Live Review: King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard, The Living Eyes

Geelong rockers The Living Eyes are the ideal kind of act to play at FBi Social Club. They're on the cusp of underground success, love what they do and do it with serious passion. The four-piece belted out jangle-pop with a fuzzy, Jesus & Mary Chain-reminiscent vibe, with infectiously fun hooks peppered liberally throughout the set. While they did settle a little too easily into safely digestible alt rock, the moments when they let loose showed the power the band has when they focus.

Focus is, paradoxically, one of the most and least accurate terms applicable to King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. On one hand, the band's loose, almost-falling-apart-at-the-seams psych grooves seem wonderfully absent-minded, yet conversely the seven-piece is easily one of hardest-working acts in the country, having released four full-length records in 18 months. Tonight, they were ostensibly touring in support of latest LP, Oddments, yet that record's fuzzy, '60s-style pop was given a backseat to a slate of yet more new music, which was simply incredible. A handful of new songs, ranging from short to over 10 minutes long, focusing on grungy, harmonica-driven rock got the crowd pumping, and the band's energy and excitement in playing was palpable to the sold-out crowd. For a band with so many different styles under their belt, the live sound is so wonderfully cohesive, helped in no small part by their undying love of it all. As wonderful as the entire set was, closer Head On/Pill remains the band's best loved track. An even lengthier, over 20 minute version of the song was more than was needed to prove that the band are, simply, one of the best in the country.