Psych-rock 6-piece, sometimes bluesy, sometimes metal band King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard stopped into Forest Hills, NY, on the third night of their tour, named for the recently released album, Phantom Island. Being the 27th full-length album to slide into the band’s discography, fans knew to expect something exciting once the band wiped their socials and teased new music. The genre-hopping band is no stranger to the blues, coming off last year’s Flight b741, which pairs with Phantom Island in shared imagery, genre, riffs, and lyricism. The two being written in tandem act as sisters, related but unique, as tracks destined for Phantom Island were decided to be recorded with a full orchestra.
Having initially pondered the idea just two years ago, when KGLW first played the Hollywood Bowl, CA, in June of 2023, the guys had originally played with the idea of doing a one-off orchestral show in the venue… but then decided it should probably be a tour… And if they’re going to tour, they should have some new music… And then they wrote too many songs for just one album, instead deciding to split them into two. Working closely with British conductor and arranger Chad Kelly, the band would slowly add orchestral arrangements to songs they thought worked best from their pool of roughly twenty candidates. The project would wind up being one of the trickiest for the band, with the most amount of hours worked on any album yet being poured into it from an ever-growing list of people who had begun to get involved. The band’s do-it-yourself, spontaneous nature was now challenged by the rigid training of a tight group of classically trained musicians. KGLW’s frontman, Stu Mackenzie, would be challenged by this album’s mix more than any other, citing the delicate nature of the orchestral pieces and the crunchy nature that he is more accustomed to mixing in the band’s past.
Taking this album across the United States, the band would team up with multiple local orchestras. For New York, this would be the Orchestra of St. Luke's, conducted by the captivating Sarah Hicks. The orchestra members would take their seats first, smiles opening on all their faces as the crowd welcomed them on stage as if they were the band themselves. Having had a show with KGLW in the days leading up to NY, the two entities of orchestra and band had a pretty good feel for working together now. In a turn of expectations for the fan base, the crowd who followed the band closely also knew what to expect, kinda. KGLW famously keeps an extensive list of tracks they play on tour so as to play a new set every night, skipping songs in cities that were played years before, but when you’re working with classically trained musicians, and so many of them from different groups across the US, a little structure can be a very helpful thing. So far, the orchestral tour stops of Phantom Island follow a structure; the recent album played in its entirety by the two groups, followed by a solo jam of KGLW to allow the members a short break, before returning as a group to play out a select run of their old discography enhanced by the orchestra. Kicking off the night would be the title track that we’re now so familiar with, "Phantom Island."
A drawn-out clasping of cymbals from drummer Michael Cavnaugh's foot would count in the track, allowing Hicks to command the attention of the strings. Cook ‘Cookie’ Craig bounced his fingers over ivory keys as a group of bows is slowly dragged over hollow wooden frames, emitting the introduction to choruses of strings that the night would become well acquainted with. A call of notes spat out from lines of brass and wind culminating in a crescendo, capitalised on by Cavs smashing his drumset to bring in the rest of King Gizzard. Immediately, the bass line from Lucas Harwood set the heartbeat for which the crowd would follow through the night. The first song gapes my jaw for the sheer amount of music that is coming off the stage. Yes, obviously, with the full orchestra of violins, French horns, flutes, trumpets, even a harp, but the guys with their drums, bass, electric and acoustic guitars, conga drums, and shakers, all meshing into a wonderful flurry of music that settles its first fallings over the fanbase that goes by Weirdo Swarm. A rhythmic slamming of keys draws Amrose Kenny-Smith out from behind his platform of instruments and into the center stage. Dragging his winding wire and swinging ribbon circles as he moves, the blues takes over each of the particularly well-dressed members, bringing out their more groovy moves on stage. Stu with a wagging, wavy walk, swinging his legs out to each side, and Ambrose with a confidence and quick-footed nature that fit the genre well. He climbs atop speakers to shout directly to swarm members before retreating behind his keys to pass the spotlight to Joey Walker, bringing the track home with a ripping guitar solo that cascades over walls of strings that lie behind him.
The following track is one that I believe stands out from the band’s past couple of years of releases, "Deadstick". One of the most fun releases from the band, with a chiming guitar tone that’s to kill for, the track is just a great listen. Punctuated pushes of air through brass battle Joey’s guitar as the two take turns pushing each other off the stage before he takes to the mic for his verse, marking the fourth member of the band to hop on the mic after Stu, Cookie, and Ambrose. Ambrose has another powerful verse on this track that stands out; his yelling just itches a part of my brain that only his voice can. I could talk about it all day long, please, if you haven’t, check out his side band with Cookie called The Murlocs, incredible stuff.
