Are Gorillaz touring in India? What we know

It's (almost) official: Gorillaz are coming to India. After months of speculation and Damon Albarn's repeated hints about touring here, the band dropped the news in the most casual way possible – an Instagram comment.

On their North American tour announcement, on March 4, the official Gorillaz account commented, 'Next up, India. Dates coming soon...' Enough to send Indian fans into meltdown. 

While specific cities, venues and ticket details remain under wraps, it’s been a long time coming. Earlier this year, Gorillaz made waves by hosting free listening parties for The Mountain, their latest album, across five Indian cities: Bengaluru, Delhi, Goa, Hyderabad and Mumbai. The sessions, which were spread worldwide, gave fans early access to the album before its February 27 release.

Now comes the hard part: waiting. 'Dates coming soon' is tour speak for ‘we're working on it, be patient’, which could mean anything from a few weeks to a few months. The Mountain Tour currently has the band playing UK and European dates through August, followed by a massive 22-date North American run from September to October. India would logically slot in after that, likely in late 2026 or early 2027.

Who are Gorillaz?

For the uninitiated: Gorillaz are the world's most successful virtual band, created in 1998 by Blur frontman Damon Albarn and Tank Girl artist Jamie Hewlett. The project consists of four animated members – singer 2-D, bassist Murdoc Niccals, guitarist Noodle and drummer Russel Hobbs – whose fictional backstories have evolved over nine albums. The music is very much real, with Albarn at the helm alongside a rotating cast.

With era-defining hits like 'Feel Good Inc.', 'Clint Eastwood', 'On Melancholy Hill' and 'Stylo', Gorillaz holds a Guinness World Record as the Most Successful Virtual Act. Their live shows are known to be spectacular audio-visual experiences, blending holographic animation, performers and Hewlett's iconic artwork into something closer to immersive theatre than a traditional concert.

The Mountain has been met with near-universal critical acclaim. It was recorded across Mumbai, New Delhi, Jaipur, Rishikesh and Varanasi, featuring legendary Indian collaborators including Asha Bhosle, Anoushka Shankar, flautist Ajay Prasanna, and sarod maestros Amaan and Ayaan Ali Bangash. The 15-track album features performances in five languages – English, Hindi, Arabic, Spanish and Yoruba. It’s rooted in the Gorillas’ creators’ experiences of travelling to India, while processing loss.