Bow down to King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, the rock ‘n’ roll Gods of the millennium
The ever-eclectic Australian rock band King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard descended upon Rebel in Toronto on Sunday, August 25th to melt the minds of their Canadian fans.
The band has been steadily rising in the music scene and amassing a cult-like following. The band’s musical output is almost supernatural with five full lengths released in 2017 and two already in 2019 (Fishing For Fishes / Infest The Rats’ Nest).
What a time to be alive, if you’re a rock fan.
It’s clear King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard are onto something with their shows getting bigger and bigger each time they come back to Toronto. This time around they sold out the biggest venue outside of our largest arenas in the city, forcing fans to pilgrimage to Toronto’s Port Lands to witness their epic live set.
As I entered the venue, the all-female rock band comprised of four sisters named Stonefield (and fellow Australian’s) were putting fans into a mystical trance on stage. Their psych rock sound bends and molds around you and left me in awe as I watched them perform their set. Their stage presence was hypnotic with each member in their own “zone” swaying and grooving to their own beat. Stonefield’s live sound was powerful and lead-singer Amy Findlay was impeccable while also performing drum duties for the band. Guitarist Hannah Findlay soared with her solo’s and intricate guitar licks and commanding the audience with every hammer on and pull off. Their show was intensely satisfying and the perfect way to lead into King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard’s headline set.
The moment we were all waiting for was upon us as three massive video displays all lit up, producing psychedelic cutaway visuals revealing pieces of the artwork featured on the album cover of Infest The Rats’ Nest (some sort of super rad rat skull pedestal). The band came out with all guns blazing as they blasted straight into “Self-Immolate” and “Organ Farmer”, two tracks off Infest The Rats’ Nest.
They seamlessly moved through genres and styles of playing and their live sound surpassed their studio recording output by a long shot, with not only incredible sound but with more expressive and improvised playing expanding on the tracks we’ve all come to love. It left me breathless and seemed to do the same to the raging fans in attendance that couldn’t help but toss their body over the barriers and surf their way across the tops of other die hard fans.
The was intensely satisfying to say the least. I give the band kudos for not only their musicianship but keeping their shows engaging and exciting night after night. They are not a one trick pony and with a discography that goes as deep as it does, it’s really refreshing to see a band play different songs from one show to the next. It keeps things fresh for the band and gives the audience a unique experience in their city. It’s always shitty when you know a band is playing the same set everywhere and of course King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard wouldn’t stand for that. It was a memorable night and closing with a 15-min medley fusing songs like “Am I in Heaven” with “Boogieman Sam”, “Hot Water”, “Rattlesnake” and others was one hell of a night cap.
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard Setlist
Self-Immolate
Organ Farmer
Crumbling Castle
The Forth Colour
Tezeta
The Bird Song
Work This Time
Open Water
Doom City
Nuclear Fusion
Cyboogie
Real’s Not Real
Gamma Knife
People-Vultures
Mars for the Rich
Perihelion
Am I in Heaven?
(15-min medley with “Boogieman Sam”, “Hot Water”, “Rattlesnake”, “Head On/Pill” & “Alter Me”)
