The UK run kicks off next spring around the album’s release
Gorillaz will release a brand new studio album titled The Mountain on March 20, 2026, the first on the band’s own new label Kong. The first track, “The Happy Dictator, featuring Sparks, is out now.
The Mountain is Gorillaz’s ninth studio album, an expansive sonic landscape of instruments and sounds, richly layered with voices, melodies and addictive beats, spanning a collection of 15 songs that embody the very essence of Gorillaz’s collaborative ethos. The record features an extraordinary list of artists and collaborators including Ajay Prasanna, Amaan & Ayaan Ali Bangash, Anoushka Shankar, Asha Bhosle, Asha Puthli, Bizarrap, Black Thought, Gruff Rhys, Idles, Jalen Ngonda, Johnny Marr, Kara Jackson, Omar Souleyman, Paul Simonon, Sparks, Trueno and Yasiin Bey; as well as the voices of friends and collaborators who have gone before us, including Bobby Womack, Dave Jolicoeur, Dennis Hopper, Mark E Smith, Proof and Tony Allen. The Mountain is a playlist for a party on the border between this world and whatever happens next, exploring the journey of life and the thrill of existence.
Produced by Gorillaz, James Ford, Samuel Egglenton and Remi Kabaka Jr., plus Bizarrap (Orange County), The Mountain was recorded at Studio 13 in London and Devon, various locations in India including Mumbai, New Delhi, Rajasthan and Varanasi, as well as Ashgabat, Damascus, Los Angeles, Miami and New York. The album features artists performing in five languages: Arabic, English, Hindi, Spanish and Yoruba.
The artwork for The Mountain sees visual artist Jamie Hewlett’s distinctive, yet ever-evolving, style illustrate the world of Gorillaz with detailed and beautiful intricacy across a series of hand-drawn images which capture Murdoc, Noodle, Russel, and 2D’s time in India working on the new album, available both as a book and as a collection of 12×12 prints.
The Mountain will be available digitally, on standard CD, deluxe 2 CD with a selection of Mystery Show live tracks, standard vinyl, hardback book vinyl edition, and as a limited edition collectors box set with art prints.
The announcement also comes with news of The Mountain Tour which will visit arenas across the UK and Ireland in Spring 2026, with support from Trueno on selected dates, and follows the sold-out five-star House of Kong exhibition and four triumphant performances at Copper Box Arena, and includes a special surprise performance of The Mountain for fans at last week’s Mystery Show. The Mountain Tour will kick off in Manchester on March 21, 2026, with dates in Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds, Cardiff, Nottingham, Liverpool, Belfast, and Dublin, plus a one-off headline show at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday, June 20, 2026, with support from Sparks and Trueno.
Circumstances now find 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.
This week, fans globally celebrated the long-awaited return of Kong Studios – the home of Gorillaz. The band’s HQ since early 2000 (before falling into disrepair and eventually being burnt to the ground by Murdoc in 2008), the original Kong Studios was a ground-breaking virtual gathering place for fans, allowing them to connect and explore the band’s living quarters and recording studio, listen to music, play games, fight zombies, and much more. Now faithfully restored to its former glory, Kong Studios is back with a fresh lick of paint as a gamified, online fan experience.
- The Mountain featuring Dennis Hopper, Ajay Prasanna, Anoushka Shankar, Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash
- The Moon Cave featuring Asha Puthli, Bobby Womack, Dave Jolicoeur, Jalen Ngonda and Black Thought
- The Happy Dictator featuring Sparks
- The Hardest Thing featuring Tony Allen
- Orange County featuring Bizarrap, Kara Jackson and Anoushka Shankar
- The God of Lying featuring Idles
- The Empty Dream Machine featuring Black Thought, Johnny Marr and Anoushka Shankar
- The Manifesto featuring Trueno and Proof
- The Plastic Guru featuring Johnny Marr and Anoushka Shankar
- Delirium featuring Mark E. Smith
- Damascus featuring Omar Souleyman and Yasiin Bey
- The Shadowy Light featuring Asha Bhosle, Gruff Rhys, Ajay Prasanna, Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash
- Casablanca featuring Paul Simonon and Johnny Marr
- The Sweet Prince featuring Ajay Prasanna, Johnny Marr and Anoushka Shankar
- The Sad God featuring Black Thought, Ajay Prasanna and Anoushka Shankar
Gorillaz 2026 UK The Mountain Tour Dates:
Mar 21 – Mancester @ Co-op Live
Mar 22 – Birmingham @ BP Pulse Live
Mar 24 – Glasgow @ OVO Hydro
Mar 25 – Leeds @ First Direct Arena
Mar 27 – Cardiff @ Utilita Arena
Mar 28 – Nottingham @ Motorpoint Arena
Mar 29 – Liverpool @ M&S Bank Arena
Mar 31 – Belfast @ SSE Arena
Apr 1 – Dublin @ 3Arena
June 20 – London @ Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
