Gorillaz to release free album on Xmas Day

Jamie Hewlett has revealed that Gorillaz will release a new album for free as part of their advent calendar.

The animated band's website has provided fans with a free gift each day so far in December, and fans have been debating whether the group would be offering new material.

Singer Damon Albarn previously admitted that he had recorded a new album on his iPad during their latest tour.

Hewlett told Perth Now: "On Christmas Eve a video for one of the new songs from the iPad album will be released. Then, on Christmas Day fans get the whole album downloaded to their computer for free as a gift."

Albarn added: "I wanted to make sure that it came out at the end of the tour because I don't want anyone to think I'd tampered with it.

"If I left it until the New Year to release it then the cynics out there would say, 'Oh well, it's been tampered with', but if I put it out now they'd know that I haven't done anything because I've been on tour ever since."