On Stage: King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard @ TivoliVredenburg

By now you'd think King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard would take it more slow. But these guys seem to be on tour continuously and recording albums at a murderous pace. The Australian band is heading for Europe though after releasing their second LP this year, the trash metal album Infest The Rats Nest. They are opening this tour with a two day residency at TivoliVredenburg and tonight is the first night.

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard at TivoliVredenburg Utrecht, October 7 2019

They brought two more bands from Down Under to support them, ORB and Stonefield, who are both on King Gizzard's own label Flightless Records. I walk into the venue during ORB's last song, but fortunately I get to see Stonefield. The four Findlay sisters play heavy stoner and 70s hard rock and I like it a lot. Drummer Amy Findlay is also the singer of the quartet, who play a tight and convincing set. I simply have to get their latest record Bent after the show.

These shows sold out in no time, so it's a full house tonight. It's a nice mix of young and old, although the younger generation are vastly outnumbering the oldies on the floor. They are eager to go wild with King Gizzard who give them what they ask for right away, leading off with 'Rattlesnake'. Immediately there's a pit forming and everyone around me starts dancing.

A big screen behind the band is showing psychedelic visuals, while the band is turning on the heat. They are off to a flying start and the crowd is greeting every song with loud cheers. They cool it down a bit after a while with some of their more mellow and jazzy songs, showing their best dance moves during 'Cyboogie'. It's amazing to see how easily these guys switch from psych rock to prog rock, back to blues rock, basically anything ending with rock.

The only thing missing so far is the trash metal of their latest album. The last part of the set takes care of that, where they play a few songs from that album. I thought maybe their fans would find it a bit hard to get into, but judging from the euphoric crowd I couldn't be more wrong. "Euphoric" is the right word for the whole night ,where everyone is eager to have a good time.

The band closes the night with a lovely long version of 'The Bitter Boogie' where Ambrose Kenny-Smith takes his harmonica into the crowd. After more than two hours, the band leaves a sweaty crowd behind that had an incredible night. This band doesn't do encores, but will play have extra song in their regular set instead of leaving the stage for a couple of minutes. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard still are one of the best live bands around, one that will turn every venue upside down and inside out. They can do whatever they want, record whatever kind of music they like, it never disappoints. I will be there again next time for sure.

All Pictures



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Setlist:
01. Rattlesnake
02. Sleep Drifter
03. Anoxia
04. All Is Known
05. Alter Me I
06. Altered Beast II
07. Mr. Beat
08. Evil Death Roll
09. Acarine
10. Cyboogie
11. Beginner's Luck
12. Let Me Mend the Past
13. Inner Cell
14. Loyalty
15. Horology
16. Mars for the Rich
17. Organ Farmer
18. The Great Chain of Being
19. The Bitter Boogie


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On Stage: King Gizard and the Lizard Wizard @ Paradiso

After releasing five albums last year and destroying every festival and club stage out there, you would think Australian psych rockers King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard would take it a bit more slow. But no, these guys are already on the road again. Good for me, since after three weeks of a gorgeous vacation I'm up for a solid psych rock party.

King Gizard and the Lizard Wizard at Paradiso Amsterdam, March 5 2018

By now the seven piece rock monster is an established name in the live circuit and has sold out two consecutive nights at Paradiso. If they keep going like this, it could be the last time in a venue of this size before they have to scale things up to larger size venues. Less than a year ago the band played a relentless set here that tore this place down. Tonight there's a slightly different approach, cutting through the stack of records they brought out last year.

This means they are not constantly firing off their high tempo tracks on high speed, but instead are playing a more groove based set. It isn't any less effective since right from the start as the band opens with 'Rattlesnake', crowd surfers and stage divers appear around the hall. The variety of songs shows the enormous diversity of this band, going through several styles like classic rock, metal, folk rock, psych rock, prog rock, jazz, but always providing it with their personal garage rock signature. Psychedelic visuals projected all over the back of the venue behind the band support the music.

Once more they make clear they are one of the best live bands on the scene at this moment. The band is very tight and can play their audience anyway they like. Tonight they build up their set slowly, with groovy songs building up tension. Until they finally release the beast at the end, playing the lead off triplet of songs 'Robot Stop', 'Big Fat Wasp and 'Gamma Knife' from Nonagon Infinity. The venue explodes and the whole floor is one big sweaty mass of dancing people. The band cools everyone down with 'Beginner's Luck' closing the night without an encore and leaving everyone begging for more. This band knows how to keep everyone on their toes. See you next time!



All Pictures

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Setlist:
01. Rattlesnake
02. Greenhouse Heat Death
03. Nuclear Fusion
04. All Is Known
05. Doom City(Crumbling Castle Outro)
06. Sleep Drifter
07. D-Day
08. The Book(Instrumental)
09. Billabong Valley
10. Welcome to an Altered Future
11. Digital Black
12. Han-Tyumi the Confused Cyborg
13. The Lord of Lightning
14. Cellophane
15. (Unknown)(New Song)
16. Crumbling Castle
17. The Fourth Colour
18. Robot Stop
19. Big Fig Wasp
20. Gamma Knife
21. Beginner's Luck


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Top 10 Albums 2017

The year is almost over so most end of the year lists have been published by now, except mine. Here it is!

