Review of King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard at The Croxton, 8/6/16 by Mary Asi – Photographed by Mandy Campbell
For those who missed out: you done messed-up. Performing three sold-out nights in a row at the Croxton bandroom, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard generated a night of non-stop dancing, moshing and crowd surfing.
Known for their highly dynamic performances, King Gizzard take the cake as one of the most energetic shows you’ll see all year – this band would even get that Bible-thumping Rev. Moore from Footloose up and dancing.
From fans dancing onstage, managing to snap a quick selfie with the band before plummeting back into the crowd, to your typical unabashed shirtless males and a couple of way-too-animated dancers (you know who you are), the evening met its quota of solid entertainment.
Kicking off the night were prog-rock Geelong trio Orb. Though keeping in theme with the psychedelic headliners, the crowd weren’t into it as much as I thought they would be.
As time grew closer to King Gizzard’s appearance, heavy metal music began to play – a prelude to the heavier sounds of new album Nonagon Infinity.
Opening with ‘Robot Stop’, the band’s energy radiated into the audience, stirring up immediate dance – there wasn’t a stagnant body in the house. Instantly regretting my choice of footwear, the blisters were worth every minute.
Bleeding the tracks into each other helped form a progressive confluence between songs. There were some very enchanting moments during the harmonies, and by mellowing things down every so often, the ensuing psychedelic explosions sent the audience into uncontrollable moshing frenzies.
Nearing the end, King Gizzard requested Orb back onstage to join them in a collaborative cover of Hawkwind’s song ‘Silver Machine’, which was a very nice touch. Finally, they closed the set in their signature manner by looping back around to ‘Robot Stop’.
With three sold out Melbourne shows in a row, and a tour that has sold out every stop but one (as of now, at least), King Gizzard are finally being recognised as being one of Australia’s best live acts. Not a moment too soon.
