Gorillaz perform a new track from above in augmented-reality performances
Image: @GoogleARVR/Twitter
Gorillaz put on unique shows atop two skylines in New York’s Times Square and London’s Piccadilly Circus.
Gorillaz, the famous cartoon band, this weekend debuted their new single, Skinny Ape, by hosting two augmented reality (AR) shows in two infamous capital cities – London and New York.
Having been announced earlier this month, these unique AR performances presented the cartoon members, Murdoc, 2D, Noodle, and Russel performing their new song on the roof of iconic landmarks.
The track, Skinny Ape, is the band’s latest single and it’s from their upcoming eighth studio album, Cracker Island.
To view the events in New York on Saturday (December 17th) and London (December 18th), all attendees needed to download an exclusive mobile app, and it combined the real world with the band’s computer-generated imagery.
More specifically, the AR performances utilized Google’s ARCore Geospatial API which is software that merges Google Street View with generated AR imagery. Furthermore, Nexus Studios had a hand in creating virtual shows.
The performances were directed by Jamie Hewlett, the band’s co-creator, and Emmy-nominated director Fx Goby. The result was a show where fans of the band could come together as Gorillaz play a show with a realistic twist whilst towering over them.
The first of the performances took place at 2:30 pm ET in Times Square and the second in Picadilly Circus at 2 pm GMT. But fans can visit the locations and view the performances until June 2023.
Finally, the concert can be viewed anywhere using the Gorillaz Presents available now for iOS and Android.
Skinny Ape is the fourth single to be shared from the band’s upcoming album, proceeding tracks Baby Queen, New Gold, and title track, Cracker Island, which features a performance from Thundercat.