Damon Albarn stalks the stage, backed by a vocal section of six, as Robert Smith of The Cure sings of “strange times” and rapper Slowthai pogos shirtless in front of an invisible crowd. Gorillaz, the cartoon band dreamed up by Albarn and illustrator Jamie Hewlett more than two decades ago, respond to the music, projected between them and onto a towering screen. This is Gorillaz’ first live stream but, unlike their competitors, it is truly live, combining live music with live animation and a bevy of high-profile guests. Ten in-person collaborators, including grime rapper Kano and actor Matt Berry, are joined by a cast of virtual musicians drawn from Gorillaz’ most recent album, the lockdown-created Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez.