E.ON SE: E.ON announces partnership with British band Gorillaz

E.ON announces partnership with British band Gorillaz

- Joint development of a solar and battery powered film and music studio

- Today marks the launch of the jointly-produced film titled "We got the Power"

Solar energy is about to get really loud: E.ON has partnered with the British pop band Gorillaz. The collaboration between the band and E.ON will kick off with a film and music studio powered solely by solar energy and battery storage. E.ON has developed and put the studio into operation over the past few months. Today, the partners will present a jointly produced video for the current Gorillaz song "We got the Power." The film was produced exclusively with solar energy and battery storage.

Set in the desert, the film features over thousand dancing toys, hundreds of light installations, giant tanks of illuminating squid, a squadron of flashing UFOs and a giant golden lucky cat - all powered entirely by solar and battery storage technology. Instead of animation, it uses real, functional props, all powered entirely by solar energy-charged batteries and backed up by the pounding beats of the Gorillaz. The visual fireworks are online on eon.com/gorillaz and YouTube.

The film sets the stage for the presentation of the solar and battery-powered "E.ON Kong Solar Studios," which will premiere at the "Demon Dayz" Festival in England on June 10. Then the virtual Air Stream of the Gorillaz is getting reality. With the help of solar and battery technology from E.ON, the studio enables aspiring music artists to co-create new tracks with Gorillaz, which will appear on eon.com/gorillaz. The E.ON Kong Solar Studio will travel with the band to selected concerts and festivals as part of the Gorillaz' highly anticipated world tour from June through November. Musicians can apply on E.ON's facebook channels in the different countries to get access to the E.ON Kong Solar Studio.

Gorillaz founder and bass player, Murdoc Niccals, says of the partnership: "I'm an environmentalist myself. That's why the Gorillaz teamed up with E.ON - the lead brainiacs in the field of solar energy storage - to build a brand new studio that not only helps us make better music, but also helps preserve the planet. E.ON also has some outstanding batteries, so we can keep on working even in the dark."

The partnership with the Gorillaz is part of E.ON's new global brand positioning aimed at working toward a better future by providing innovative customer solutions. "We are using the sun's energy for this up to now uniquely creative and ambitious project. Our partnership with the Gorillaz shows what can be accomplished with solar energy and battery technologies without compromising performance. Energy offers new opportunities. It's a perfect fit for the Gorillaz, who have inspired their audiences and other artists again and again with their daring sound, visuals as well as innovative performance," says Karsten Wildberger, board member at E.ON.

About Gorillaz

Gorillaz is singer 2D, bassist Murdoc Niccals, guitarist Noodle and drummer Russel Hobbs. Created by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett, their acclaimed eponymous debut album was released in 2001. The BRIT and Grammy Award winning band's subsequent albums are Demon Days (2005), Plastic Beach (2010) and The Fall (2011). A truly global phenomenon, Gorillaz have topped charts around the world and toured the globe from San Diego to Syria, picking up hundreds of millions of streams and record sales along the way. Gorillaz have achieved success in entirely ground-breaking ways, winning numerous awards including the coveted Jim Henson Creativity Honor and are recognised by The Guinness Book Of World Records as the planet's Most Successful Virtual Act. New album Humanz was released to widespread critical acclaim last month, reaching #1 and #2 in the U.S. and U.K. album charts respectively, and topping the iTunes chart in 60 plus countries around the world.

About the film

Agency: Engine (WCRS, Partners Andrews Aldridge, Mischief and Slice)
Executive Creative Director: Billy Faithfull
Creatives: Chris Lapham & Aaron McGurk
Executive Producer: Bradley Woodus
Client Managing Director: Polly Jones
Account Director: Albert Ponnelle
Account Manager: Cat Melville
Strategy Director: John Crowther
Senior Strategist: Matthias Gray
Solar Studio Producer: Beth Ward
Head of Influence: Lucy Hart

Production Company: Blinkink
Director: Noah Harris
Executive Producer: Bart Yates
Producer: Ewen Brown
Production Manager: Lucy Jones
DOP: Patrick Mellor
Art Director: Drogo Michie
Prop Man: Lloyd Vincent
Model Makers & sfx: Asylum
Art Dept: Kate McConnell
Editor: Max Windows
BTS: Sam Davis
BTS: Tom Gilfillan

Post Production: Nineteen Twenty
Grade: Free Folk
Colourist: Duncan Russell
Music: Gorillaz
Sound Design: Tony Rapaccioli

This press release may contain statements regarding future developments that are based on current assumptions and forecasts made by the management of the E.ON Group and on other currently available information. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors could cause actual results, the financial condition, development, or performance of the company to differ materially from the estimates given here. E.ON SE does not intend and undertakes no obligation to update these statements regarding future developments so as to reflect future events or developments.