Shure Axient® Digital PSM Eliminates Wireless In-Ear Interference for Gorillaz Guitarist on Global 'The Mountain' Tour

London, United Kingdom – October 2026 – Gorillaz’s ‘The Mountain’ world tour, which launched in March 2026 in support of the band’s new album of the same name, has taken the production through a demanding run of indoor arenas, outdoor festivals, TV promo slots and one-off creative activations across the globe – including a three-hour show at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, with video design from SWEAR Studio and lighting from Pixel Mappers. True to form for a Gorillaz production, the guest-artist line-up changes from night to night, with Sound Engineer Colin Woodward and the touring crew needing to be ready for anything from a single guest vocalist to a seven-piece brass section or a twelve-strong choir. Throughout, Shure Axient® Digital and Axient Digital PSM wireless systems have kept the show’s audio dependable, wherever in the world the tour lands.

Axient Digital AD1 bodypack transmitters cover every guitar played by guitarist Jeff, with two AD2 handheld transmitters fitted with KSM8 capsules kept on standby for frontman Damon Albarn. Jeff also monitors on Shure’s Axient Digital PSM in-ear system, while a stage full of Shure microphones – including KSM8, VP88, Beta 91A, Beta 57A and KSM137 – capture vocals, percussion and ambience for front of house engineer Matt Butcher and Monitor Engineer Dave Guerin. Woodward co-ordinates the entire RF picture, including third-party wireless systems, through Shure Wireless Workbench software.

Solving guitar dropouts: the switch to Axient Digital PSM

When Jeff’s previous in-ear monitoring system began clashing with the Axient Digital guitar packs, Woodward and the team needed a fix that wouldn’t compromise the guitar sound the production had built its RF strategy around.

“The other system we were using for IEMs on stage caused some interference issues, including guitar dropouts on the AD1 packs,” says Woodward. “We also noticed a small amount of noise present when these units were close to the guitar amps – and as Jeff likes to move around a lot, it’s not possible to avoid the amps.”

Moving Jeff onto Shure’s Axient Digital PSM system, which uses a receive-only architecture, removed the clash entirely.

“It plays nicely with the AD1s – we had some issues with clashing and dropouts using the other IEM system, as well as some low-level interference noise with his amplifier. Axient Digital PSM solved that, as it’s an RX-only system,” Woodward explains. “Axient Digital PSM has solved all those issues while sounding great. It’s been absolutely rock-solid for me, and the noise floor is really impressive, to the point where you have to double check it’s on when the mix is quiet. He’s a big fan of the sound!”

Cable-like tone, anywhere in the world

With the tour moving between continents and RF environments – from major city arenas to outdoor festival sites – Woodward needed a wireless guitar system that wouldn’t colour the sound or falter under pressure.

“Shure Axient Digital has rock-solid performance in really tough conditions. I knew we’d be moving all over the world and having to work in some difficult RF situations – hello, Hollywood – and I knew I’d have no issues with it,” he says. “It also sounds great for guitars, almost indistinguishable from a regular guitar cable, which is what we needed most.”

“We’re moving all over the world, so I need something with a wide tuning range, great sound quality and top RF performance in difficult environments. The system has to be really robust and stand up to constant touring,” Woodward continues. “For this solution I need the guitars to sound exactly like a regular cable and not have any colour to them. Axient Digital solves all that. It’s got power if I need to shoot over noise, and I’m still constantly impressed by how well the units perform right at the edge of range. It takes a lot of abuse to drop the quality level.”

Full visibility with Wireless Workbench

Shure’s Wireless Workbench software is central to keeping the whole RF picture under control on a tour of this scale.

“My day begins and ends with Workbench, basically,” he says. “If I’m in early, I’ll normally take a scan with my portable scanner and start work on my laptop. This then transfers over to the computer in my rack, where I’ll compare it with a scan on the AXT600, with antennas in position on stage.” Wireless Workbench also lets Woodward bring third-party wireless systems into a single view. “I co-ordinate everything through Workbench, including other manufacturers that I’ve added profiles for. I really enjoy that feature, it means I’m not juggling several pieces of software.”

