When you really think about it Gorillaz, the brainchild of Damon Albarn (Blur) and Jamie Hewlett (Tank Girl), is a pretty fucked up concept. You’ve got an animated band, made up from real world band members (the lead who is quite famous and identifiable in his own right) who think they’re famous, who go on tour in a real world setting. Bananaz is the documentary which follows the six year process of the Gorillaz from just past conception to the live tour of the animated Gorillaz rock band across America.

It’s a fly-on-the-wall, home movie kind of documentary, and director Ceri Levy shows you both the highlights and lowlights of the band’s career, and a hell of a lot of bickering and farting in between. The highlights are the massive Gorillaz Festival, with Dennis Hopper, De la Soul, Shaun Ryder, Nina Cherry and more joining Albarn on stage in the USA. One of the lowlights was the departure of the band’s bass player before their first tour of the USA, leaving Albarn vomiting with nervousness before going on stage. There’s no explanation given for his departure, and this annoyed me.

The other people in the film are generally playing second fiddle to the Albarn and Hewlett show. There’s an excellent scene with Buena Vista Social Club singer Ibrahim Ferrer, but then he’s nowhere else to be seen in the film. They chat a little to Haruka Kuroda who provides the voice of Noodle, but pretty much gloss over everyone else, including Dan The Automater and Dangermouse.

You do get a good feel for the personalities of both Albarn and Hewlett though. Despite their fame, they seem like typical British lads. There are unexplained scars and scratches on Albarn’s face, again never explained but I like to think it’s from some kind of bar brawl. Another classy act is where Albarn tries to scab a cigarette off Hewlett, and he’s told “fuck off, you’re a millionaire”. Hewlett has an awesome scene talking about how much he hates NME writers, his immaturity shows as he draws a massive dick as a portrait of one.

It’s a funny, charming movie, and seeing the behind the scenes of not only the performances but also the animation is interesting. The debate on how to do interviews as the Gorillaz is eye opening, as is Albarn’s handling of certain interview questions.

However, I felt a little lost at times, as words are mumbled and certain incidents glossed over, never properly explained or examined. I would have liked to see a more traditional documentary style applied in many cases, to get further insight and different points of view. It’s a good film for Gorillaz lovers, but those who aren’t fans may find things hard to follow and not explained quite well enough.