Barwon Club, Geelong – June 7 2015
To be honest, with a name like Gizzfest I really didn’t know what to expect. But don’t worry kids, I’m here to report that it all turned out fine. Actually ‘fine’ is probably the biggest understatement of the year because Gizzfest was unreal, in particular King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, those dudes really know how to get a crowd going with their psych rock ways.
Held at the Barwon Club, this was just one of the many shows they’d been touring the country with, playing at the likes of Cherry Bar and The Corner but the boys wouldn’t have missed Geelong – being their hometown and all.
Gizzfest had it all; great venue, awesome vibe and an epic line up, featuring bands like; The Murlocs, White Bleaches, Facetime, Orb and a new discovery for me personally, The Underhanded – who absolutely kicked arse. The lead singer looked to be having some kind of out-of-this-world experience on stage, swaying, jumping and making friends in the crowd. What can I say, the guy had style. You don’t see a performance like that too often anymore, so I’d be keeping an eye out for those guys.
Now to the all important, King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard, I mean is there anything these dudes can’t do? They hit the stage last and the crowd were ready for them, their psychedelic backdrop and lighting set the scene for what was to be one mind-altering set. They got the crowd going, they sounded incredible and their stage presence, for lack of a better term, was intoxicating. ‘Hot Wax’ was a definitely a stand out song and it had the crowd eating out of their hands, jumping and sweating, getting pushed and shoved in tune with the beat. As a fan of the band already and having listened to all of their music, I knew they’d be great live. Did I know they’d be this great? Not a chance. King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard will be the band you will hear everyone say, ‘You have to see them live’.
It was just great band, after great band at Gizzfest, and if you were about to lose your mind because of all the sheer rock awesome-ness going on inside, you could pop outside where the DJs were spinning everything from Biggie to Bob Marley and have yourself a good old boogie.
Nice work King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, the Barwon Club and all the other bands on the bill, from the dodgy sounding name to the very last chord struck, Gizzfest was brilliant and I’m a little sad it’s all over!
Reviewed by Montana Agustin