Postcard 20: 03/06/2024.
Hold tight, it's a long one this week; your postcard has travelled all the way from the Gizzverse...
Hello folks and welcome to Postcard 20! Before I get into the meat of this week’s mail for you, I have a few quick announcements. First of all, thanks for sticking around for this long! Can’t believe we’ve reached 20 already. Writing this silly newsletter has become a very special part of my weekly routine, and seeing your responses to it has been genuinely heartwarming. For anyone who has sent me a message about it, enjoyed my ramblings, or been encouraged to share it with someone you know: thank you, thank you, thank you.
But I have some further good news for you: friend of the blog (and suggestor of the disco themed postcard) Sam has decided to start his own substack to share musical stories (and playlists) under the banner Music Maggot Monthly, a frankly excellent name, I must add. He’s already got an introductory post up here and his first monthly mailout here, and if this is the sign of things to come then we’re in for a treat. Sam’s writing is excellent, full of wit and warmth, and his music taste is top fucking notch. I’m dead excited to see where MMM goes, and you should be too.
Alright, onto our regularly scheduled programming…
For a while now I’ve been fascinated with the concept of seeing a band multiple times on the same tour. Historically this was a bemused and somewhat philosophical interest, stemming from knowing family friends who followed Bruce Springsteen from city to city and being baffled at why anyone would want to do that (no shade on Bruce, man’s a legend). But last year I ended up seeing Anna B Savage twice in the same week, and I finally got it. As a caveat, Anna is an amazing performer who came out with my favourite album of last year, and so at a base level I was always going to enjoy seeing those songs performed twice in a live setting. But there was something fascinating about the shifts in the performance itself; how subtle changes in the crowd, the venue and the positioning of the show in the tour schedule made for an entirely different feeling on that second show. This experience has been rattling around in my head for a year now without further action, and so last week I did something to scratch that itch, which would seem like madness to some folks. I caught a flight back from Switzerland that I had deliberately booked a day early so I could attend Wide Awake festival in Brockwell Park, predominantly to see live show legends King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard for the first of two shows in one week. Yes, this week we’re talking about the Gizzverse. Buckle up.
Whilst I was introduced to the concept of KGATLW back at Latitude festival in 2015 (when festival companion/father to friend of the postbox Luke/all around excellent human Derry pointed out their admittedly ridiculous name on the lineup), I’ve been actively following their musical output since 2017. This was an infamous year in the band’s discography. Hot on the heels of their critically acclaimed endless album Nonagon Infinity (a tight 40-minute garage-rock album that forms one continuously looping track), they announced that they would release a grand total of five albums in one year, each with a different genre. This did, and does now, seem like madness to me. But as they say, there is a thin line between genius and madness, and as I listened to them release albums covering microtonal tunings, lounge jazz, sludge metal and prog rock over the next 12 months, I was forced to reconsider my position.
Let me throw a few stats at you. So far in their fourteen year career, KGATLW have released a grand total of TWENTY FIVE studio albums and 346 songs (plus another 3 that they’ve debuted on their most recent tour), along with an additional suite of live shows that have been recorded as part of their Bootlegger series. That is, on the face of it, frankly insane. But what is more insane to me is that they’ve fit this around playing a staggering 801 shows, each of these with individualised setlists of new songs (they ensure that the setlist consists of nothing that they played the last time they were in that city). This relentless touring schedule and setlist shenanigans has started to gain them an almost Grateful Dead-esque live reputation (speaking of which, and speaking of seeing bands multiple times, Josh Terry over at No Expectations just did a fantastic report on seeing Dead & Company at the Las Vegas Sphere over the course of 3 nights - I highly recommend you checking it out). And my God, I think its an accurate comparison. Let me be real here. I’ve seen a lot of gigs. A lot of gigs, and a lot of very good artists over the years. I’ve seen the heavy hitters; Radiohead, Bruce Springsteen (see I do like him really), Neil Young, Bob Dylan. I’ve seen the best that the 2000-2010’s indie scene had to offer, catching incredibly special shows from Fleet Foxes, Yo La Tengo, Vampire Weekend, LCD Soundsystem etc. Speaking of the latter, I realise this is starting to sound like “Losing My Edge” so I’ll be blunt: no exaggeration, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard are without a doubt in my mind the best live band on the planet right now.
