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.
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard continue to defy genres and showcase their best medley of psychedelic rock at Sydney’s The Hordern Pavillion
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard are without doubt one of the most prolific bands of our generation. With 28 genre-defying albums in 14 years, the group have a plethora of tracks to work with, meaning each King Gizz show can be (and often is) completely different from the last. The last time I caught the group, they were performing with a full orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall. Tonight, however, at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion, the band returned to their rock roots, delivering a show that showcased some of their finest work.
Kicking off the show, the Melbourne six-piece launched straight into four tracks from ‘Nonagon Infinity‘, an infinitely looping record that many King Gizz fans rank among their best. ‘Gamma Knife’ was a real treat, with frontman Stu Mackenzie throwing his guitar around his head and letting out his iconic distorted “wooooo” as the group blended psychedelic riffs with improvisations that came effortlessly to them.
The beauty of a King Gizz show is that they’re never afraid to work through different genres in a single set, often improvising new versions of old tracks along the way. It’s what makes them one of the most exciting bands to catch live. The psychedelic trip of the opening tracks gave way to their recent Seventies dad-rock sound, with ‘Sad Pilot’ and ‘Antarctica’ getting their time in the spotlight. Taken from 2024’s ‘Flight B741‘, these tracks highlight the fluidity of the group, with multiple band members taking over vocal duties while Ambrose and Cook switch between multiple instruments with ease. This era of the Gizzverse is a personal favourite of mine, and watching the band shred through the infectiously catchy ‘Sad Pilot’ was a real barnburner of a moment, with fans eagerly singing along.
But every King Gizz set must move on, and the group worked their way through a number of favourites from across their discography. A standout was ‘Gila Monster’, a track packed with seriously heavy riffs that the crowd met with equal intensity. As soon as the song began, fans were whirling around in mosh pits, lifting fellow gig-goers above their heads to surf their way towards the front. The chant of “Gila, Gila…” roared through the venue as the crowd bounced around in unison.
The set remained heavy throughout the second half, with brief interruptions for a drum solo from Cavs and a few tequila shots for Joey Walker, who had been celebrating his birthday over the weekend. But that heavy, unrelenting energy from both the band and the Gizz fans is simply unmatched. You walk in never knowing what you’re going to get, and that’s the joy of being a King Gizz fan. The same goes for their album releases: you never know what’s around the corner or which genre they’ll take on next.
Simply put, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard shows are a must-see for fans of an almost innumerable range of genres. Go in with an open mind, expect the unexpected, and I promise you’ll leave pleasantly surprised.
