Show Review: King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard

I first saw Melbourne-based garage psych band King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard at FYF in 2015 and they rocked! Their energy was so electrifying. It was a giant psych rock dance party. Since then they’ve released two albums, Nonagon Infinity and Flying Microtonal Banana, and they have another album coming out this summer called Murder of the Universe. The band’s frontman Stu Mackenzie said they’re trying to release at least four albums this year...yeah, did I mention they’re energetic?

I’ve been obsessed with their new apocalyptic doom-psych album since it came out earlier this year, so I was stoked to get press passes to their sold-out show at The Roxy, their only L.A. show in between playing weekends at Coachella. King Gizzard played most of their new album, Flying Microtonal Banana, and a few hits from Nonagon Infinity, like “Robot Stop” and “Gamma Knife.” They also played some songs off of their upcoming album Murder of the Universe (out on June 23 on ATO Records), including the song “The Lord of Lightning,” which they played on Conan for their TV debut earlier that day. (Watch them play on Conan here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RPuxO_WyHg).

There was so much energy at this show! It was two glorious hours of explosive, sweaty psych rock. Just when I thought the crowd’s energy had peaked, King Gizzard played the next chorus where there was even harder moshing and fist pumping. Seven band members is a lot on stage, but it works for King Gizzard. Their lineup of two drummers, three guitarists, a bassist, and a synth keyboardist/harmonica/tambourine player adds to the high-energy feel of their set. Also, shout-out to the harmonica player for using his harmonica to crack open a beer on stage. That was sick. This was the type of show that would have been a religious experience for me if I saw them at Coachella in the desert, since this type of music totally suits the whole desert festival vibe.

The show was packed and really, really hot. There were so many people crowd-surfing and stage diving into the sweaty mosh pit. It was so rowdy! A lot of teens took advantage of the fact that this was an all-ages show, and some even brought along their parents (i.e. “ride”). I stood next to some teens chugging red wine and a mega-fan clutching his three vinyl records close to his chest, careful to not ruin them in the rowdy mosh pit. I also saw a mom fighting away sweaty moshing fans by holding up her purse as a sort of air bag to soften any blows. She seemed to really not understand what she was getting into when she accompanied her kid to this show. Welcome to King Gizzard 101! In their own words, “Fuck shit up! Don’t forget about it!”

Definitely catch them at Coachella for anyone going to Weekend 2! They freaking SLAYED at their show at The Roxy. Bow down to your new KING Gizzard.

CHRISTINA NOUR, LA MUSIC DIRECTOR & DJ
GET LAED, WEDNESDAYS 5-6 P.M.