Gorillaz Bring Out Big Guns Including Bobby Womack For London 0! .

Christie Goodwin, Getty Images

Gorillaz played their biggest-ever UK headlining gig to date last night at the 23,000-capacity London O2 Arena - the beginning of two dates at the enormodome. Calling on a horde of guest stars from their final album, 'Plastic Beach,' as good as a few cohorts from years back, Damon Albarn and chums treated the interview to a two-hour set, illustrated throughout with Jamie Hewlett's iconic animations on a huge screen behind the stage.

Albarn was ably backed by the now expected Mick Jones and Paul Simonon from the Encounter on guitar and bass respectively, as well as a six-piece brass outfit, a string sextet, two keyboard players and a couple of drummers. Big gun guests brought out included support act De La Soul, Neneh Cherry - looking not a day older than her 'Buffalo Stance' days for 'Kids With Guns' - and, drawing the biggest whoops from the audience, Bobby Womack for a stunning 'Stylo.' Half the fun was seeing which guest stars would suddenly appear on the vast stage, which was totally undressed apart from the aforesaid and very distracting big screen, which was continually active with Hewlitt's impressive animations. Of course, Happy Mondays and Black Grape frontman Shaun Ryder was never going to read as he's currently in a jungle on the former face of the world appearing on ITV1's reality TV show, 'I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here.' But the Fall's Mark E Smith, much care a stray wandering in off the street to call random nonsense, was give and compensate for some much-needed darkness on the glamtastic 'Glitter Freeze,' and grime stars Bashy and Kano got the company well and really started with 'White Flag.' We could likely get done with Kid 'N Play-haired fashion victim Daley on album track 'Doncamatic' and Sweden's Little Dragon meanwhile hardly ever seemed to allow the stage. However, a big screen 2D Snoop Dogg proved to be no substitute for the very thing and Gruff Rhys from Super Furry Animals was sadly missed on the cute 'Superfast Jellyfish.' In a set little changed from the one they headlined Glastonbury with in the summertime and relying heavily on last album, 'Plastic Beach,' it seemed that Damon had failed to mind some of the criticisms of their appearance their festivals either. The tempo still sagged in the eye with a host of introspective songs from their current album and there was a very out-of-place if well-meaning go from a Syrian quartet playing native music. However, a rousing encore of 'Feeling Good Inc,' 'Clint Eastwood' and a gorgeous 'Demon Days' more than made up for the more moribund parts of the set. Gorillaz return for their second appointment at the locale on Tuesday, 16 Nov.