We all know that a summer day in Cleveland, when the city is really rocking, is a bit like the “Superbug” King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard sings about. It’s contagious. “Resistence is futile,” as the band says.
Before the Australian psych-rock band even strummed a note or pounded a beat on Saturday night at Jacob’s Pavilion, singer-guitarist Joey Walker admitted he’d caught the bug.
“This place is very, very sick,” said Walker. “Beautiful. Cleveland is f—— underrated. It’s a sick f—— city.”
As the curtains went down on the night, Walker again shouted out Cleveland, this time telling the crowd to meet the band at Happy Dog in Gordon Square. (Editor’s Note: We were unable to confirm if the band made the stop for hot dogs and tater tots, though the free-for-all toppings would have satisfied every member of the six piece).
One can only imagine what guitarist-singer (and King Gizz mastermind) Stu Mackenzie was thinking as he stood on the edge of the stage, paused for about 30 seconds and looked out over the nearly 5,000 fans on the Cleveland riverfront. Sure, Kig Gizz caught a great night in town, but the city is also symbolic of the band’s journey. Since releasing its first album in 2012, the band’s eight visits to Cleveland started with four shows at the 180-capacity Happy Dog between 2014 and 2015. Even 2017 and 2022 visits to Cleveland saw the band playing the 500-head Beachland Ballroom and Tavern and 2,000-person Agora Theater, respectively.
No, King Gizz wasn’t just here to local love. Despite the Australian psych-rock band’s overwhelming and assaulting riffs, gratitude was the message it most wanted to communicate to its legion of fans — fans that have made them one of the most celebrated bands in modern rock ‘n’ roll.
Don’t be mistaken: Though the band doesn’t sell out arenas like Taylor Swift, as non-legacy rock ‘n’ roll rarely do any more, King Gizz is at the same peak of its powers. Over 25 albums in 12 years, the prolific band has even more eras than Swift, with offerings that range from punk to jazz to prog rock to death metal. The through-line of it all is a unique brand of high-energy punk- and metal-infused psychedelia and the massive sound that comes with three guitarists, a multi-instrumentalist and one of the most talented drummers in rock ‘n’ roll. Flight b741, released in Aug. 9, is a slight return to a traditional blues-rock sound, it remains in the vein of the heavier sonics that the band has mostly leaned on since its 2019 release Infest the Rats’ Nest, a full-blown dive into metal that signaled a departure from its garage rock origins.
Fans who haven’t kept up with the band — a sin that can be forgiven due to its prolific output — could have left disappointed by the lack of, so-called, “hits” from the front-half of the band’s catalogue. The majority of the set focused on the most recent records, including Omnium Gatherum; Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava; and Petrodragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Etertnal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation.
But probably not.
The presentation from Stu and the boys is so much tighter than earlier shows. Gizz used to ride the chaos of its massive sound — now it’s channeled its power. The guitar interplay between Mackenzie, Walker and Cook Craig, who lays down an oft-subtle sonic wall that allows Mackenzie and Walker to shred over the rock-solid rhythm section, is now perfected. Multi-instrumentalist Ambrose Kenny Smith, who also sings backup and some lead, has expanded his pallet from mostly harmonica to an array of keys and synths and even reverbed-out sax solos that added haunting, smooth and schmaltzy jabs that somehow do not seem out-of-place.
Those members tend to get most of the credit, but seeing the band live drives home the power of drummer Michael Cavanagh, who sported a Cleveland Cavaliers t-shirt in reference to his nickname, Cavs. While the band’s former two-drummer lineup is considered a golden era by some, the progression of Cavanagh — who has released solo albums of just drum music — has centered the band. Over long passages, the drummer is able to maintain a steady and heavy-handed backbone. At the end of a Gizz show, your chest feels like it’s imploded from the nonstop double bass drum that Cavanagh has pounded into you like a cocaine heartbeat. The sheer power rocked the Cuyahoga River so hard that I swear I saw the Lady Caroline swaying back and forth as the cruise ship floated by.
It’s impossible to end this review (which has grown far too long due to my excitement over last night’s show) without mentioning Geese, a Brooklyn, New York-based that is catching critical acclaim for its 2023 album 3D Country. It played only a half-hour set — its first in Cleveland — but their frenetic art rock led by singer-guitarist Cameron Winter, who delivers a ranting, evangelical vocal performance, left the crowd wanting more.
Certainly, this is a band who won’t be an opener for long.
Despite having a much more muscular sound, King Gizz has coopted a jam band following, many of whom would be more comfortable at a Phish, Billy Strings or Dead & Co. show than Metallica or Slayer. Whether that’s thanks to Phish guitarist/singer Trey Anastasio’s stamp of approval, the long and winding songs that effortlessly flow into each other, the ever-changing setlists or the band encouraging fans to create bootlegs and YouTube streams of its concerts, I don’t know. But spun-out tie dyes populate the band’s current crowd at the same rate as moshing crowd surfers.
But that embrace is a dream for a top-tier alternative rock band in 2024. No fan base is more loyal than the jam band scene — except maybe the longtime Gizzheads. Whomever they are, those who have hopped on the bus, no matter when they did, continue to propel a genreless group called King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, that on paper shouldn't have been in this position, to great acclaim and top bill on major festivals such Bonnaroo and Coachella.
For that, King Gizzard is obviously thankful. Their shows ooze fun and energy, despite the 60 two-and-a-half to three hour shows it’ll play this year. New generations of fans, like the young girl I saw in a King Gizz cape and painted face, are now joining their parents in the pit (or in the lounge, in this case). The band is encouraging fans to bootleg its live shows and make its own merch. Mackenzie even donned a homemade t-shirt thrown on stage by a man in a banana costume for a few songs. Over chugging guitars, the band preached a message of love, “Find that person you hate, and Grab 'em by the hand, look 'em in the eye and say, ‘I love you,’” sang Mackenzie. And if anyone missed it, a pre-show notice drove that point home:
As the weirdo swarm grows, we have to work hard to keep our community inclusive. The mosh pit is a safe place for young, old, big, small and ppl of all genders. If you see any d—heads, alert security. Look after each other in there and BE YOURSELF. We love you all King Gizz.
1. Magma
2. Muddy Water (to the beat of Bitter Boogie)
3. Antartica
4. Raw Feel
5. Daily Blues
6. Mr. Beat
7. Ice V
8. Le Risqué
9. Inner Cell
10. Loyalty
11. Horology
12. Superbug
13. Supercell
14. Predator X
15. Self-Immolate
16. Flamethrower
17. Dragon
18. Gila Monster
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