Gorillaz

Gorillaz are a turbo boosted four piece in overdrive.

Their race-tuned sound is an F1 Kong with Mighty Joe Young at the wheel.

They were last heard at their now infamous debut gig at the Camden Roundhouse, which ended in a riot (natch).

Gorillaz are the brainchild of Murdoc, a snaggle-toothed Svengali from Stoke-On-Trent.

He's a self-taught bassist with a mind like a rusty steel trap and a burning desire to create a chart-topping band.

Influences: - Sabbath, Dub, J Andrew Anderson and Dennis Wilson.

From day one Gorillaz' warped back-seat driver knew that good tunes weren't enough to succeed; he needed good looks and good equipment, neither of which he had.

Murdoc met frontman 2D while ram-raiding the Organ Emporium where he worked. 2D is a sweetheart with a blank sheet of paper where his mind should be.

His black eyes and vacant stare make people think he's cool and enigmatic, but he's just got a migraine.

Voice like an angel. Arse like a Satsuma. Murdoc recognized perfect pop material.

Influences: - Butorphanol Tartrate, Phil Oakey and Lucio Fulci.

Next to join was drummer, Russel, a hip-hop hard man from the US of A. Russel draws upon spooky mates to help guide his beats.

The funky phantoms live in Russel's hunking frame and pop out every so often to provide some undead rapping. Russel himself is actually a bit posh.

With an enviable wardrobe and a private education, Russel is a proper musician. Murdoc discovered him working in a Soho rap store after his parents had moved him to London. Influences: - Farrakhan, Chaka Khan.

Which just left them needing a guitarist.

An ad in the NME resulted in a FedEx freight container arriving, out of which jumped Noodle, a 10-year old Asian axe princess. Kick-ass riff-meister, martial arts expert, little ice maiden. She looks at the world through unfazed eyes. Influences: - Haiku poetry, Lao Zi, Richie Sambora. Now Gorillaz were complete.

Courtesy of label