Live Review: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard at Mississippi Studios, 8/31

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard at Mississippi Studios on Aug. 31.
By MARK STOCK

I’m In Your Mind Fuzz is about as fitting a record title as possible for the also appropriately named Aussie psych-rock outfit King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. Monday night, the septet treated a packed Mississippi Studios to a hyper-hypnotic set of mildly surfy, extremely cerebral rock ‘n’ roll. It was the brash and boisterous approach that puts the electric guitar on a pedestal and leaves everything else heaving. From the rigorous stop and go of “Cellophane” to the bossa nova twist of “The River,” King Gizzard was in fine, fearsome form. The best part may have been the supercharged nature of a band seven members strong, scorching in harmony. Nobody was phoning it in, and nobody could afford to, as Gizzard’s songs tend to move at a dizzying pace and will leave you in the dust if you’re not paying attention. With so much competent shredding on stage, it seemed downright dangerous, a fire hazard even. 

All photos by Emily Joan Greene.

WWeek 2015

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