The software’s monitoring and timeline recording tools have proved just as valuable day to day. “I send a copy of the monitor screen out to our guitar tech via Vmix, so he can see everything he’s got going on,” Woodward explains. “The timeline recording helped me pin down the issues we were having with the guitar dropouts, and prompted the switch to Axient Digital PSM. It’s so useful to be able to visualise the RF performance in real time.” Woodward currently runs an AXT600 spectrum manager and is planning to move to Shure’s newer AD600. “Honestly, the wider scan range is a plus, but realistically it would be nice to manage Axient Digital and Axient Digital PSM through the same unit.”

A stage full of Shure mics

Vocals throughout the show run on Shure KSM8 capsules – the mic of choice for Damon Albarn, according to Monitor Engineer Dave Guerin. “For decades, Damon was on an SM58,” Guerin recalls. “Matt [Butcher] had tried a KSM8 somewhere with another act and pushed to try them with Damon. He wasn’t expecting it to be any different to the normal SM58, but he loved it – the lack of proximity effect was the main thing, and a better top end.” The production now carries around ten KSM8 capsules, rotating in a new one for Damon each year.

Elsewhere on stage, two Shure VP88 stereo microphones do double duty – one as a percussion overhead, the other repurposed as a targeted ambient mic for Damon since he moved to in-ear monitors. “What a truly phenomenal mic,” says Guerin. “Placed vertically near Damon’s piano, it picks up a really natural-sounding stage sound, so he hears everyone when they’re speaking without having to take his ears out – and then when the music starts, a big compressor on the channel and it disappears, coming back to give the stage ambience as soon as the music stops.” Shure shotgun microphones on the sidefills and Beta 57A mics between the centre wedges cover front-row audience sound, part of eight channels of ambient audience mics in total.

The rig even carries a handful of Shure’s discontinued 527B microphones, used for Damon’s distinctive gritty, distorted vocal sound. “They’re used on a lot of the Gorillaz recordings, and obviously live,” says Guerin. With Shure no longer manufacturing the model, the team keeps a close watch on the second-hand market to maintain their small stock.

For crew communications, the team relies on Shure SM35 headsets. “The SM35 are incredibly clear and comfortable enough to be worn for long shows or rehearsal days,” says Woodward. On a production with constantly shifting features, brass and strings, that clarity matters. “Communication between the crew during the gig is paramount, especially on a gig like Gorillaz that’s ever-changing,” adds Guerin. “The SM35 was the only headset we’ve tried that was actually intelligible against the d&b M2 wedges and E5 sidefills at gig levels.”

Built to survive the road

Asked to sum up Shure’s wireless ecosystem in a few words, Woodward doesn’t hesitate. “Robust ecosystem. Incredible RF performance in the most challenging situations. Completely reliable. Intuitive software,” he says. Guerin points to the mechanical reliability of the microphones themselves: “I’ve never had a Shure radio mic with an SM58 head mechanically fail mid-gig – and they are given a lot of abuse.”

That reliability extends to the support behind the products. Woodward singles out Shure’s Peppe Mallozi for going the extra mile during the tour. “I realised I needed some rubber boots for the Axient Digital PSM antennas. I sent him a text, and they were with me two days later. I always get a quick response from him with the info I need.”

Gorillaz ‘The Mountain’ Tour System Configuration

Kitlist:
Shure Axient® Digital AD1 Bodypack Transmitters (one per guitar)
2 x Shure Axient® Digital AD2 Handheld Transmitters with KSM8 capsules
Shure Axient® Digital PSM In-Ear Monitor System
Shure KSM8 Dualdyne Vocal Microphones
2 x Shure VP88 Stereo Microphones
Shure Beta 91A, Beta 57A and KSM137 Microphones
Shure SM57 and SM58 Microphones
Shure 527B Microphones
Shure Shotgun Microphones (sidefill audience mics)
Shure SM35 Headset Microphones (crew comms)
Shure AXT600 Axient Digital Spectrum Manager
Managed throughout via Shure Wireless Workbench software.