Live Review: King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Alex Cameron, East River

Sydney locals East River wooed a small crowd of the devoted, playing lush melodic rock, loud. With heavy breakdowns and a sprinkling of distortion, they had punters like putty in their hands, thanks in part to the Television-style vocals of Drew Tomas and the driving bass. Although it did turn a little same-same, thanks to East River it became clear the local Sydney scene is not dead.

Alex Cameron however seemed a jarring addition to the line-up and brought '80s revival to its natural conclusion: mimicry/Patrick Bateman. Cameron seemed like the little brother of Donny Benet, but without the technical chops. On stage was an electric drum kit, sax and plenty of synth and attempts to be suave, but really, can't we all just agree to let the '80s die?

For their latest, Float Along – Fill Your Lungs, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard have expanded their sonic range (although no sitar was pulled out at The Standard). They've become a much tighter, more polished seven-piece, with a turn away from out-and-out garage and simple lyricism towards psychedelia. This did not deter their fans or critics; they managed to almost fill out The Standard.

They opened with the title track, just Stu Mackenzie on vocals and guitar, before the whole band joined in for an epic, with an expansive '70s-style instrumental breakdown. It was a little down-tempo for an opener. They followed with two favourites from their debut EP, Willoughby's Beach – Danger $$$ and the title track – which immediately picked up the pace with help from a little bit of strobe lighting. From there, the night quickly descended into human water fountains and crowdsurfing. There was an interesting blend of old and new songs; from their first album, 12 Bar Bruise, came shorter bursts of energy, while their latest brought longer sprawling tracks and vocal experiments, including Let Me Mend The Past and the bluesy Pop In My Step. The highlight was easily God Is Calling Me Back Home, which was foot-stomping fun and filled the room.

There was minimal banter, and the vocals were far too low in the mix and sounded washed-out, but in the end King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard are definitely a live band with a lot of energy – one you should catch sooner rather than later.