Review: King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard at Fox Theatre

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard delivered an electrifying show on November 19, 2024, at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta. The evening featured an energetic performance from the Australian psych-rock band, supported by fellow Aussies King Stingray. The setlist offered a mix of thrashing rock, intricate jams, and genre-blurring experiments that spanned their extensive discography.  (Extensive = 26 studio albums in 14 years!)

Highlights included the opening punch of “Superbug,” followed by a seamless flow through “Converge” and “Witchcraft.”  The band gave an evil tease of “Lava” leading into “Planet B” which was an energetic triumph.  “Her and I (Slow Jam 2)” also teased deeper cuts such as “Ice V” and “Iron Lung” and was one of their best of the night. The setlist changes each show, so you never know what you’re going to get.

The highlight was “Work This Time,” where Joey Walker delivered (the return of) a standout guitar solo.

As a nod to their history in Atlanta, keyboardist Ambrose Kenny-Smith recalled playing at The EARL (yes, it’s still there), Variety Playhouse and the Eastern.  Maybe he forgot Shaky Knees or Tabernacle. 

Despite a strict 11 p.m. curfew, the band cheekily extended their final track, “Gilgamesh,” an with Stu, Ambrose and with bassist Lucas Miller twisting dials, tapping keys and generally fudging with an electronic Frankenstein on wheels.  They had only 10 minutes left to play and continued as stage hands rolled it off-stage, leaving the others to play for a bit longer.  It was an interesting way to close a concert, and some banter at the end suggested that they had to choose which song to be their last.  Next time, start earlier. 

Three moments in “Work This Time” below.

The oddity of the night was the seated pit area, but the band didn’t miss a beat connecting with fans in a venue sell-out.  For fans, who buzzed about what they heard and what they wished they had heard on the way out,  the Atlanta show encapsulated the band’s signature unpredictability and vibrant live energy. If you’re interested in catching their unique performances, you’ll have to wait as the plan is close to wrapping up their U.S. tour.  And if/when you attend a future event, get there before the doors open to claim one of their limited edition venue specific posters.

Setlist:

  • Superbug – Infest the Rats’ Nest
  • Converge – PetroDragonic Apocalypse or Dawn of Eternal Night
  • Witchcraft – PetroDragonic Apocalypse or Dawn of Eternal Night
  • Planet B – Infest the Rats’ Nest
  • Hot Wax – Oddments
  • Her and I (Slow Jam 2) – I’m in Your Mind Fuzz
  • Crumbling Castle – Polygondwanaland
  • The Fourth Colour – Polygondwanaland
  • Flight b741 – Flight b741
  • Iron Lung – Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava
  • Sad Pilot – Flight b741
  • Rats in the Sky – Flight b741
  • Work This Time – Oddments
  • The Garden Goblin – Omnium Gatherum
  • Intrasport – K.G.
  • Gilgamesh – The Silver Cord

King Stingray

Hailing from Australia’s Northeast Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory the band describes their sound as “Yolŋu surf rock” and they write lyrics in both English and Yolŋu Matha.

The rising band is touring after having released their second album, For the Dreams, “fueled by good seafood and good times.”  The band was enthusiastically received by an arriving crowd, and those that got there early got to see some double didgeridoo action, which uniqueness aside, was surprisingly played as an accent rather than a central sound of their music. 

King Stingray and the Lizard Wizard live at Fox Theatre, Atlanta, GA, Nov. 19th, 2024.

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