GORILLAZ RELEASE NEW TRACK “DAMASCUS” (FEAT. OMAR SOULEYMAN AND YASIIN BEY)
NEW STUDIO ALBUM THE MOUNTAIN COMING FEBRUARY 27
“Damascus” (feat. Omar Souleyman and Yasiin Bey) is the latest brand new track from Gorillaz, the fourth from the band’s upcoming new studio album The Mountain, out February 27, 2026 on the band’s own new label KONG. Listen to “Damascus” below or HERE.
Written by Damon Albarn, Omar Souleyman, and Yasiin Bey and recorded in Damascus, London, Devon, Mumbai, and New York, “Damascus” features Syrian superstar of Bedouin music Omar Souleyman alongside rapper and singer Yasiin Bey (formerly Mos Def). Already firmly established as a fan favourite, the track received its live debut at the special surprise performance of The Mountain at London’s Copper Box Arena in September, ahead of an ecstatic reception at both Madrid’s Gaia Festival and Together For Palestine at Wembley Arena, an event which saw Damon Albarn and the Gorillaz live band also joined on stage by The London Arab Orchestra.
The Mountain is Gorillaz’ ninth studio album, an expansive sonic landscape of instruments and sounds, richly layered with voices, melodies and addictive beats, spanning a collection of 15 songs that embody the very essence of Gorillaz’ collaborative ethos. The record features an extraordinary list of artists and collaborators including: Ajay Prasanna, Amaan & Ayaan Ali Bangash, Anoushka Shankar, Asha Bhosle, Asha Puthli, Bizarrap, Black Thought, Gruff Rhys, IDLES, Jalen Ngonda, Johnny Marr, Kara Jackson, Omar Souleyman, Paul Simonon, Sparks, Trueno and Yasiin Bey; as well as the voices of friends and collaborators who have gone before us, including Bobby Womack, Dave Jolicoeur, Dennis Hopper, Mark E Smith, Proof and Tony Allen. The Mountain is a playlist for a party on the border between this world and whatever happens next, exploring the journey of life and the thrill of existence.
The Mountain Tour will kick off with two warm-up shows in Bradford on March 13 and 14 before opening in Manchester on March 20, 2026. The tour will visit arenas across the UK and Ireland, with headline shows in Birmingham, Glasgow (SOLD OUT), Leeds, Cardiff (SOLD OUT), Nottingham, Liverpool, Belfast (SOLD OUT) and Dublin (SOLD OUT); plus a one-off headline show at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday, June 20 2026 – the band’s biggest UK show to date – with support from Sparks and Trueno. The tour will also take in a run of festival performances across Europe next summer. See complete list of dates and ticket information below and at Gorillaz.com.
Following last year’s acclaimed London run, the iconic gates of Kong – the fabled home of Gorillaz – will open in Downtown L.A. when a celebrated new immersive exhibition House of Kong opens for a limited 4-week run from February 26 to March 19 2026 at Rolling Greens. Exhibition tickets are on sale now. The exhibition will be accompanied by two very special one-off Gorillaz shows at the Hollywood Palladium taking place on February 22 and 23. These standalone U.S. dates will see Damon Albarn and the Gorillaz live band joined onstage by special guests to perform the band’s new album ‘The Mountain’ in full, from beginning to end, all under the watchful eye of Murdoc, Noodle, Russel and 2D.
About GORILLAZ
Created by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, Gorillaz is singer 2D, bassist Murdoc Niccals, drummer Russel Hobbs and Japanese guitar prodigy Noodle. The BRIT and Grammy-winning virtual band formed following a collision of mishaps, meetings, and pure luck to blow up a pre-digital world with their colourful backstory and ground-breaking virtual ways. Based at Kong Studios, Gorillaz settled into a life of musical innovation with an eye-wateringly exciting roster of collaborators, a list that includes musical legends, geniuses and future stars from Elton John to Little Simz, MF Doom to Jean-Michel Jarre, Grace Jones to slowthai, Kali Uchis to Sidiki Diabaté, plus so many more. With eight albums to their name, Gorillaz (2001), Demon Days (2005), Plastic Beach (2010), The Fall (2011), Humanz (2017), The Now Now (2018), Song Machine: Season One – Strange Timez (2020), and Cracker Island (2023), Gorillaz is a truly global phenomenon, achieving success in entirely new and unique ways, touring the world from San Diego to Syria, Montevideo to Manchester and winning numerous awards including the coveted Jim Henson Creativity Honor.
