Photos and Review by Stephen Bloch
Australia is known for its diverse culture, geography, inhabitants and flora. It’s known for being dangerous and exotic. Whatever you touch, might kill you.
I don’t know if the same can be said for King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, hailing out of Melbourne, Australia, but there certainly is an otherworldly element to their live performances. 25 albums, genre bending sound, and a defiance of all convention is what they are all about. On Wednesday evening at one of Milwaukee’s newest venues, The Miller High Life Theater, they did just that, providing a fever dream of a performance, blending an eclectic mix of genres, trippy visuals, and an energy that could easily be described as penetrating all parts of one’s psyche.
The atmosphere was electric. The crowd was eclectic. Long before the opener, Geese, hit the stage, there was wide-eyed anticipation. Packed house. There was a mix of die-hard fans and those who were catching the band for the first time. Fans were eager to describe what we were in store for but had trouble putting it into words. The same can be said for this review……
This is a band that has no boundaries. They blend metal with psych, electronic, prog and everything in between. They definitely try to provide some continuity within their performance, consciously or unconsciously dividing their show into not so neat boxes. This show was no exception. There really wasn’t a time when you could catch your breath and process what was being experienced. You get pushed into the deep end and then tread water until the conclusion. 2 ½ hours without a pause.
No song by song review here. That would be an injustice. There were some rarities that should be noted. “God is Calling me Back Home” was played for the first time since 2015. “Magenta Mountain” made it’s tour debut as did “Sleep Drifter”. Ten albums in all were represented, including “Field of Vision” and “Raw Feel” from their current release Flight b741.King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard simply should not be missed. Open your mind. Open your ears. Take it all in. It’s unlikely that something will kill you.
