The Mountain has topped the UK Official Album Charts to become the biggest independent release of the year, and the first on Gorillaz’ new label KONG.
The Mountain is the critically acclaimed ninth studio album from Gorillaz co-creators Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett, and the third UK #1 album for singer 2D, drummer Russel Hobbs, guitarist Noodle and bassist Murdoc Niccals alongside previous chart-topping releases Demon Days in 2005 and, most recently, Cracker Island in 2023.
Murdoc Niccals responded to the news – “Mortal friends, Murdoc F. Niccals here, speaking to you from on high, the top of the world, the summit of achievement! I’ve only gone and done it again, haven’t I? Number 1! Could have gone further… was hoping for a 0, but 1 will do. To all my devoted er… devotees, you have shown impeccable taste as ever. It takes a lot to make a Mountain, so all I can say is… I couldn’t have done it without me. Cheers!”
The band is set to perform on Saturday Night Live for the first time this weekend before returning home for the launch of a headline world tour which kicks off next week with two warm-up shows in Bradford on 13th and 14th March.
The Mountain Tour will see Damon Albarn and the Gorillaz live band joined onstage by special guests, with visuals by Jamie Hewlett. The Gorillaz live experience – hailed as “an overwhelming pop spectacle” (ROLLING STONE) and “a star-studded show of lush visuals and borderless music” (THE OBSERVER) – draws on a quarter century of genre-bending, paradigm-shifting, consistently innovative musical brilliance. Since the release of their eponymous debut record more than 25 years ago, Gorillaz has amassed an unparalleled arsenal of classic tunes including “Feel Good Inc.,” “Clint Eastwood,” “On Melancholy Hill,” “DARE,” “Dirty Harry,” “Stylo,” “Kids with Guns,” “Tomorrow Comes Today,” “Rhinestone Eyes” and dozens more. The Mountain Tour will start in Manchester on 20th March 2026, with arena dates in Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds, Cardiff, Nottingham, Liverpool, Belfast and Dublin, with support from Trueno on selected dates; plus a one-off headline show at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday 20th June 2026, with support from Sparks and Trueno. The summer will see a run of festival dates across Europe ahead of shows in North and South America. Dates and ticket information below and at Gorillaz.com.
Circumstances have now found Murdoc Niccals, Russel Hobbs, 2D and Noodle in India, having made their way to Mumbai with the help of four fake passports courtesy of a New York business acquaintance of Murdoc. The band has turned its back on international pop stardom, with our heroes now immersed in the rhythms of mystical music-making, as they navigate the mountainous terrain of this thing called life.