King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard perform their latest album, Float Along – Fill Your Lungs in its entirety for a sold out Northcote Social Club with support from former Tame Impala bassist and current Pond frontman, Nick Allbrook.
Alone on stage, except for one guitar, a drum machine, a plethora of pedals and dizzying kaleidoscopic projections, Nick Allbrook treats and almost packed room to his haunting psychedelic exploits. Mis-struck chords and the strained quivers of a thick Australian accent contribute to an often uncomfortable, but always captivating set.
“The Man’s Not Me”, a beloved Allbrook/Avery relic, is enthusiastically received. Allbrook’s searing falsetto sings of guilt and neglecting his grandmother in “100ks Around Carmel”. Musing on the meaning of track “QF325”, Allbrook states that “if you’re going to die in an aeroplane, it’s better not to die in the flaming wreckage of a tin can; so it’s best to pull the door”.
Lazy and about at lo-fi as possible, Allbrook’s performance is more substance than style. His emphatic wailing vocals and thought-provoking suburban philosophic lyricism burns brightly through muddled instrumentation, limited stage-presence and an overall sense of disorientation.
“We’re going to play all of our new album now, from the start, in order,” announces King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard lead vocalist, Stu McKenzie, leading with the buzzing 16-minute psych epic that is “Head On/Pill”. Heavily distorted guitars slowly layer upon each other as the crowd enthusiastically mimics the excellent central guitar riff. There are four guitars, three voices, two drumkits and a bass all joining forces to construct this sprawling jam.
Their songcraft has evidently matured on this new album. Fans need not fear, however. King Gizzard are still firmly grasping their signature garage-psychosis, but this album immerses those sun-drenched summery sing-alongs in more expansive psychedelic sounds.
Ambrose Kenny-Smith takes lead vocals for the incredible emphatic blues number, “I’m Not A Man Unless I Have A Woman”. Trance-inducing “30 Past 7”, the first single from the forthcoming album, is more modestly paced than much of their previous material, but the intricate layering of guitars and reverb-soaked vocals result in the trippy track being the highlight of the evening.
“Float Along – Fill Your Lungs” is delayed for a few minutes by technical difficulties, but its huge grungy sound, emphasized by two basses, quickly fills the venue and marks the end of the identically titled album.
Kenny-Smith announces they’ll accept song requests for $2 each. “Willoughby’s Beach” is punctured by annoyingly invasive flashing lights from the top-rear of the stage, causing those at the back of the room to cower in pain every few seconds. The crowd had been mostly static during the album performance, but now seem in competition to determine who can jump the highest and flail limbs most wildly.
McKenzie grips his fingers around the rafters on the ceiling, dangling lazily over the crowd, before gently lulling backwards and dipping into a leisurely surf atop the wave of arms.
The surf-soaked “Black Tooth”, replete with innumerable yelps recycled from Thee Oh Sees, is an exciting experiment in how many heavily distorted guitars can loudly compete for attention before it becomes indecipherable noise. The track loses some of its energy in the live-setting, but is still a fun, welcome addition to the set.
“I still get really shocked that people I don’t know buy tickets to see us,” reveals the humble McKenzie.
Trying to decide what to play next, King Gizzard refer to tracks via shortened names. The crowd similarly requests tracks with abbreviated titles, blurring the distinction between band and fans. It seems the eager punters are most keen for “Footy Footy”, but the band is reluctant. McKenzie deliberately mishears their requests as pleas for “Dead-Beat”, before finally relenting and telling their elated fans that they’ll finally heed their request for the AFL themed song. Cheekily, King Gizzard instead launch into “Dead-Beat”. No one’s particularly disappointed.
Float Along – Fill Your Lungs signifies a change in direction for King Gizzard. Spiritually and idealistically, their destination seems the same, but the musical path they’ll follow to get there has altered slightly – expanding and winding into new territory – and it’s all for the better.
