Gorillaz Deliver a Stellar Celebration of Multiculturalism Alongside Trueno and SPARKS at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Saturday night was my first time visiting the legendary Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, to see British icons Gorillaz perform on the London leg of their The Mountain Tour, celebrating their ninth 2026 album.
First to take the stage was Argentine rapper and MC Trueno, at 6pm sharp. Trueno and Gorillaz first collaborated when Trueno joined Damon Albarn on stage, unplanned, at the Quilmes Rock Festival in Argentina in 2022. The pair ended up doing a freestyle to the Gorillaz hit Clint Eastwood, which led to them recording their first song together, The Manifesto. That origin story alone says everything about who Trueno is, someone whose talent is so magnetic it turns a spontaneous moment into a lasting creative partnership.
His set opened strong with Fuck El Police, from his 2022 album BIEN O MAL, an unapologetic, charged opener that immediately signalled the kind of performer we were dealing with. He followed it with Fresh from his 2025 album EL ÚLTIMO BAILE, a confident celebration of his success, authenticity, and roots. The song is built on party energy and self-belief, capturing his journey from his neighbourhood to international stages with an ease that never feels boastful, just honest.
What came through most powerfully across Trueno’s set was his energy and stage presence. It was great to see everyone in the crowd dancing along and cheering him on. Other standout moments came with X UNAS LLANTAS, the infectious DANCE CRIP, and a raucous THE ROOF IS ON FIRE that had the stadium exactly as advertised.
American pop and rock duo SPARKS performed next. The relationship between SPARKS and Gorillaz began at Primavera Sound Porto in 2023, where Damon Albarn, performing with Blur, watched SPARKS from backstage and was captivated by their energetic, eccentric performance. After the show, the Mael brothers left a note in Albarn’s dressing room inviting him to collaborate if he was ever interested. This sparked the start of the bands relationship.
One of the highlights of SPARKS’ set was keyboardist Ron Mael, who remained in character throughout, serious-faced, playing the keyboard with such grace. At one point he got up from his seat and started to dance and smile; it was a lovely moment and the crowd responded with cheers and applause before he returned, straight-faced, to his keyboard. It’s amazing to think Ron is 80 years old, and that his brother, lead vocalist Russell Mael, is 77. Russell’s vocals were strong and his evident joy performing was infectious. Standout songs from their set included So May We Start?,The Number One Song in Heaven and Do Things My Own Way.
Gorillaz took to the stage at 8pm sharp, opening with The Mountain ft. Anoushka Shankar. Anoushka appeared several times throughout the set, playing sitar, a beautiful, recurring presence. The Mountain is an introspective song exploring themes of grief, the afterlife, and spiritual endurance. Grief and spirituality were themes also explored in or songs in the set, with a ray of cultural instruments being played all night long.
SPARKS then joined Gorillaz on stage to perform The Happy Dictator, before the band moved into Tranz and then into their dark pop segment. This brought out a string of surprise acts, including Jamaican dancehall artist Popcaan, who performed Saturnz Barz, and hip hop legend Yasiin Bey, formerly known as Mos Def, who performed Stylo and Damascus. Stylo was one of the standout songs of the night for me, it explores love as a vital, pulsating life force. Love, in fact, was a beautiful theme running throughout the evening, embodied in the band’s decision to bring so many collaborators to the stage, not just dancehall and rap legends, but Indian, African, European, Arab and East Asian artists. Music in all its glory.
More hip hop legends followed, with American rapper Bootie Brown and UK treasures Little Simz, Kano and Bashy joining the band on stage. Then came the moment Trueno returned to perform The Manifesto alongside Gorillaz, which was another standout of the night.
“I don’t know what’ll happen tomorrow / When I turn to the light that’s calling me / Mami, my future is calling me / I walk towards the light.”
I loved hearing that line live, the idea of turning towards the light just resonates. There are moments in life where music does exactly that: takes away your worries for a split second and pulls you completely into the present. Standing in a stadium packed with tens of thousands of people, that was one of those moments.
“We love you because we are you.” — Damon Albarn
The closing segment brought some of the most beloved songs in the Gorillaz catalogue. DARE! saw British treasure Shaun Ryder and alt-R&B artist Roses Gabor join the band on stage, followed by Feel Good Inc. ft. American rapper P.O.S and hip hop group De La Soul. They closed the show with Clint Eastwood before returning for an encore. What I loved most about those final songs was seeing the entire stadium on their feet, dancing, clapping, singing. It was especially beautiful to see families with young children fully swept up in it all, as the whole evening felt like a genuine family affair.
Gorillaz continue The Mountain Tour this summer, travelling throughout Europe, including Croatia, Greece, Italy, Denmark, Belgium, Luxembourg and Sweden, among many others, into August. Find out more via their website.
Setlist: Gorillaz, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, 21 June 2026
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The Mountain (ft. Anoushka Shankar)
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The Happy Dictator (ft. Sparks)
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Tranz
dark pop int
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Tomorrow Comes Today
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19/2000
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Rhinestone Eyes
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Saturnz Barz (ft. Popcaan)
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The Moon Cave (ft. Black Thought, Asha Puthli, Anoushka Shankar)
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El Mañana
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Empire Ants (ft. Yukimi)
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With Love to an Ex (ft. Moonchild Sanelly)
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Casablanca (ft. Paul Simonon, Johnny Marr)
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Delirium
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Andromeda
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Désolé (ft. Fatoumata Diawara)
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Stylo (ft. Yasiin Bey)
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Damascus (ft. Yasiin Bey, Omar Souleyman)
intro -
Dirty Harry (ft. Bootie Brown)
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Garage Palace (ft. Little Simz)
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White Flag (ft. Kano, Bashy, Lao)
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The Shadowy Light (ft. Gruff Rhys, Zanai Bhosle)
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The Sad God (ft. Black Thought, Anoushka Shankar)
(Damon, Jeff, strings remain insitu) -
Cloud of Unknowing
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Plastic Beach (ft. Paul Simonon, Johnny Marr)
intro madam -
On Melancholy Hill
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Orange County (ft. Kara Jackson, Anoushka Shankar)
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The Manifesto (ft. Trueno)
intro -
Dare! (ft. Shaun Ryder, Roses Gabor)
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Feel Good Inc (ft. P.O.S, De La Soul)
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Clint Eastwood
Words: Kanika Philip
Picture Credits: Phoebe Fox & Luke Dyson