx Goby, and will be using Google’s augmented reality product ARCore Geospatial API. Virtual bass player, Murdoc Niccals stated, “To all our followers, get ready for the biggest Times Square takeover since that other gorilla smashed the place up. Bigger in fact cos there’s four of us. Thanks to the techies at Google, we’ve created the music video event of the century, so don your pink robes and come see Gorillaz like you’ve never seen us before. The future is nigh!”
The Gorillaz have also released a short teaser trailer for “Skinny Apes,” and it displays the virtual avatars moving like King Kong between the skyscrapers. Cracker Island is set to be out on February 24th and pre-orders are already available.
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