King Gizzard & The Lizard WizardTonight's gig was only announced yesterday via Facebook yet, only a few songs into opener Nick Allbrook's set, punters barely fit into Bar Open's modestly sized upstairs area. Those of us lucky enough to fit into the rainbow-speckled band room experience a unique, intimate solo performance from this well-loved musician. He conveys an incredible depth and hypnotic sound through his catchy melodies – notably in his expressive version of The Man's Not Me.
Allbrook's set is unfortunately punctuated by the interruptions of some over-excited fans, whose misguided appreciation for the musician is expressed through bizarre exclamations of “fuck Jesus!” However, Allbrook takes it in his stride, even demonstrating the beat from Thriller for us on his drum machine. He rounds off his set with an increased intensity throughout some very loud, wall-of-psychedelic-sound goodness. Following an ecstatic response from the crowd, one of the hecklers shouts, “That was fucking epic!” He's certainly right on that count.
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard's surprise free show comes ahead of the official launch of Float Along - Fill Your Lungs and the band play their new record in its entirety. Opener Head On/Pill is a marathon of a song for this sweaty seven-piece – an arduous but worthy exercise in experimental rock that results in a large moshpit forming and the floor literally shaking beneath us. It's an exciting start to the solid album performance, which sees harmonica player/guitarist Ambrose Kenny-Smith cranking out his one-of-a-kind, high-pitched vocals. His pipes on God Is Calling Me Back Home convey a warm feeling of nostalgia towards American soul and blues musicians from the past.
The duration of the album combines an adventurous, multi-layered approach to their craft and, after it's done, the band are kind enough to take requests. Obviously they know what the people want, as the older fan favourites that follow, including Footy Footy and Black Tooth, draw on much harder influences. This allows for those antsy hecklers from earlier to expend some energy.
Once again King Gizzard prove their capability for trans-genre versatility, exploring blues and indie elements. While psych rock is often used to describe a kind of drifting, often aimless style of guitar pop, it's clear that this unstoppable gang bring the grunt and a well-needed injection of liveliness back into the descriptor.