This was 100% confirmed to me at Wide Awake festival. There are certain artists where you can see that they are almost a vessel for the music, being so embodied with what they’re playing that they are swept away by the force of it. King Gizz are the opposite extreme - they have complete and utter control over themselves and the music they play on stage, and use that precision as a weapon to assault the audience with. After a surprise introduction from the wonderful Cheryl Waters of KEXP fame, the boys ripped straight into 45 minutes of pure riff-shredding metal that sent the crowd into an absolute frenzy. But it was the final 45 minutes that really sealed the deal; one extremely extended version of their 2013 track “Head On/Pill”, which they used as a backdrop to weave a variety of other tracks. I know this is a bit of a cop out, but watching them perform the only thing I could think is that they are just indescribably good musicians; the kind of good that you can’t even comprehend what it would be like to be on that level of technical proficiency. And to pull this out at a London day festival of all places, and still have the crowd eating out of their hand? Genuinely next level. By the time they’d built the set to it’s final crescendo, I was a man who was grinning from ear to ear and who could not wait to see them again on Friday.
Which brings us to the second King Gizz show in one week. On Friday, I went with good pals Kieron, Nouge and Andy to see the Gizz play their 6th ever acoustic show at the Brighton Dome, as a treat for Kieron’s birthday. This could not have been a more different vibe to the beer and sun-soaked festival the previous weekend, and yet once again the boys absolutely killed it. There were new songs, old songs played for the first time, and even a folk acoustic cover of my favourite metal track of theirs, “Witchcraft”. I’ve never seen a crowd surfer at an acoustic show before, but there’s a first time for everything, and frankly now that my estimations have been set I’ll be gutted if I don’t see one at the next show I go to.
But before I tie up, there is something I’ve been ignoring here thus far, a missing piece of the puzzle that I’ve been somewhat skirting around the edges of; the King Gizz fanbase. Since 2016 or so, KGATLW have built what can only be described as a rabidly obsessed community, who have been cataloguing and tracking the band’s shows and recordings in what can broadly be described as The Gizzverse (there are many definitions for this, but I imagine if I go into these the last few readers who are clinging on will decide to drop off at this point). For instance, those stats I pulled up earlier? They’re from http://kglw.net, a page dedicated to documenting every song and live show setlist that the band have put together. And to bring this back to where my thought process initially began, there are fans who have been following them around the UK every night on their recent tour. Yes this is all very nerdy, but I feel this is also a call and response; the dedication that the band puts into their music is inherently recognised and given back by their fans in spades, creating a positive feedback cycle. The only way is Gizz.
I think what I’m maybe trying to poke at in this awfully longwinded essay is that I see something very special in the way that King Gizz operate as an artistic force in the music world. To me, they are a band that evoke three specific emotions; awe, joy, and community. They are unapologetically stupid and wonderful and authentic and utterly driven by this joy of creativity, of just doing something for yourself and the people around you because it’s a nice thing to do, and everything getting better and better in the process of doing it. The way they make music is inspiring, and the way they play music is inspiring. And I really think that deserves to be celebrated, even if they have do have a god awful name. So next time they’re in the UK, I’ll see you at their shows - and I say shows plural, as I intend to be at as many of them as I can feasibly attend.
