Sunday, October 8, 2017

ALL HAIL KING GIZZARD and the LIZARD WIZARD

KING GIZZARD and the LIZARD WIZARD 10/3/17 Sister, Albuquerque, NM

I’m excited to report the Australian psychedelic music collective King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard is now on a jaunt through the States.  Highly recommended.  Like all great bands, their recordings (while awesome) pale in comparison to the energy unleashed in a live setting.  I saw them in a small club on Central Ave. in Albuquerque and the old brick building could barely contain the madness.  Even a cute little mosh pit flared up from time to time.  Awwww.

The seven-(sometimes eight)-piece band appears unassuming and eschews theatrics in favor of locking into a series of mostly uptempo freak-outs.  Their sound is unusual and sometimes menacing, as though Pink Floyd, Primus and Black Sabbath were all they listened to growing up.  Their recording output is prolific (they’ve already released 3 albums this year), and often centered around a “stunt theme,” like using custom microtonal instruments, or performing the entire album as suites.

If you’re lucky enough to have them play at a venue near you, don’t miss them.  Since they’re from Down Under, who knows when they’ll be back?

~ Chris Diestler for Toast-n-Jam, KBAC-FM Santa Fe, NM

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