King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard
Background information
Origin	Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Genres	Psychedelic rock garage rock acid rock progressive rock
Years active	2010–present
Labels	Flightless Records, Heavenly, ATO, Shock, Castle Face Records, Inertia Music
Associated acts	The Murlocs, Gum, Broderick Smith, Atolls, Love Migrate, Pipe Eye, Dreamin' Wild, Sambrose Automobile, The Babe Rainbow, Fraser A. Gorman, Buried Horses, Mild High Club
Website	kinggizzardandthelizardwizard.com
Members	Stu Mackenzie Ambrose Kenny Smith Joey Walker Cook Craig Lucas Skinner Eric Moore Michael Cavanagh

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard is an Australian psychedelic rock band that formed in 2010 in Melbourne, Victoria.^[1][2] The band consists of Stu Mackenzie (vocals, guitar, flute), Ambrose Kenny Smith (vocals, synths, harmonica), Cook Craig (guitar), Joey Walker (guitar, vocals), Lucas Skinner (bass), Eric Moore (drums), and Michael Cavanagh (drums).

The band is noted for its energetic live performances and prolific recording output, having released ten full-length studio albums since 2012. King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard's early work was primarily a blend of surf music, garage rock and psychedelic rock, while more recent releases show a broader range of influences, including elements of film music, progressive rock, folk, jazz, soul and heavy metal.

History

Formation

The band members all grew up and went to school in the Deniliquin, Melbourne and Geelong areas. The band started off as a group of friends jamming together, before a mutual friend asked them to play at a show. The band's name was created "last minute". Mackenzie wanted to name the band "Gizzard Gizzard" while another band member wanted to reference Jim Morrison's nickname "Lizard King". They eventually compromised with King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard.^[3] The artist Jason Galea has created all of the band's album art, and a majority of their music videos.

Early EPs to 12 Bar Bruise (2011-2012)

The band's first release, 2011's Anglesea, was released as a four-track EP on CD. It is named after Anglesea, the town where Mackenzie grew up, and is currently not available for purchase, physically or digitally.^[4] The band's second release, Willoughby's Beach EP, was released by Shock Records on 21 October 2011.^[5] Beat Magazine described the 9-track garage rock EP as "filled to the teeth with consistently killer hooks."^[6] In December 2011, the band appeared at the Meredith Music Festival for the first time.

The band's first full-length album, 12 Bar Bruise, was released on 7 September 2012.^[7] The 12-track garage rock album was self-recorded, and several tracks used unconventional recording methods. For example, the vocals for the album's title track were recorded through four iPhones placed around a room while Mackenzie sang into one of them.^[8]

Eyes Like the Sky and Float Along – Fill Your Lungs (2013)

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizzard's second full-length album, Eyes Like the Sky, was released on 22 February 2013.^[9] Described as a "cult western audio book",^[10] the album is narrated by Broderick Smith and tells a story of outlaws, child soldiers, Native Americans and gun fights, all set in the American frontier. The album was written collaboratively by Smith and Stu Mackenzie. When asked about the album's influences, Mackenzie said: "I love Western films. I love bad guys and I love Red Dead Redemption. Oh, and I love evil guitars".^[11]

The band's third full-length album, Float Along - Fill Your Lungs, was released on 27 September 2013.^[12] King Gizzard shifted from garage rock to a more mellow folk and psychedelic sound on this eight track album.^[13]

Oddments and I'm in Your Mind Fuzz (2014)

Float Along – Fill Your Lungs was followed by Oddments, released on 7 March 2014.^[14] Over the course of this 12-track album, the band takes a more melodic approach, and Mackenzie's vocals are more prominent.^[15] Oddments has been described as being "recorded through a woolen sock in an adjacent room".^[16]

The band's fifth full-length album, I'm in Your Mind Fuzz, was released on 31 October 2014.^[17] The 10-track album touches on elements of fantasy^[18] and lyrically delves into the concept of mind control. This was the first time the band took a "traditional" approach to writing and recording an album; the songs were written, the band rehearsed together, and they recorded the songs "as a band" in the studio.^[19] Pitchfork described the album as "open[ing] with a sprint" and ending "with some of their best slow jams."^[20]

Quarters! and Paper Mâché Dream Balloon (2015)

Quarters!, King Gizzard's sixth full-length album, was released on 1 May 2015.^[21] The album features four songs, each running for ten minutes and ten seconds,^[22] making each song a quarter of the album. Drawing upon jazz-fusion and acid rock, the album's more laid-back sound was described as "unlike anything they’ve released before" and as "an album more likely to get your head bobbing and hips shaking as opposed to losing footwear in a violent mosh".^[23]

Later in the year, on 13 November 2015, the band released its seventh full-length album, Paper Mâché Dream Balloon.^[24] This "concept-less concept album" features only acoustic instruments and was recorded on Mackenzie's parents' farm in country Victoria.^[25] The album features "a collection of short unrelated songs"^[26] described as "mellow, defuzzed psychedelia".^[27] The band released a music video for the song "Trapdoor"^[28]. It was the band's first album to be released in the United States via ATO Records^[29].