"Lonely Cosmos" is a track that begins with only the orchestra. As the band breathes and switches instruments, the orchestra begins layering its sound. Hicks raises her baton, the strings raise their bows, the crowd raises their hands. Whittling bows shake vibrato over strings under calling drawn out notes, it feels more like a movie score than anything else, a soundscape for the rest of the band to be carried upon. Ambrose’s verse is complemented by the harmonies of the band and the harmonies of the instruments behind them. The orchestra and band are working synchronously in a way that the previous two tracks haven’t been able to show. Now there are multiple times where just the orchestra has the floor, and I cannot sing enough praise. Maybe because I can’t recall the last time I was in front of such a scale of music, but the uniform sound of so many inception points just stands hairs on end each time it’s displayed. Hicks is locked into the band, getting live feedback from eye contact over shoulders and in between note runs. Her smile and dancing show she’s right in line with the vibe of the music, but her precision and professionalism make her grasp of the orchestra known. The group is astounding. A poignant pizzicato pluck KGLW back into the mix under Cookie’s vocals to continue out the track. After its conclusion, the crowd would erupt, now getting to fully enjoy the orchestra’s contribution they had been anticipating for months. Their cheers are loud as, with Stu beckoning more from them and funneling it toward the orchestra, waving for more cheers like he’s showing off for his newfound classical friends. We were extremely thankful for them saying yes to such a crazy idea as hopping on tour with a band by the name of King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, and we made it known.
The setlist continues through "Phantom Island" with "Eternal Return", "Pansych", and "Spacesick". "Aerodynamic" would see both Stu and Cookie picking up their acoustics for the song’s duration, which I always love to hear, but again, against the orchestra, it’s just so exciting to hear how their sound continues to mesh so well with the level of talent behind them. To be treated to an Ambrose verse, a lull of the string section, then continuing through Joey’s verse as he tucks his guitar behind his back and holds onto his belt with the confidence of a blues brother is unmatched. It's such a fun and unique look at the band’s music, professionalism, and how far they have come. One of such aspects is the power of Cavs. The man is already a beast on his drumset, but when the five members of KGLW sit waiting and watching him, alongside Hicks with her baton ready to be raised to command her army of sound once he gives the order, all waiting for his countdown before launching their attacks, it's menacing how easy he can change the night. To see KGLW is to see a once-in-a-lifetime, unique show that can’t be recreated, but these orchestra shows are really something special. After closing out "Phantom Island" with "Sea of Doubt", "Silent Spirit", and "Grow Wings and Fly", the Orchestra of St. Luke’s would leave the stage for a short intermission, but in the meantime, as if playing a brand new album in its entirety wasn’t enough, the band would treat the audience to their undisclosed, new every night, jam session before sending them back to the music hall.
We were spoiled once the crowd began to whisper to each other that they thought they heard teases of "Magma" from the tips of Stu’s fingers. It felt as though the parents had left the room, and things were about to get a lot more rowdy than they had been all night. Joey would lose his classy button-up in favor of the dare I say provocative tank top underneath, and at some point over the next song, Stu lost his shoes completely. As the closing jam of "Grow Wings and Fly" began to turn toward "Magma", the stage lighting dove into a much deeper red, washing the boys in the color of Earth’s core. Cavs drum kick followed by Lucas’ bass lines were the giveaway, and the cheers from the crowd named it. No longer held to one album, the genre-bending begins and nosedives into something heavy from the beginning. "Magma" is a crawling sprawl of guitar riffs that explode over heavy beating drums, picking you up just to throw you back down through Cav’s solo that only gives way to whammy-wearing notes from Stu’s guitar before Joey takes a turn making his scream, all while Amby hides under his keys, blowing into a sax that fuels the rhythm of the track. Ripping version all around, and unbelievable to see after I could’ve sworn there was a blues band right in front of us just a minute ago.
