Live Review: King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard, September 5 @ Alhambra Lounge
Words by Scenewave Australia - Published on September 7, 2014
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard have been touring around the country the past month with psyche-blues quintet, The Murlocs, in tow. Not only do the bands share a common psyche aesthetic across their music, but they also share a number of band members. So to those who were standing around me at the gig wondering if it was the same band from half an hour ago and if you were hallucinating an extra couple of members, firstly, what are you taking? And secondly, no, you’re all good.
The Murloc’s played a sterling set prior to King Gizz. “Paranoid Joy” and “Space Cadet” back-to-back early on sparked most punters’ attention and the intensity carried right through to the end, but as good as it was, I don’t think there were too many disappointed with the short set, largely because everyone was so keen for King Gizz. And honestly, what’s better than a psyche band with five members? A psyche band with seven, probably. With that many members, two of them drummers (yes please), it was expected King Gizz would make a fucking racket Friday night: a beautiful, psychedelic racket.
First things first, props have to be given to The Gizz for inciting riot like conditions straight off the bat. With that many members on stage it’s hard not to be hard hitting, but I’ve never seen a crowd at Alhambra in such a raucous, and on the first track too! It wasn’t long before a few of the harder going members of the crowd were escorted out for stage diving and other antics. What’s also not hard for a band with seven members is to sound sloppy or messy, but King Gizz’s approach to psyche rock, while carrying an enormous amount of heaviness, feels none-the-less extremely considered. Every layer of guitar, every distorted vocal and note of the harmonica has a purpose. It’s bloody loud, but it all feels deliberate, and that gives their music a huge amount of intensity. “Hot Wax” which has been doing the rounds on Triple J lately, spurred the crowd on for what was a foreseeable highlight for many, but it was “Head/On Pill” and all its moments of heavenly psyche heaviness followed by comparatively tranquil interludes that had the crowd in awe. Nothing however, absolutely nothing, could of prepared punters for King Gizz’s cover of the Stooges’ “I Wanna Be Your Dog”. Phwoar. Words cannot express. Just glorious, metaphorical, punk jizz all over the floor. An awesome way to close the set.
King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard have a new album out soon, I’m In Your Mind Fuzz, their fifth since 2012. Check out “Cellophane”, the latest single from the record.
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