About OMAR SOULEYMAN
Omar Souleyman’s 5th studio album pays homage to Erbil—the city in Iraq that offered solace and embraced Souleyman during recent uneasy times.
The move to Erbil came rich with new experiences and friendships best celebrated in joyous songs dedicated to a new chapter of life. Erbil’s 8 tracks see the Syrian wedding singer turned global electronic music icon again teaming up with his longtime keyboard player Hasan Jamo alo for an ever ambitious and forward thinking techno-meets-Dabke sound.
Beyond his move to Erbil, Iraq, the past several years have seen Omar Souleyman receive the GQ Middle East ‘Men of the Year’ award in 2022 (and cover feature), noted massive live performances in Saudi Arabia, United Emirates and the wider Middle East, as well as returning to the USA after a long 6 year break with performances in Los Angeles and New York City, all while his touring continued strong throughout Europe and the rest of the world.
Souleyman, who has collaborated with Björk and Four Tet, began his career as a prolific wedding singer, releasing nearly 500 live albums before civil war broke out in his native Syria in 2011. He then moved to Turkey and in 2013 released his Four Tet-produced debut studio album Wenu Wenu via Ribbon/Domino, which NPR called “…a jam so visceral, thrilling and intense as to make the mysterious matter of earthly borders seem hardly worth the time to contemplate.” His 2015 sophomore album Bahdeni Nami (various producers including Four Tet, Gilles Peterson and Modeselektor) garnered widespread critical praise as well as his two Mad Decent releases: 2017’s To Syria, With Love and 2019’s Shlon, placing Omar Souleyman firmly in the canon of global electronic music.
Souleyman has bolstered his growing status as a world and electronic music icon establishing an extensive international following after touring widely and performing at major festivals including Glastonbury, Bonnaroo, Pitchfork Paris, and Roskilde. In 2013, he performed at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Norway.
About YASIIN BEY
Yasiin Bey is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. His career in hip hop started under the now-forsaken stage name ‘Mos Def’ in 1994, and in 1998 he formed the duo Black Star alongside rapper Talib Kweli, releasing their eponymous debut album, featuring the singles “Definition” and “Respiration.” In 1999 he released his solo debut, Black on Both Sides, which was widely praised, and followed by The New Danger (2004), True Magic (2006), and The Ecstatic (2009), all to critical and audience acclaim. In 2022 with Talib Kweli they released a new long-awaited Black Star album, ‘No Fear of Time’, produced by Madlib, on the podcasting platform Luminary.
The editors of About.com listed him as the 14th greatest rapper on their “50 Greatest Rappers of All Time” list. Some of his top hits include “Oh No,” “Ms. Fat Booty,” “Umi Says,” and “Mathematics.” Over the course of his career Yasiin Bey has collaborated with many ofthe most prominent talents in popular, jazz and hip-hop music, including Madlib, Kanye West, De La Soul, Gorillaz, Robert Glasper, Chris ‘Daddy’ Dave, Derrick Hodge, Freddie Gibbs, Erykah Badu to name but a few.
Prior to his career in music, Yasiin Bey was a child actor with roles in television films, sitcoms, and theatre. Since the early 2000s, he has appeared in the films Something the Lord Made, Next Day Air, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, 16 Blocks, Be Kind Rewind, The Italian Job, The Woodsman, Bamboozled, and Brown Sugar, and in television series such as Dexter and House. He is also known as the host of Def Poetry Jam, which aired on HBO between 2002 and 2007.
In 2015, Yasiin Bey created Negus, a 28-minute listening experience consisting of 8 compositions recorded in London, produced by Lord Tusk, Steven Julien and Acyde. Negus is presented as an immersive sound installation, that can only be experienced in person. The recording is unavailable for purchase via digital or physical platforms. Bey designed the multi-track recording as an installation to encourage people to be fully present while listening to it.
