Gorillaz’s ‘House of Kong’ immerses fans in the band’s virtual world
A slogan at the entrance to House of Kong in downtown Los Angeles warns, “REJECT FALSE IDOLS.” It’s a perfect sentiment for this pop-up exhibition about Gorillaz, the British band that’s both real and not real at the same time.
Gorillaz is the creation of singer-songwriter Damon Albarn of the Britpop band Blur and artist Jamie Hewlett, who created the comic book “Tank Girl.”
On paper and screens, the virtual band consists of Murdoc Niccals, 2-D, Russel Hobbs, and Noodle – all of them drawn and animated by Hewlett.
In the studio and on stage, Albarn is the main performer with a rotating cast of semi-regular musicians and guest artists who breathe life into the lore of Gorillaz.
Gorillaz preceded House of Kong with a pair of shows at the Hollywood Palladium on Feb. 22-23 in which they played all of their new album “The Mountain” and a handful of fan favorites.
On Tuesday, March 3, they announced their return to Southern California with a show at the Kia Forum in Inglewood on Oct. 24 and Pechanga Arena in San Diego on Oct. 25.
House of Kong, which opened Feb. 26 and runs through March 19, is an exhibition that explores both the real-world creation and the imaginary mythology of the band by providing an immersive journey into its past, present and future.
A day before the opening of House of Kong, named for Gorillaz’ recording studio, we checked out the exhibit to see, hear and sometimes smell what it’s like to enter the world of Gorillaz.
The warning at the entrance was preceded by a towering statue of Pazuzu, a Mesopotamian demon-god that surfaces in Gorillaz videos and art at times. [If the name sounds familiar, you’re either of Mesopotamian descent or you’ve seen or read “The Exorcist,” where the same demon possesses actress Linda Blair’s character, Regan.]
So yeah, the mood is creepy by the time you slip on the headphones through which the audio tour of House of Kong is narrated, and then into the darkness of the first room on your journey.
On different walls of two adjoined galleries, the art created by Hewlett for the band and its world is displayed. A wall titled “Miscreation” offers early conceptual sketches before the final lineup and images of Murdoc, 2-D, Russel Hobbs and Noodle were locked in.
A “Cover Stars” wall shows art of Gorillaz as it was seen on music and entertainment magazines such as Smash Hits, NME and Time Out in the early 2000s after the release of 2001 self-titled debut album.
The “World Building” wall is hung with art that expanded the Gorillaz’s universe. Next comes “Animation,” and the hand-drawn storyboards for the music video to “Feel Good Inc.,” one of the band’s most popular singles from 2005’s “Demon Daze.”
It’s a terrific glimpse into Hewlett’s creative process, dampened only the fast pace of the audio narration and lighting cues that can leave you feeling rushed without as much time as you’d like to spend with the images.
Suddenly, an alarm starts to blare, and – well, here we’re going to go impose a blackout of the specifics of what’s ahead because to say more would spoil the many surprises.
Suffice to say, you get a look at the lives of Noodle, Russel, 2-D and Murdoc that is three-dimensional and filled with artifacts from the quarter-century history of Albarn and Hewlett’s creative project.
OK, six stops later, the blackout is lifted, and we enter the final stretch of the exhibition with a small theater in which a 15-minute documentary film on the creation of Gorillaz, including clips from the studio with many of their guest stars over time, plays on a loop.
Another look at the visual history of the band arrives in a gallery where the full storyboard, 132 frames for the planned but never-made music video for “Rhinestone Eyes” off 2010’s “Plastic Beach” album, is displayed.
Turn the corner and original model for the “Plastic Beach” album art, a large 3D sculpture of the floating island where Gorillaz hide out in that collection’s storyline, is also displayed.
The last stop, is, of course, the gift shop, where in addition to vinyl and CD copies of almost everything Gorillaz has recorded, T-shirts and hoodies with images of the band together and as individuals, and other Gorillaz merch, including coffee cups, stickers, and pencils, are available.
Actually, that’s not quite the last stop, because next to the exit door is the 1969 black-and-white Camaro seen in the music video for the single “Stylo,” in which Murdoc, 2-D and Cyborg Noodle race through the California desert exchanging gunfire with Bruce Willis hot on their tail in a cherry-red ’68 Chevy El Camino.
Gorillaz’s House of Kong
What: Immersive exhibition by the virtual band Gorillaz
Where: Rolling Greens, 1005 Mateo St., Los Angeles
When: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Sunday through March 19, 2026. Expect the visit to last about 90 minutes. Tickets must be purchased for specific windows of time.
How much: $39.95 to $79.95 depending on time of day, day of week, and flexibility of time of visit.
For more: See Houseofkong.gorillaz.com