King Gizz are exactly as you’d expect: fucking great

The queue looped around two corners as fans waited eagerly to pass beneath the dome of the O2 Academy Brixton. Spanning the readergraph above them hailed the cause: Australian psych-rockers King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. Performing their only London show in the support of the immense five albums they released last year, the show sold out quickly, which was immediately noticeable upon arrival. The tight packing beneath the stage made moving difficult; the one way which was physically acceptable to turn was towards the band. Once they came on, however, you didn’t want to look away. Starting with the first single off the first album of 2017 (Flying Microtonal Banana), ‘Rattlesnake’, the cheers from the crowd soon became the chanting of the repetitive lyrics. Much like a snake itself, the pit started to writhe and sway, many fans losing their balance as the sardines attempted to mosh. Looming above them were abstract, psychedelic projections synchronised to the music, which cast luminous colours across the sweat-laden faces of the people beneath.

“Looming above them were abstract, psychedelic projections”

As the 7-piece continued into their first set, the energy of both the music and crowd remained high, with neither stopping for air if they could avoid it. Following ‘Rattlesnake’ came the band’s final single from 2017, ‘Greenhouse Heat Death’, from their New Year’s Eve released album Gumboot Soup. Swaying turned to jumping. I lost my shoe. Jumping turned to pushing and then back to swaying. I lost my sock. The remaining singles from Flying Microtonal Banana, ‘Nuclear Fusion’ and ‘Sleep Drifter’ came and went, with no relent from the crowd.

Suddenly the movement stopped. The band were no longer above. Replacing the enchanting projections was a big red timer, counting down from 15. What was at the end was anyone’s guess. This is the band who record their vocals through iPhones. The band who dedicated a third of an album to a story about a cyborg who eventually destroys the universe through vomiting. This is the band who named themselves King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard for fuck’s sake. When the timer hit zero all eyes were on the stage. Fortunately, it just marked the beginning of another set.

“Swaying turned to jumping. I lost my shoe. Jumping turned to pushing and then back to swaying. I lost my sock”

This set appeared to be more chilled in its ways, the music being slower, more relaxed. This memo didn’t make it to the crowd apparently, where the frantic movement and energy previously found did not stop. This set included ‘Han-Tyumi the Confused Cyborg’, a track from Murder of the Universe, the second of 2017’s albums; also played from this was ‘Welcome to an Altered Universe’ and ‘The Lord of Lightning’. The final 2017 material exhibited that evening was then produced, the single ‘Crumbling Castle’ and the eponymous ‘Polygondwanaland’, all from the fourth release of 2017. Wrapping up the evening, King Gizz resorted to their critically acclaimed Nonagon Infinity (2016). Described as a “never-ending album” by its vocalist Stuart Mackenzie, ‘Robot Stop’, ‘Big Fig Wasp’ and ‘Gamma Knife’, arguably their most famous song, were played in indiscernible fashion to the untrained ear, instead forming a punchy energetic end to a kaleidoscopic, mind-blowing event, as to be expected from this whirlwind of a band.

4 Stars

Support Artist: Mild High Club. Venue: O2 Academy Brixton. Date: 22nd February 2018. Ticket Price: £23.75.