So, welcome to your second band-themed postcard, this time focused around King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. As the 10 song limit for each postcard precludes me including tracks from over half of their albums, this is not intended to even scratch the surface of their output; instead, treat this postcard as a whistlestop tour through my favourite parts of their vast discography for the uninitiated, highlighting some of the variety and genre-hopping that they’re infamous for. To match with this theme, we’re going for quick introductions here instead of my normal endless paragraphs of waffle (I’ve done enough of that already!). So take my hand, and let’s guide you down the rabbit hole…
1. Boogieman Sam (Fishing for Fishies, 2019)
Right out the gate with one of my favourite Gizz tracks, Boogieman Sam is for those of you who love ripping harmonica and big head-nodding.
Want more boogie? Try “The Bitter Boogie” or “This Thing”.
2. Evilest Man (Omnium Gatherum, 2022)
A melding of their synth and garage rock sensibilities, this is an underrated gem in the Gizz catalogue. That little ascending synth line is so fucking good.
More driving synth? Try “Magenta Mountain” or “Catching Smoke”.
3. Mars for the Rich (Infest the Rats Nest, 2019)
Thrash metal? High concept sci-fi? An irresistibly good riff? This song has it all. Get headbanging people.
Metal please? Try “Witchcraft”, “Gaia”, or “The Great Chain of Being”.
4. Minimum Brain Size (K.G., 2020)
A track from the band’s second foray into microtonal music, this will make you feel like you’re blazing across that desert that Homer hallucinates when he eats the Guatemalan Insanity Pepper.
More of that sweet, sweet microtonal goodness? Try “Rattlesnake” or “O.N.E.”.
5. The Fourth Colour (Polygondwanaland, 2017)
That opening riff! It always makes me jingle my head like a snake being hypnotised. I think that’s probably intentional from them.
Wanna get prog-ed up? Just listen to the rest of Polygondwanaland, it rules.
6. The River (Quarters!, 2015)
The original jazzy Gizz, this remains a live stable and also another one of my all timers. That drop back into the original riff is absolute bliss.
Wanna get MORE jazzy? Try “Ambergris”, “Rolling Stoned”, or “The Wheel”.
7. The Silver Cord - Extended Mix (The Silver Cord, 2023)
Alright, this is a weird one, but I do love it. It’s an unholy cross between 2000’s Radiohead and psy-trance, two things I would never expect in the same sentence. Just try it.
More outrageous techno? Try “Swan Song - extended” or the Made In Timeland record.
8. Interior People (Butterfly 3000, 2021)
King Gizz are a great driving band, and this is one of their top driving songs. Less blazing across the desert, and more cruising down a Miami coastline in the early 80s.
More synth-y-ness? Try “Yours” or “Intrasport”.
9. Hypertension (Laminated Denim, 2022)
2022 was the year King Gizz officially became a jam band, and this track is one of the very clear signs. Get some headphones on and let yourself be carried away.
More noodle-y-ness? Try “Iron Lung”, “Evil Death Roll”, or “Am I in Heaven”.
10. Head On/Pill (Float Along - Fill Your Lungs, 2013)
For those of you who like Tame Impala, but just wish they were a bit more high octane. An unbelievably good song that I am now obsessed with after Wide Awake.
This wasn’t long enough? Try “The Dripping Tap” then. That’s all you need.
Wow that was a long one. Who knew I had so much to say about King Gizz? (probably most of my pals, I am sorry-not-sorry that I’ve subjected you to them a lot this last year). The Tidal link is here for anyone who wants it. I'll catch you all next week.
Postcard 20: 03/06/2024
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Boogieman Sam (from Fishing for Fishes, 2019)
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Evilest Man (from Omnium Gatherum, 2022)
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Mars For The Rich (from Infest the Rats Nest, 2019)
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Minimum Brain Size (from K.G., 2020)
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - The Fourth Colour (from Polygondwanaland, 2017)
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - The River (from Quarters!, 2015)
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - The Silver Cord Extended Mix (from The Silver Cord, 2023)
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Interior People (from Butterfly 3000, 2021)
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Hypertension (from Laminated Denim, 2022)
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Head On/Pill (from Float Along - Fill Your Lungs, 2013)