I Just Read About That…

[WATCHED: April 17, 2020] Chunky Shrapnel

In 2020, the ever productive King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard released a soundtrack and a live documentary/concert film.

NME explains:

Chunky Shrapnel was supposed to have premiered earlier this month in two sold-out screenings at the Astor Theatre in the band’s stomping grounds of Melbourne. But the coronavirus pandemic put paid to that, so the movie will now premiere for 24 hours on Vimeo, April 17-18. Stewart promises that plans for wider distribution – including a theatrical release in cinemas around the world – are in the works.

Primary filming was done by John Angus Stewart.  In that NME interview he says

because I was shooting on film, and you don’t really know what you’ve got until you’ve got it processed, which takes a few weeks. I was shooting things, in a way, blindly.

With documentaries about musicians or even about filmmakers, a lot of the time, to give it a narrative thread, they pry into artists’ personalities or whatnot, trying to extract this deeper narrative to make it feel like a three-act film.

But to me, I think [King Gizzard’s] performance and their music is so fuckin’ interesting that you don’t have to do that.

If you like this music, you’ll get an insight into who these people are. But I didn’t want to frame them as these godlike figures, because to me that’s kind of bullshit. They’re just normal dudes.

So what’s the film like?

After a brief backstage intro, the band walk out on stage.  Drummers Mike Cavanagh and Eric Moore begin thumping in time as the rest of the band takes their places.  A quick word from singer/guitarist Stu Mackenzie and they launch into “Self Immolate.”  Strangely though, while the band is thrashing away a weird synthy alien music overwhelms the sound.  This is music written for the film by Stu.  This piece is called “Evil Star” and it kind of drifts in an out as the film shows fans dancing and chanting for one more tune.

Then we join the band backstage as they hang out with members of Stonefield and Orb and chat (although we can’t really hear them).

The music continues until the band takes the stage and just as you think it’s going to be all weird synthy music instead of the band playing–a kind of twisted joke, perhaps?–Stu asks if everyone is good and they start “The River.”  Stu plays a lead jam on his 12-string while Joey Walker jams with him.

After what appears to be a fan coming on stage?  They segue into “Wah Wah.”

Then you see cameraman’s hand adjusting a lens while the drums thump on.  A thumbs up allows them to launch into a pummeling “Road Train.”

There’s some soundcheck and backstage footage, include a quiet moment of I think Zak Olsen playing a melody on an acoustic guitar.

Then you see the director wiping off the lens as a the band launches into another song while Stu’s second melancholic alien song plays over the top (this one called “Quarantine”) before the scene shifts and the band plays “Murder of the Universe” (while bathed in green).

After the song you hear the mellow strains of “Sense” and even a clip of Stu at the keys singing the first verse before it cuts to scenes of the Jason Galea signing and numbering his prints.

Then its on to a ripping “Planet B.”

Some of the most fun scenes are as the show(s) end when you see everyone (especially Eric) throwing sticks and picks and setlists into the audience.  Then comes an impressive double bass drum solo from Cavanagh (the credits say it’s called “Parking”).  Then it’s on to “Venusian 2.”  It’s really awesome when the camera pans and shows both drummers totally in sync.

Then it’s on to “Hell” with those excellent riffs and pummeling double bass drum (technically triple bass since Eric has one as well).

After a scene of Ambrose Kenney-Smith standing apparently in the crowd–I think people are holding him up as he sings to them, he climbs back on stage for “Let Me Mend the Past.”  This is the only song he sings in the movie, which is kind of a bummer. He doesn’t play much harmonica either.  But his scene is cool because you really get a sense of what it’s like to sing in front of a huge crowd of people because you can see the first twenty rows of faces pretty clearly.  Then he jumps from the stage to the barrier and crowd surfs for a couple choruses.

Then the screen splits into 8 smaller videos as we see all kinds of behind the scenes footage of them traveling around(there’s the Eiffel Tower), playing footie, seeing the Gucci store, and a lot of walking around to the new track “Anamnesis.”  Then Ambrose sits on a statue in a fountain (while smoking, gasp!)

The soundchecks are neat just to see the interesting (and beautiful) venues with no one in them. Although it also makes you realize how boring soundcheck must be (with a bit more of “Self Immolate”).

It’s surprising (maybe) how much of this movie is made up of songs from Infest the Rats Nest because it makes them seem like a much heavier band than they are.

Then it’ on to three songs from Polygondwanaland.

“Inner Cell” is a great moody piece sung mostly by Joey where the bass really shines.  Lucas Skinner is a fantastic bassist and I feel like I often overlook him because there’s so much else going on on stage.

It segues into “Loyalty” via a great synth interlude from Cook Craig and then it’s more of Joey on lead vocals.  Stu puts down his guitar to stand at the backing synth to recite into the processed vocal microphone.  Then it’s that terrific bass in the middle of the song before segueing to “Horology” with those great guitar and bass lines and more vocals from Joey.

After a brief interlude of footie we get to the final song called “A Brief History of Planet Earth.”  The only disappointment I felt in the film was the lack of the flying microtonal banana guitar.  In fact there’s no microtonal songs at all except for the introductory part of this medley which starts with a microtonal version of “Rattlesnake.”  But it then cuts to a 12 string version of the song with Stu going appropriately nuts.

Then it cuts to Stu playing the flute (with the backing music staying the same) and ten my favorite part which starts at 1:22 and sees a whole group of people in the audience sitting on the floor rowing back and forth.  They all get up at the same time and start dancing.  While this is going on Stu is sitting on the edge of the stage soloing to the people right in front.  He eventually gets up as Joey says “that might have been the weirdest thing that ever happened at a show…crazy Dutch people.”

There’s one more cut to the Cavanagh, the “bloody drummer, eh” diving into the crowd (it’s quite a jump) while Stu plays the drums.

After a quick look outside, the camera comes back and Amy Findaly from Stonefield is on drums.  Then Hannah Findlay comes out and takes over Joey’s guitar.  Zak Olsen from Orb takes over Ambrose’s keyboard spot while Orb bassist Daff Gravolin takes over Cook’s guitar.  Then we see Sarah Findlay on Cook’s keyboards and finally Orb drummer Jamie Harmer on Eric’s drum kit while he jumps into the crowd from the stage.  The last guest is guitarist Callum Shortal whol plays Stu’s 12 string and does some great solos.

Stu puts on a tiny pirate hat and in another great moment says, “we’re going to give this beer to that man”–Stu crowd surfs back to the sound man with a beer.  Stu makes it all the way back to stage but is now missing a sock.  So he takes off the other one and throws it to the crowd.  Then he takes off his shirt and throws it into the crowd but it gets stuck in the rafters (!).

Finally what else can Stu do but take off his shorts leaving him in just his underwear as he walks off the stage and the other guys jump into the crowd over and over.

It’s a pretty great look at a pretty outstanding live band.  And an interesting experiment with renting a movie via Vimeo.