St. Luke’s Orchestra would rejoin the stage for what I believe to be one of the tracks most well-complimented by the group, but maybe that’s just because it’s my favorite song in general, "The River." I’m not sure there's any accurate way I can describe the beauty of it, but imagine your favorite song just getting a complete overhaul and somehow smashing the expectation that you thought you knew of how good it can be. I mean, a symphony of growing strings that layers with each repetition of the chorus, the brass that blows through the verses to add body to the normal depth we’re used to, it’s beautiful, like utterly beautiful. Then Cavs counts into the first musical break. Running guitars and frontmen backed with sprinting gators across the stage, the flow of the music creating a stream of surfers right above the audiences’ heads as security in the pit becomes a conveyor belt of pulling grown men down from the hands of fans and sending them out of the pit to go to the back of the crowd and float down the river once again. The cheering is as loud as it's been, as now the band has lost all breaks on their speed. The orchestra sits watching, taking in their counterparts and waiting for Hicks’ baton to signal them back through the madness engulfing their stage. Techs run to the members trying to fix Stu’s mic pack that swung off as his guitar was above his head, dodging the cameramen who livestream the show to five thousand people watching live as the night goes on. The wall of sound continues to grow louder. The heaviness remains, but now readied by the baton, Hicks brings down her hands with the chorus of brass and wind. Ambrose watches drumming on his congas, smiling as the strings pull up their bows and slice through harmonies that again, stand up every hair on the back of my neck. The horns take the riff of the guitars as they turn loose and run yet again.
The crowd can barely breathe as the stage begins to paint a bleak picture: a low flowing of breathy notes, an uneasy high-pitched pull of strings, and the growing thump of drums introduce us to "Crumbling Castle." Where the strings were the focal point of "The River", here it's the horns that make this track so special. Blasts of perfectly-timed chords and the carrying of rhythm through the brass just help paint the landscape of "Polygondwanaland" that the song is off of. This is the album I need to see toured with an orchestra next, please. It just fits all too well to not be written with it from the start. War horns that felt like they were summoning Godzilla would close out the track, left with just Cavs on the stage from KGLW, the strings let in a victorious call that feels like a battle well won. Their swirling symphonic ending is touched with delicate plucking of harps and runs on strings with hammering drums from Cavs as he and Hicks hold eye contact, pushing each of their sounds longer and further before cutting them off succinctly in tandem.
"This Thing" would continue the night as a lighter, more bouncy tune before sending us back into the trenches with "Mars for the Rich." Maybe it's because I know these songs so much more thoroughly than the new album, but you’re able to appreciate the impressive skill of these two groups much more in this last batch of songs. The collaboration is a lot more visible when it isn’t there from the beginning. "Mars for the Rich" saw some of the best crowd participation of the night, as it usually does, with chants of hundreds of people in unison on emphasized phrases within the song. Again, they refuse to let up with a rendition of "Dragon" following closely behind. With crowd chanted choruses conducted by Stu’s hand, something he must have picked up from Hicks, the track kicks into gear as the speed is yet again turned up, and bows are forced to smoke across strings as Johnny succeeds in keeping up with the Devil. It feels like war music as the orchestra accentuates the aggressive nature of the hit of each drum and grunting guitar work. The energy from the crowd continues to sacrifice members overhead, carried toward the band as Stu’s vocals travel from his lungs to his throat.
With time for just one more, KGLW knows how to end the night. "Iron Lung." Beginning tame, the crowd can breathe before giving anything they have left over to the band. It’s a psych-blues track that echoes the show's origin before cumbling into a prog rock jam fueled by multiple sections of talent that you just don’t get to experience every day. It’s so enjoyable to watch Hicks studying the boys’ notes, raising her hands to ready the orchestra as she hears her cue, and slamming them down to start the group just in time for the seemingly rambunctious men in front of her, tying the two together to intertwine their sound. The clean, well-dressed group holding their instruments and playing in unison in the back of the stage, juxtaposed to the sweaty jumpsuit-clad men who spin around the stage, tangling mic wires, legs, and guitar wires while stomping on guitar pedals, the two work exceedingly well. It was an unforgettable night of music and such a fun event to experience.
It's always exciting to be a Gizz fan and get to take in any project they decide to try next. They all seemed so happy to be involved, just smiling at each other and the symphony of music behind them. The orchestra members would sit with excited smiles, bouncing their instruments (the ones that were small enough) on their legs as they watched the musicians in front of them get lost in their jams. The stage setup also led to a more intimate feeling than most shows since fitting a full orchestra of almost 25 musicians pushes KGLW closer to the crowd and closer to each other, allowing for even more interaction between them than normal. It was an atmosphere of experimentation, improvisation, and awe, which I guess works as three words to sum up their whole discography. They are an extremely talented group of individuals who are complemented by the technical skill of St. Luke’s Orchestra. The group sounds so beautiful, and when they both get going, the music is just too good to miss. I’m so thankful for the amount of work required to put a show like this together, and urge anyone near any of the orchestral show locations to go see it, whether you're a fan of King Gizz, Orchestras, music in general, or hell, even if you never put on the radio, just go. It’s an example of just how cool it can be to be a human being celebrating art and music with others who appreciate it.
