King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard bring mosh pits and crowd surfers to the prestigious Royal Albert Hall

Matt Wellham

After years of photographing and filming the London music scene, Matt’s now based in Sydney, Australia. A lover of the post-punk and alternative movement, he can usually be found in the grassroots venues, camera in one hand and a beer in the other.

Kicking off Pitchfork Festival at the Royal Albert Hall, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard proved why no one can beat them for live innovation

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard are possibly the most dynamic band in the music industry. Not only does each of their 27 studio albums have its own distinct style and genre, but their live shows are known for their ‘impossible to guess’ setlists, with the band often picking obscure tracks from their vast discography. The last time I saw King Gizz was during their ferocious Wide Awake headline in 2024, which focused on some of their heaviest material, so entering the grand architecture of the Royal Albert Hall, I assumed I was in for a quieter affair. I assumed wrong.

Opening the fifth annual edition of Pitchfork Festival, the Australian group found their fans flocking to the grand central hall, a room dripping in red and gold, designed for the most royal of functions. Tonight was part of King Gizz’s ‘Phantom Island Orchestral Tour’, which saw the band backed by the Covent Garden Sinfonia, led by conductor Chad Kelly.

As the ‘weirdo swarm’ brimmed with excitement, the orchestra took their places before the band stepped out on stage. What followed was a full playthrough of their recent album ‘Phantom Island’. This record builds on the success of ‘Flight B741’, taking the 70s rock sound the band explored on that album and blending it with an orchestral score (composed by tonight’s conductor, Chad Kelly). The result is a beautiful, vibrant sonic exploration that captures the sweeping highs and lows of orchestral accompaniment.

Early in the set, ‘Deadstick’ perfectly demonstrates how King Gizz fluidly adapt their performances, giving each member of the band a moment to shine. The track kicks off with Stu Mackenzie delivering his iconic King Gizz vocal sound, before Joe Walker and Ambrose Kenny-Smith follow up with a howled verse each.

‘Phantom Island’ is one of the band’s most earnest albums, tackling themes of being lost, yearning for home and nostalgia for the past, perhaps drawn from the band’s own experiences of extensive touring and starting families of their own. These themes, already emotionally poignant, are elevated to a whole new level when witnessed live with the orchestra backing them. During ‘Spacesick’, the whirling strings and thundering brass engulf the room. With the lights gently glistening above, it’s impossible not to feel like you’re floating off into deep space.

Even during this supposedly ‘calm’ first half, mosh pits and crowd surfers could still be spotted down in the stalls, spinning and colliding as the band rang out a soaring rendition of ‘Grow Wings and Fly’. After an announcement from Mackenzie that the orchestra would be taking a brief intermission, Stu took a seat on stage and the group began their version of a break – a 15-minute meandering jam.

King Gizz announced the end of the intermission by transforming their jam into ‘Gaia’, which soon had every fan sprinting back to their seats, merch spilling from their hands.

The second half meant serious business. King Gizz kicked things off with a full psychedelic journey through ‘The River’, an opportunity for the hall to show its finest face as transfixing lights spun across the crowd. This was followed by ‘Crumbling Castle’, ‘This Thing’ and straight into ‘Mars for the Rich’. This thrash metal track is a personal favourite of mine and I’ve never experienced it like this before. The orchestral element added a whole new dimension to the sound, creating a roaring rhythm that crept into every crevice of the hall and every bone in your body. It was one of those ‘you had to be there’ moments.

After an equally fiery ‘Dragon’ performance, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard closed out with an anthemic and emotive arrangement of ‘Iron Lung’. As Mackenzie’s gentle vocals blended with harmonies from the rest of the group, I looked around the room and saw fans, hands embraced, tears in their eyes, softly repeating the lyrics over and over.

With 27 albums to their name, each with its own unique personality, it’s impossible to box King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard into one genre. Tonight, they showed that they still have bucket loads of ideas left to create new and exciting experiences for fans. As we near the end of the year, I can safely say this was the best show I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing in 2025.