King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard @ Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne

Hometown heroes King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard’s Phantom Island tour finally touched down in Melbourne over the weekend, with a pair of back-to-back shows at Sidney Myer Music Bowl. 

On night one, the ridiculously-prolific sextet (who dropped three albums in the month of October 2022 alone) performed their latest and 27th album, Phantom Island, in full – plus additional tracks from their vast catalog – backed by Orchestra Victoria. Night two was billed as the shapeshifting larrikins’ ‘Rock’N’Roll Show.’ 

The merch queues at both shows extended way up the hillside as fans did their very best to grab limited edition screen-printed posters and merch. 

Many dedicated Gizzheads (this scribe included), attended back-to-back shows. A couple of fan-made banners were recycled and proudly held up in the front section on both nights to prove allegiance. 

There was zero overlap in the setlists (included below). Both performances clocked in over two hours, but the Orchestral Victoria show was slightly longer. So which show was better, we hear you ask? 

Killer Support Acts

Night 1: Folk Bitch Trio. 

Night 2: BARKAA.

Inflatable Count 

Night 1: One crocodile. 

Night 2: Two crocs plus an airplane (flight b741, for the flight trackers amongst us).

Audience Participation

Night 1: A circle pit eventually opened up in the party zone on the hill.

Night 2: From song two (the endlessly-shifting Altered Beast I), there was regular crowd surfing in the front section. One bloke even bodysurfed on the back of one of the inflatable crocs, like it was a raft. A circle pit opened up around song three. Then another circle pit materialised with some regularity on the hill. 

Random Stage Banter

Night 1: “Oi, fuck Peter Dutton!”

Night 2: “This is a naughty dad’s song”/“This is dads on ket.”

Night 1: “Best Day Of My Life!”

Before they launch into what vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Ambrose Kenny-Smith reveals is their “last orchestra show”, we’re told every single member of King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard's collective family and friends is in the audience tonight. This includes Millicent Smith (née Stone), Kenny-Smith’s 101-year-old grandma, who features on King Gizz’s rap track, Sadie Sorceress, from their double album (2022’s Omnium Gatherum). 

“Although I’m in love with the long road… I must admit I miss the sweet smell of gum leaves” they sing on Eternal Return, one of Phantom Island’s standout tracks, which bemoans repeatedly bidding farewell to home and family life while touring the globe. 

After performing this song tonight, Kenny-Smith extols, “Best day of my life!” before giving his gran a shout-out.

During night one’s performance, it’s heart-warming to see Gizz members waving at their family members seated up in the cityside balcony. 

Orchestra Victoria’s conductor Chad Kelly uses his entire body to wrangle Phantom Island’s bombastic sonic palette, sometimes arching way back like The Matrix’s Neo dodging a slo-mo bullet.  

Phantom Island features loads of mass-sung vocals, shivering strings and brass fanfare, but riff histrionics effortlessly slice through the lush soundscape throughout. When Stu Mackenzie plays guitar above/behind his head, the crowd goes apeshit! 

Their latest album’s closer, Grow Wings And Fly, recommends, “Let’s get real high”. But we’re already there! Deckled lighting washes over the stage and visuals on the back screen – which have previously been in arty black-and-white – suddenly burst into multicoloured technicolour. 

“Catch me dancin’ in the summer rain / With my tongue out / WOO-HOOOOO!” – this joyous peak feels as revolutionary as watching TV in colour for the very first time.

One Gizz member confirms there were no walkouts during their soundcheck with Orchestra Victoria: “Often members of the orchestra will walk out and never come back, so thank you for staying!” 

Elongated strings, guitar noodling and piano chords cushion our soft landing as the Phantom Island segment of night one draws to a close. 

While Orchestra Victoria files off stage to take a break, one band member jokes they’re off to do ketamine. King Gizz then rock the fuck out, even veering into head-banging territory. “Nonagon infinity opens the door…” – punters in the seated front section bolt down towards the photographer's barrier. 

Robot Stop’s descending riff devastation sparks. We’re surprised their guitars aren’t ablaze! “Loosen up / Time to drop / Fuck shit up…” – as if Gizzheads need such encouragement. 

Hearing Phantom Island performed in its entirety, backed by Orchestra Victoria, is a treat. But King Gizz also deal orchestrated versions of some more unexpected material, including the thrash-metal Dragon, which closes their main-set. At this song’s conclusion, all bar drummer Michael Cavanagh leaves the stage. An absolute pummeling weapon, Cavanagh turns his head upstage to heed Kelly’s baton (or “magic stick” as Gizz prefer to call it). 