Nonagon Infinity (2016)

The band's eighth full-length album, Nonagon Infinity, was released worldwide on 29 April 2016.^[30] Described by Mackenzie as a "never-ending album", it features nine songs connected by musical motifs which flow "seamlessly" into each other with the last track "linking straight back into the top of the opener like a sonic mobius strip".^[31] On 8 March the band released a video for the first single, "Gamma Knife".^[32] It contained a riff from the song "People Vultures" which was premiered on April 4^[33] with a music video released on May 6^[34]. The album received high praise among critics, with Pitchfork stating that it "yields some of the most outrageous, exhilarating rock 'n' roll in recent memory."^[35]

Flying Microtonal Banana and Murder Of The Universe (2017–present)

The band's ninth full-length album, Flying Microtonal Banana, was recorded in the band's own studio^[36] and released on 24 February 2017.^[37] Three tracks were issued in advance: "Rattlesnake," ^[38] the opening track, in October 2016; "Nuclear Fusion" in December 2016; and "Sleep Drifter" in January 2017.^[39][40] The band released a music video for "Rattlesnake", directed by Jason Galea.^[41]

Their tenth full-length album, Murder of the Universe, was released on the 23 June 2017^[42]. The album, as described by the band, is a 'concept album to end all concepts'^[43][44]. It is divided into 3 chapters: The Tale Of The Altered Beast; The Lord Of Lightning vs Balrog, released 30 May 2017; and Han-Tyumi And The Murder Of The Universe, released 11 April 2017. Murder Of The Universe is the bands second narrated album. It is narrated by Leah Senior^[45] for the first two chapters, and a text-to-speech program for the final chapter. The band made their international television debut on 17 April 2017 performing "The Lord of Lightning" on CONAN^[46].

King Gizzard's next full-length album Sketches of Brunswick East, is to be released in the second half of 2017^[47]. Taking inspiration from Miles Davis' album Sketches Of Spain, it will be a jazz-improvisational album^[47].

The band has said that they plan to release a total of four to five studio albums in 2017.^[48][49][50]

Band members

• Stu Mackenzie – vocals, lead guitar, flute, clarinet, sitar, keyboards, double bass, bass guitar, zurna
• Ambrose Kenny Smith – harmonica, keyboards, synthesizer, organ, vocals, percussion, guitar
• Joey Walker – lead guitar, setar, keyboards, vocals
• Cook Craig – rhythm guitar, keyboards, vocals
• Lucas Skinner – bass guitar, piano
• Eric Moore – drums, percussion, management, theremin
• Michael Cavanagh – drums, percussion

Discography

Albums

• 12 Bar Bruise (2012)
• Eyes Like the Sky (2013)
• Float Along – Fill Your Lungs (2013)
• Oddments (2014)
• I'm in Your Mind Fuzz (2014)
• Quarters! (2015)
• Paper Mâché Dream Balloon (2015)
• Nonagon Infinity (2016) – AUS #19, US Heatseekers #4
• Flying Microtonal Banana (2017) – AUS #2, US #170, UK #100
• Murder of the Universe (2017) – AUS #3, US #106, UK #94
• Sketches of Brunswick East (2017)

EPs

• Anglesea (2011)
• Willoughby's Beach (2011)

Singles

• "Hey There - Ants & Bats" (2010)
• "Sleep - Summer" (2011)

Gizzfest

Gizzfest 2015

In April 2015 the band announced an Australian wide festival tour named 'Gizzfest' to coincide with the release of their next album. The festival went to Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Sydney and Brisbane. Each event had a unique lineup headed by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard.

Melbourne Gizzfest 2015 lineup^[51]

2 May (Under 18's only)

• King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
• Dreamin' Wild
• Love Migrate
• Atolls
• Sleep Decade

2 May (18+ event)

• King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
• The Murlocs
• The Babe Rainbow
• Scott & Charlene's Wedding
• Sewerside
• Contrast
• The Kremlings
• Sagamore
• The Smb
• Crepes
• Drunk Mums
• Destrends

3 May (18+ event)

• King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
• Dave Graney & The Mistly
• Harry Howard & The Nde
• The Pink Tiles
• Fucking Teeth
• Tiny Giants
• White Bleaches
• Mangelwerzel
• Davey Lane
• Zig Zag
• ORB
• The Dead Heir

Adelaide Gizzfest 22 May 2015 lineup^[52]

• King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard
• Dr Piffle & the Burlap Band
• West Thebarton Brothel Party
• Glass Skies
• Bad//Dreems

Perth Gizzfest 23 May 2015 Lineup^[53]

• King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard
• Psychedelic Porn Crumpets
• Mugwump
• Dream Rimmy
• Gunns
• Hideous Sun Demon
• Sam Atkin
• Laurel Fixation
• Shit Narnia
• Aborted Tortoise
• Doctopus

Sydney Gizzfest 30 May 2015 lineup^[54]

• King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard
• The Laurels
• The Murlocs
• The Babe Rainbow
• The Dandelion
• Los Tones
• I Oh You Dj's
• Yo Grito DJ's
• Blackbear Honeybear DJ's

Brisbane Gizzfest 31 May 2015 lineup^[55]

• King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard
• The Murlocs
• Babe Rainbow
• The Family Jordan
• The Furrs

Gizzfest 2016

After completing their Nonagon Infinity album tour, King Gizzard announced that Gizzfest would return in 2016.

Gizzfest 2016 lineup^[56]

• King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
• Pond
• White Fence
• The Murlocs
• Mild High Club
• The Babe Rainbow****
• Stonefield*
• ORB*
• Jaala*
• Boulevards
• Dinner
• Hierophants**
• Tommy T & The Classical Mishaps**
• Spotting**
• Cereal Killer**
• Greta Now**
• School Damage**
• Waterfall Person**
• Parsnip**
• Guided Group Meditation with Dinner**
• Emma Russack**
• GUM**
• Gooby Jim****
• Bitch Diesel**
• Tim Presley**
• Palm Springs**
• Crepes**
• Stu Mackenzie**
• Dreamin’ Wild**
• DRUID FLUIDS***
• SIAMESE***

^{*appeared in Sydney and Melbourne only}

^{**appeared in Melbourne only}

^{***appeared in Adelaide only}

^{****appeared in Brisbane only}

Gizzfest once again travelled to Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Sydney and Brisbane.

References

External links

• Discography at Discogs
• Band homepage