Yasiin Bey has worked with long-time collaborators Dave Chappelle and Talib Kweli to create ‘The Midnight Miracle,’ a podcast released on Luminary bringing the three personalities together in a new genre of audio encompassing music, conversation, debate and celebrity guests. The show won Apple Podcasts’ ‘Best Shows of 2021’ and was cited as one of the New York Times’ ‘Best 10 Podcasts of 2021.’ Seasons 1 and 2 of the show were recorded during Chappelle’s legendary 2020 Summer Camp in Ohio, and later in New York, London and other locations around the globe, including a live performance at the 2022 Blue Note Jazz Festival in Napa, CA. Later in 2022 he performed with Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock on their record-breaking live US arena tour, and in 2023 he performed a 25-date tour in the United States alongside Erykah Badu.
More recently, Yasiin Bey has toured the UK, Europe and Australasia performing his tribute to the late, great MF Doom ‘BEYONDOOM,’ and alongside Talib Kweli as Black Star. He has also developed his activities in design and fashion with brands including Jacques-Marie Mage eyewear, Fueguia Fragrances, and others in apparel to be announced in 2026. He has a forthcoming studio album, Forensics, due to be released in 2026, collaborating with producer and DJ The Alchemist, and other multi-media projects in the pipeline.
About KONG
KONG is Gorillaz’ own label. The band’s ninth studio album The Mountain is KONG’s first release, with global digital and physical distribution via The Orchard.
The Mountain Tour 2026
UK & Ireland Dates
March 13 – BRADFORD, Bradford Live (Warm Up Show)
March 14 – BRADFORD, Bradford Live (Warm Up Show)
March 20 – MANCHESTER, Co-op Live – NEW DATE DUE TO DEMAND!
March 21 – MANCHESTER, Co-op Live
March 22 – BIRMINGHAM, bp pulse LIVE
March 24 – GLASGOW, OVO Hydro* – SOLD OUT!
March 25 – LEEDS, First Direct Arena*
March 27 – CARDIFF, Utilita Arena* – SOLD OUT!
March 28 – NOTTINGHAM, Motorpoint Arena*
March 29 – LIVERPOOL, M&S Bank Arena*
March 31 – BELFAST, SSE Arena* – SOLD OUT!
April 01 – DUBLIN, 3Arena* – SOLD OUT!
April 02 – DUBLIN, 3Arena* – NEW DATE DUE TO DEMAND! SOLD OUT!
European Festival Dates
June 05 – FRANCE, Paris – We Love Green Festival
June 06 – SPAIN, Barcelona – Primavera Sound Barcelona
June 10 – CZECH REPUBLIC, Hradec Králové – Rock For People
June 11-13 – PORTUGAL, Porto – Primavera Sound Porto
June 14 – NETHERLANDS, Hilvarenbeek – Best Kept Secret
June 23 – CROATIA, Zagreb – INmusic Festival
June 25 – GREECE, Athens – Release Athens x SNF Nostos 2026
June 27 – ITALY, Lido di Camaiore – La Prima Estate Festival
July 02 – DENMARK – Roskilde Festival
July 04 – BELGIUM, Rock Werchter
July 05 – LUXEMBOURG, Luxepo Open Air
July 09 – SLOVAKIA, Trencin – Pohoda Festival
July 11 – FRANCE, Ais-les-Bains – Musilac Festival
July 14 – TURKEY, Istanbul – Pozitif Vibrations*
July 16 – TURKEY, Istanbul – Pozitif Vibrations
July 18 – BULGARIA, Plovdiv – PhillGood Festival
July 23 – SWITZERLAND, Nyon – Paleo Festival
July 25 – ITALY, Trieste – Piazza Unita’ d’Italia
August 13 – POLAND, Poznan – BitterSweet Festival
August 15 – SWEDEN, Gothenburg – Way Out West
August 22 – KAZAKHSTAN, Almaty – Kazakhstan Park Live
August 29 – IRELAND, Stradbally – Electric Picnic
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