Gig Review: King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard At Troxy
King Gizzard return to London for two knockout shows with completely different sets.
‘The mosh pit is a safe place for young, old, big, small and ppl of all genders. If you see any dickheads, alert security. Look after each other in there, and BE YOURSELF’. I for one didn’t actually take part in any moshing this time around, as the first time I caught The Gizz was at Alexandra Palace in 2019, I missed over half of their fucking set and threw myself straight into the pit after a spicy rollie and numerous pints of some vietnamese lager in East London. It’s all very hazy to say the least but I do remember coming out of there feeling like a born again son of God. So this time around I made sure I was there early, I scoffed down a ½ pounder and chips in a sheltered car park a stones throw from The Troxy, leaving myself in a bit of a coma as I caught the tail end of Los Bitchos’ liquidy set - I was under the impression that I wouldn’t be able to make it to this gig, and didn’t actually know I’d be going until an hour before it kicked off, therefore Los Bitchos’ was an unfortunate miss. But I just very briefly want to mention that I’ve seen them twice before this and I highly encourage anyone who’s looking for some light hearted fun and a bit of a dance to go check em’ out.
Prior to this show, the last indoor concert of similar enormous scale I’d been to was, believe it or not, King Gizzard at Alexandra Palace in 2019. I’m not going to any massive indoor shows at all right now - but to my pleasure this particular night at the Troxy has reminded me of the spectacle that is going to a venue packed with thousands of people who are, for the most part, all there for the same reason. It reminded me of the vast variety of people you see at said shows, therefore, I’d like to very briefly address the lady and her fella friend who were both complaining about the length of the queue despite being on the guest list - the show was indeed, not full of teeangers, and I hope that you my fellow gig goer, were as content as I was with the mixed crowd. Old school metal heads, cross legged micro dosers at the back, and even some kids as young as 10. A mixed crowd indeed.
It was at about 20:47 the lads from down under took to the stage (bastards were two minutes late), the crowd did their cheering, their hootin’ and hollerin’ and of course were adjusting their balance for the inevitable mass of bodies that were about to let loose. We get a welcoming ‘Heey’ and a gammy, loveable wave from Mackenzie. Joey confirms that indeed ‘last night was good’, referring to their show at Ally Pally the night before, and judging from the response of the middle of the pit, it seemed that there were a lot of fans who were now facing round two, and loving every minute of it. Before you know it we get a one two three four from drummer Michael Cavanagh to introduce us to the world of Gizzard with the nostalgia inducing riffage that is ‘Hell’, from their 2019 thrash metal album ‘Infest The Rats’ Nest’. Fuck yeah cunt. This is King Gizzard, and with a bit of luck Tony Hawk will fly over the stage pulling off a sick as shit 900, that would just be the cherry on top, but to my disappointment this never happened.
Contrary to what you might be thinking thus far, I feel the need to put it out there that yours truly, has in all honesty, probably listened to no more than eight hours of King Gizzard in my own time. At this point in the show I’m still in disbelief that I made it here on a wim. I’m asking myself why the fuck have I listened to no more than eight hours of their music in my own time? I’m kicking myself when I hear the chuggy chug chug of ‘Predator X’ and I’m not down there in the pit living my best life, I’m fucking loving what I’m hearing but I hardly recognise it despite the Gizz being on my radar for years. The sheer thickness of three guitars at once chugging away in unison is quite the sound to hear when you’re a fan of, well, chuggy riffs. Such a riff is able to control a crowd so well that you completely abandon all reason as to why you are shouting the word ‘hey’ and pumping your first over and over again. The backdrop is beaming out a display of what a 60s acid party host would have been projecting on their walls if they had had access to a VHS camera, and Mackenzie’s unapologetically, overdriven slapback on his vocals ricochet around the Troxy and burrows itself right in your ear canal. They’re truly something, this King Gizzard melarkey, and I know for a fact that the tall fella in front of me was having the same thought when he turned around and gave me the most serious stank face I’ve ever seen in my life. He, without a doubt, was living his best life.
The overall crowd were probably the loveliest I've ever encountered at a show this size, lots of apologies were being made for merely bumping into each other in tight areas outside of the pit, smiles and devil horns were thrown at strangers, even the bar staff were extremely pleasant.
The band played a big mixed bag of songs, and hopped between their huge discography effortlessly, there was a part of the show for every type of Gizzard fan - despite such diversity in the bands sound, no change in pace or style is at all jarring (with the exception of that hip hop number, boy thats a funny one), every song had a different effect than the last, but that never once disrupted the overall friendly, relaxed and feeling of unison between every fan in the building.
It’s safe to say, after seeing this monster of a gig I will be extending my listening time of their music past eight measly hours. I'll definitely catch them again when I have the chance, and I would encourage you to do the same. Long live King Gizzard.