[ATTENDED: June 18, 2018] King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
‘I’ve been a fan of Melbourne’s King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard since I heard Nonagon Infinity which came out in 2016. SET
Since that record, the band have released five full length albums (five in 2017!).
And that kind of dedication to making music has seen their fanbase grow and grow.
From the 140 capacity Kung Fu Necktie in 2014 to the 650 capacity Underground Arts in 2016 to the 1,200 capacity Trocadero in 2016 (I found out about this show literally two weeks after it had happened or I would have been there!) And now finally to selling out Union Transfer (a higher profile show to be sure).
When the band came around in 2016, most of their set came from the then new Flying Microtonal Banana, but here they were one year and four albums later. What would they play?
They played twenty songs dividing them between Murder of The Universe, Polgondwanaland (their fifth album of 2017, coming out on New Year’s Eve) and Banana, as well as a few from Gumboot Soup (yet another 2017 release) and Nonagon Infinity. They went back to an earlier album for “Cellophane,” but this show was all about the newest stuff.
Frankly they could have played for an hour longer they have so much music, but the intensity of their playing (and the audience) made the 90 minutes a judicious call.
The band played fast heavy totally slam dance worthy songs–and the crowd responded–I don’t even remember if I was anywhere near the stage it as so packed by the time I arrived.
The frontman of the band is Stu MacKenzie, guitarist, singer and songwriter. But the band is as big as their name with two more guitarists, a bassist, a keyboardist/harmonica player and two drummers (!). The drummers (Michael Cavanagh and Eric Moore) face each other onstage. I am bummed that I didn’t get to see that more closely. Bassist Lucas Skinner plays a great low end, rumbling and intense).
Most of the attention went to Stu. He played a few different guitars, including the flying microtonal banana. But that was to come later.
A King Gizzard show is over the top. The visuals are disorienting and fun, the two drummers are always in time, but do different things and then there’s Stu’s intensity.
They led off with Digital Black, Vomit Coffin and The Lord of Lightning from Murder of the Universe and they never looked back.
Well, they looked back to play “Cellophane.” And as soon as Stu played the riff, the crowd went nuts. Then it was back to Murder for two “altered” songs.
After a song from Nonagon with “Evil Death Roll” they played three from Banana (they played the banana of course, see right). “Billabong Valley” featured vocals and lead guitar (on the banana) from keyboardist Ambrose Kenny Smith (right, who also plays a wild harmonica). Then then banana was passed back to Stu for “Nuclear Fusion” and the relentlessly catchy “Rattlesnake.”
On the other side of the stage, miles away it seemed were guitarists(and more) Joey Walker and Cook Craig.
After a sampling of Gumboot Soup “All is Known,” they took us to Polygondwananaland with “Crumbling Castle.” Not every song is breakneck speed, and there is a nice slowdown during “Castle.” That album also provided “The Fourth Colour,” (with this cool solo) “Deserted Dunes Welcome Weary Feet” and “The Castle in the Air.”
Things slowed down a bit for “Muddy Water” and “The Wheel,” but returning to Nonagon meant the last few songs were just as fast as the earlier ones, “Robot Stop” [Loosen up / Time to drop / Fuck shit up / Don’t forget about it] with the swirling wild background and “Gamma Knife.”
The online setlist suggests they ended with “Some Context” which is 16 seconds long, so maybe they did.
This show was so much fun. The band is tight as anything, as well as being satisfyingly loose and trippy. The visuals were great, the sound was excellent and the crowd was really into it.
I might have enjoyed it more if there were fewer fans and it was a little less crazy, but that’ not the King Gizzard experience, amiright? And you can bet that I’ll be there when they come back again.
SETLIST
- Digital Black
- Vomit Coffin
- The Lord of Lightning
- Cellophane
- Alter Me I
- Altered Beast I
- Evil Death Roll
- Billabong Valley
- Nuclear Fusion
- Rattlesnake
- All Is Known
- Crumbling Castle
-
The Fourth Colour
-
Deserted Dunes Welcome Weary Feet
-
The Castle in the Air
-
Muddy Water
-
The Wheel
-
Robot Stop
-
Gamma Knife
-
Some Context
There was no crying from anyone, despite what the setlist suggests.
The various backgrounds behind Stu
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