Demon Days Live [DVD]

on buying this dvd i was a bit apprehensive, the thought of watching a concert with computer graphics on a big sreen whilst someone pumps out the album on the tannoy was what first jumped in my head.

how wrong i was this LIVE performance is of the highest standard (shaun Ryder not included). the big hits that everyone loves are all fantastic sadly Dare and Dirty Harry are not the best i have seen them performed.

all of that eraddicates after you listen to songs as All Alone, el manana, o green world, every planet we watch is dead.

but after watching these performances you get the best 3 songs at the end which go to show just how seriously Gorillaz care about music. not only that but also how far Damon Albarn has come as a song writer.

Demon Days which is a truely beautiful song performed by the entire entorage, sings first of sadness but the voices of all the chorus make you smile and in my girlfriends case even shed a tear!!!

Then comes a song that i have not heard or seen released. Hong Kong i cannot emphasise how beautiful and warming this song is. Please Mr Albarn if should ever read this poor excuse for a review then please for the love of everything that is pure and sacred in this world release this song it is stunning.

finally comes latin simone which i personally feel if the hairs on the back of your neck do not stand up after hearing this then seriously you have some form of incurable illness.

all in all possibly the greatest live dvd i have ever seen i only wish i had been there.

Unlike most groups when they release a DVD of a live concert performance - you may watch it the once and put it away for quite some time before it comes back out to be watched again - this offering from the Gorrillaz however is simply enthralling. I purchased it only a few days ago and I have already watched it several times without having the feeling of tedious repetition; in fact, I find something new and exciting each time.

Despite being an expensive and expansive production, the gig feels quite intimate in the Manchester Opera House surroundings, and the use of several cameras filming the audience, the musicians and the amazing visual graphics of Jamie Hewlett create an unprecedented experience for the viewer. Indeed, if you were one of the many people who could not get tickets for this 5-night extravaganza, then you can enjoy the performance just as much as the attendees did back in November 2005.

Damon Albarn is on fine form and thankfully, he does not get so caught up in the moment (as he has done in the past) that his singing suffers or his behaviour on stage makes him look like a fool; I would hazard a guess that he has had a few singing lessons and this only adds more poignancy at times to the lyrics.

The album "Demon Days" sounds even better live than is does on CD, and some of the albums songs - "White Light" and "O Green World" for example - simply come to life here. Another added-bonus is that most of the performers from the album - Neneh Cherry, Roots Manuva, De La Soul and Bootsie Brown etc... - are present to add their own flavours to the mix and this takes the performances to another level.

Indeed, when Bootsie Brown on "Dirty Harry" raps "All I wanna do is dance," you, the crowd, the musicians and the performers on stage do just that... dance along to this fantastic performance that you will want to enjoy again and again. Bravo! Gorillaz Bravo!

If you are someone who loves music, of any kind or just appreciates talent and creativity. Then I HIGHLY suggest that you watch this DVD performance.

Grammy award winning Gorillaz are one of my favourite bands ever and their latest album entitled Demon Days, was THE GREATEST ALBUM I've ever listened to. I saw this DVD at HMV and I just had to get it, being a Gorillaz fan. I had no Idea how amazing this show would be.

Gorillaz are a virtual band from England created in year 2001 by cartoonist Jamie Hewlett and lead singer of Blur, Damon Albarn. In addition, there are around 86 more musicians involved including a symphony, a gospel choir, a children's choir, guitarists and many other brilliantly talented people.

Lead singer Damon Albarn is a creative genius. He writes all the brilliant music and lyrics. The stage is a beautiful sight, with Albarn and other musicians in front of a colour changing backdrop in silhouette.

It's not about half naked women dancing provocatively; it's not about arrogant artists rapping about sex and violence. It's just purely about music. Damon Albarn himself is strongly against music where artists have no talent and it's all about image. I myself would much rather listen to people like Gorillaz who actually have something intelligent to say rather than just blab about garbage.

Damon Albarn sits at a Piano at the back of the stage in black silhouette against a coloured backdrop that changes to the mood of the current song. He picked a number of interesting and diversely talented people to record the album and perform this show with. People like Ike Turner, Dennis Hopper, Neneh Cherry, Bootie Brown, De La Soul, MF Doom, Roots Manuva, Martina Topley Bird, The Manchester Gospel Choir, Shaun Ryder, Rosie Wilson, Zeng Zhen, Ibrahim Ferrer, Wayne Hernandez and many more. Dennis Hopper was at the other shows but couldn't make it to this one, so his voice is played over recording. Why they didn't release a DVD of one of the shows that he was in is a mystery.

The title track Demon Days suggests that we are living in the bad times where, to paraphrase their lyrics, `it's so cold inside and it's so hard for us just to survive and that you can't even trust the air you breathe'. This song is so powerful and seeing the breath-taking performance of it with the violins and cellos and gospel choir, it truly is breath taking.

I think everyone should be able to watch this concert in its entirety. But keep an open mind; Gorillaz perform a variety of rock, hip-hop, rap, dance, gospel, classical, electronic, even a couple jazz melodies are used. I myself listen to only rock but I loved all the hip-hop and classical tracks as well. I definitely think that Demon Days is the most well done song out of this show. But don't go skipping to that track, keep an open mind and hear all the different styles. It's really amazing at the end when the symphony breaks out and.... You're just going to have to see it for yourself! At the end of the show, Damon comes out into the light and shows his face, singing an encore performance. He received many standing ovations. I think why he doesn't usually show his face is to let people focus on the music rather than just image.

It's cool how they only perform in those red velvet theatres. If you're familiar with Gorillaz, watch this and you will never see them in the same way again. I think they are so underrated and deserve a lot of credit, especially Damon Albarn who composed all the music and picked all the people to record the album with. Although I would've liked to see Dennis Hopper do his bit, the whole show was phenomenal all the same; I wish I was there.

One person said it had way too many musicians and they thought it was horrible. Anybody who says that must not understand music. This DVD is a snippet of genious.

Buy it, rent it, borrow it, or steal it (just kidding:). You Must Watch it though! You won't be disappointed. Better yet, get the album too; A definite 5 stars.