This extraordinary experience winds up with a pogo-friendly extended encore version of the heavy Iron Lung, resplendent with added live orchestration. 

By the end of night one, Mackenzie’s trademark baby-pink jumpsuit is soaked through. Band, orchestra and audience alike beam from ear to ear.  

Night 2: “Dads On Ket”

The giant back screen reads, “Lightning is expected in the area,” warning us this evening’s performance may be paused “if lightning approaches the venue”.

A much-louder roar welcomes King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard to the stage for night two’s Rock’N’Roll Show, which opens in unhinged fashion with Field Of Vision (“I’m being a silly Billy”) – loose AF from song one! 

The supreme skill of every single King Gizz member is showcased more clearly throughout night two, including Kenny-Smith’s possessed harmonica and sax attack, and Mackenzie’s rhythmic, rolling flute (see: Empty).

After many years spent nonstop gigging the world over, the band’s non-verbal cue system is finely tuned. We’re pretty sure no song is ever performed the same way twice and sometimes extended sections linger, while King Gizz fossick for peaks. “I’ll just keep on winging it” – these lyrics from Sad Pilot, which flies in and out of night two’s setlist, are clearly self-referential.   

Do any genres remain on King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard’s hitlist? One of their songs even sounds Sailor’s Hornpipe-inspired! 

When Cavanagh takes the mic for his smooth vocal part in Le Risque (“This is a naughty dad’s song”/“This is dads on ket”), the band’s roadie Gaspard picks up his sticks: “Hello, Evil Kneviel / Running through the red light!”

Back-to-back deep cuts Trap Door and Empty follow, delighting the throng.  

After piffing plectrums and frisbeeing drum heads into the frothing crowd, King Gizz announce there will be “no more shows for six to eight months”.

No other band on the planet can do what Gizz does. Since some casual jam sessions in 2010 spawned King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, this independent collective has self-released and toured the globe pretty much nonstop, proving you don’t need “an influential dad at Warner records” to achieve enormous success.   

And the winner is… Night 1! In this writer’s humble opinion, Orchestra Victoria adds nuanced texture and dynamic impact, which makes King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard even more transcendental live.   

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard at Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne on Friday, December 12th Setlist

Set 1: Phantom Planet, with Orchestra Victoria

Phantom Island

Deadstick

Lonely Cosmos

Eternal Return

Panpsych

Spacesick

Aerodynamic

Sea Of Doubt

Silent Spirit

Grow Wings And Fly

Orchestra Intermission:

Robot Stop (from Nonagon Infinity)

Set 2: With Orchestra Victoria

The River (from Quarters) 

Crumbling Castle (from Polygondwanaland) 

This Thing (from Fishing For Fishies) 

Mars For The Rich (from Infest The Rats’ Nest) 

Dragon (from PetroDragonic Apocalypse) 

Iron Lung (from Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms And Lava) 

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard at Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne on Saturday, December 13th Setlist

Field Of Vision (from Flight b741) 

Altered Beast I (fromMurder Of The Universe) 

Alter Me I (from Murder Of The Universe) 

Altered Beast II (from Murder Of The Universe) 

Alter Me II (from Murder Of The Universe) with teases of Hypertension (from Laminated Denim) 

Altered Beast IV (from Murder Of The Universe) with teases of Hypertension (from Laminated Denim) 

Hypertension (from Laminated Denim) with teases of Sad Pilot (from Flight b741) 

Raw Feel (from Flight b741) 

Muddy Water (from Gumboot Soup) with The Bitter Boogie bassline and drumbeat (from Paper Mâché Dream Balloon) 

The Bitter Boogie (from Paper Mâché Dream Balloon) with the Muddy Water bassline and drumbeat (from Gumboot Soup)

Sad Pilot (from Flight b741) with teases of The Bitter Boogie (from Paper Mâché Dream Balloon) 

Le Risque (from Flight b741) 

Trap Door (from Paper Mâché Dream Balloon) 

Empty (from I’m In Your Mind Fuzz) 

Hot Wax (from Oddments) 

Venusian 1 (from Infest The Rats’ Nest) 

Witchcraft (from PetroDragonic Apocalypse) 

Perihelion (from Infest The Rats’ Nest) 

Motor Spirit (first half) (from PetroDragonic Apocalypse)

Gila Monster into Motor Spirit (second half) from PetroDragonic Apocalypse)