Two drum kits, three guitars, one bass, two keyboards and a harmonica; Rock City’s stage was set for one of the most stupendously versatile rock bands you can see in 2019.
Aussie psych rock outfit, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, cracked open their UK/EU tour with an odyssey across their genre-hopping discography to a crowd of loyal fans who’s insatiable appetite was marked with a chorus of screams; it’s a good thing King Gizz delivered.
The seven-piece is revered for their adaptability and never was it so clear than through a setlist that swung from the thrash metal hell-fire in opener Self-immolate to the ten-minute acid prog epic Crumbling Castle to the electro-boogie romper that is Cyboogie.
As a result, Rock City seemed to be housing three gigs at once as ravenous moshing flowed gently into arm swaying and drunken merriment before fading into some questionable dance moves from Nottingham’s finest; the only consistency was the level of sweat.
King Gizz themselves were also a sight to behold. Michael Cavanagh and Eric Moore laid a thunderous yet hypnotic foundation as they drummed in unison while Joey Walker, Cook Craig and Lucas Skinner took a calm and collected approach as they tore through powerhouse hits like Mars For The Rich and Road Train.
Mounting the helm is one of modern rock’s most entertaining frontmen; Stu Mackenzie. With wild hair flying and an equally crazed look in his eyes, he kept the crowd smiling with his array of axe-kicks, jigs and the odd occasion where he tried to eat his guitar.
Ambrose Kenny-Smith laid down a mean harmonica solo and even blessed the crowd by climbing on the rails; it was all good fun untill he sat on this writers’ head.
By the end of the night, King Gizz had written a pretty comprehensive blueprint of how to open a tour, pushing the envelope and stretching our minds to the corners of juxtaposing genres without feeling unfocused; there are good gigs and then there are King Gizzard gigs.
