GORILLAZ - MANCHESTER, UK
Gorillaz
at Co-Op Live in Manchester, UK on 21/03/2026
words by Kayla Kerridge
The second night in Manchester at Co-op Live on March 21 had this unmistakable polish; you could feel the band settling into their groove. It never felt forced or like they were ticking boxes. Instead, every moment came across sharper, more precise. You could tell they’d worked out the kinks, found where to lean in just a little more, and figured out how to shift gears without losing momentum. What unfolded wasn’t just a huge live show; it was clearly something they’d shaped around pacing, texture, and control.
Omar Souleyman opened the night, and honestly, he was a bolt of energy. His music, that wild blend of Syrian dabke tradition and pounding electronic beats, turned the arena into a whirlwind. He didn’t ease anybody in; he dropped everyone straight into his hypnotic, looping synths, and the crowd didn’t quite know what hit them at first. But soon enough, people got it. One by one, shoulders started moving, feet started tapping, and suddenly everyone was locked into his relentless groove. It set a pulse for the night and primed everyone perfectly for what came next.
When Gorillaz hit the stage, the change was immediate but didn’t jar the mood. Where Omar worked with raw repetition and minimal textures, Gorillaz exploded outwards, layers of sound, flickering visuals, a show with way more moving parts. The setlist wasn’t a greatest-hits checklist; it felt like someone telling a story through music, each transition and shift building toward something more.
The show grabbed you from the opening notes. Right away, rhythm-heavy tracks took over, backed by a live band that made everything hit harder, the bass thick in your chest, the percussion nice and sharp. There was barely time to catch your breath between songs, the band keeping the energy level up so no one drifted. It all moved forward with this sense of purpose, so you never really stepped out of the moment.
As things went on, the structure started shining through. The band played with the pace, pulling back into moodier, more melodic territory after the streak of bangers. It wasn’t a dip in energy, just a broadening of the show’s scope. Slower tracks had space to grow, with lush live arrangements that brought out warmth and detail you won’t always catch in studio versions. Keys, harmonies, little instrumental flourishes, all those bits made the songs breathe differently.
What really kept the crowd hooked was the set’s balance. Fast songs and slow ones weren’t lumped together; instead, the show moved back and forth, never letting things get stale. Every time the energy started to peak, they’d pull it back, then build it up again, so the highlights never lost their punch.
Song choices felt deliberate, too. Sure, the crowd-pleasers were there, but the band didn’t let them hog the spotlight. They’d tuck a hit after something more unexpected, making you sit up and pay attention all over again. That effort paid off for longtime fans while making room for newcomers to find their moment.
The band’s chemistry was obvious. They played tight, but never stiff; you could hear little tweaks to rhythms and phrasing, enough to make each song feel fresh. The rhythm section kept everything grounded, tying even the weirdest songs together.
Vocals shifted with the mood. Sometimes they were soft and almost confessional, letting the band do the heavy lifting. Other times, the singing cut straight through, sharp and direct. It added extra life to the set, echoing the highs and lows mapped out in the song order.
Visually, everything worked in sync with the music. Giant screens and animated clips painted a moving backdrop, always in step with what was happening on stage. During quieter songs, the visuals faded out, giving the music room. When things ramped up, they became wild and colourful, dragging the crowd right in with the band. Nothing felt out of place or tacked on , it all pulled toward the same focus.
By the second half, the pace tightened up and the set built toward something big. The rhythms took over again, and songs started bleeding into one another in a way that kept the audience right in it. At that point, you could just sense everyone moving together, reacting to every shift as the band poured everything into the home stretch.
And for the finale, they resisted the easy win. Instead of just banging out their biggest hits, Gorillaz kept things dynamic, mixing peaks with soft spots so the ending felt earned. Everything tied back together, closing the loop they’d been building on all night.
What set this night apart was the clarity behind every choice. The setlist wasn’t just good, it was purposeful, every song in its place, serving the bigger picture. That attention to detail showed in every piece of the experience: the way musicians, singers, and visuals all worked as one.
At the end of it all, the show worked because it never drifted. There was intent in how it moved from start to finish, always shifting, but never losing its shape. It was the kind of performance that grabs you in real time, but you leave knowing it was all mapped out with real care behind the scenes.
Kayla Kerridge
★★★★★