1. Protomartyr - Relatives In Descent
Play in Spotify

2. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Murder of the Universe
Play in Spotify

3. METZ - Strange Peace
Play in Spotify

4. The War On Drugs - A Deeper Understanding
Play in Spotify

5. St. Vincent - MASSEDUCTION
Play in Spotify

6. LCD Soundsystem - American Dream
Play in Spotify

7. The National - Sleep Well Beast
Play in Spotify

8. The Homesick - Youth Hunt
Play in Spotify

9. Motorpsycho - The Tower
Play in Spotify

10. Father John Misty - Pure Comedy
Play in Spotify


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King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard @ Paradiso

Only a few days back Australian psych rockers King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard totally blew everyone away at the Best Kept Secret Festival, proving they are one of the hottest bands right now. This week the second album of this year's total of five albums will come out, Murder Of The Universe, and they are touching down in my home town. I simply need to be there of course.

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard at Paradiso Amsterdam, June 20 2017

I'm still a bit tired from the past weekend but I'm certain this band has no trouble energizing me. It is a warm day and the sold out venue is hot. No way these guys will cool us down and we get ready for a hot show. Aussie giants AC/DC's 'Whole Lotta Rosie' blasts through the speakers before the band kicks off with 'Rattlesnake' like they did on Friday and the venue is singing along to the repeating title. This is a promising start of the show and it is clear that people are here for a wild night. They play a few songs that are kind of a warm up for the band. This group is in such great shape they can play the crowd with great ease. They know it will be easy to make this hall explode, but first they are teasing us a bit, simply not going full force yet.

This happens when they get to the the middle part of the show, which is a roller coaster ride from then on. Their music is a blend of a lot of styles, all chucked into a mixer. Watching one of their live shows is like being inside that mixer where you get a few pulses in the beginning, but then it is turned on at maximum speed and there simply is no escape. Halfway 'Altered Beast II' the group suddenly stops. They saw a woman in need who got treated a bit too aggressively by a guy in the pit. True kings these guys are, coming to rescue a lady, and when things have calmed down, they pick up from where they left.

I'm worried this may have messed up their mood or momentum, but no need for that, there simply is no stopping them now. All songs are glued together into one crazy trip, where you can hear parts of earlier songs pop up again. These guys are apparently playing with the space-time continuum, bending it any way they like! True wizards they are! The floor is now one big hot and sweaty pit with people dancing wildly. A continuous stream of crowd surfers pour into the wild mass of entangled body parts. I can see shoes flying around, people doing back flips, this place has gone mad! The visuals at the back show lightning and the venue is filled with electricity as we can feel the floor moving.

After about 90 minutes the band finishes playing and after saying their goodbyes, it leaves a soaking wet crowd behind that just had one of their biggest musical orgasms. This must be one of the best shows I've seen here, simply legendary. All hail the king!



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Setlist:
01. Rattlesnake
02. Doom City
03. Nuclear Fusion
04. Anoxia
05. Billabong Valley
06. Sleep Drifter
07. Alter Me I
08. Altered Beast II
09. Alter Me II
10. Altered Beast III
11. Gamma Knife
12. Robot Stop
13. People-Vultures
14. The Lord of Lightning
15. Cellophane
16. Am I in Heaven?
17. F# Jam
18. The River


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Best Kept Secret Festival 2017 Day 1

Last year's edition of Best Kept Secret left a bitter taste in my mouth after wonderful earlier editions. The festival didn't really adjust well to the larger number of visitors and the rain didn't help either. But with Radiohead and Arcade Fire on the bill, we simply had to return.

Best Kept Secret 2017 Day 1, June 16 2017

The weather forecast for this year couldn't be any better. Lots of sunshine and no rain is expected at all. Checking in to our small four person chalet goes very smoothly so we're off to a good start. Our festival summer has started!

Leif Vollebekk

Canadian multi instrumentalist Leif Vollbekk is kicking off the festival at Stage Five. He looks surprised at the large turn up so early in the festival. The musician definitely puts his heart and soul in his music and performance, but his light folk music is not for me. It's good to start the festival a bit slow though.



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Amber Arcades

We stroll around the festival site for a bit to see what has changed and end up at Amber Arcades show. Singer Annelotte de Graaf and her band keep getting raving reviews but I saw them once before and didn't really feel it. Today she doesn't win me over either. Music wise the singer does have something going for her although it's not really up my alley. But I find the performance quite static and there isn't much energy radiating from the stage. It all sounds good enough, but she and her band aren't exactly doing their best to win people over. Maybe it's just me.



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Sundara Karma

A group of young lads is opening the main stage, dressed in clothes they seem to have found in their parents' wardrobe. The band members aren't impressed with the main stage slot at all and are playing as if they are used to these kind of stages. Their britpop sounds alright but is very much on the safe side. It lacks original hooks and for them to really convince they need to improve on their sound.

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Real Estate

A band that has their sound down completely are Real Estate. The members look like they work at the Apple Genius Bar, but they don't need the looks at all to impress. Their songs are great and their playful indie rock songs have a nice nineties vibe. Ringing guitars and creative grooves patiently craft their music. Combined with warm but powerful vocals the music is urgent and builds on tension.



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The Parrots

This rock n roll band from Madrid in Spain take things a lot less serious. Passing joints around the stage reveals the band is probably high as a kite, but it turns their performance into a cheerful event with a crowd willing to party. The simple rock songs aren't of the highest standards but with a huge smile on their faces the bands blasts energy.

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Millionaire

Belgian's lost sons Millionaire are back and make clear today why that is a good thing. Heavy rock songs with loud guitars and drums, that are big on amazing grooves. Singer Tim van Hamel has all the rock poses and is a born front man. The new record is a good reintroduction to the band and although it has been fifteen years they haven't lost any of their strength. I'm glad this band is back again.



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Metronomy

At the main stage Metronomy have started a party while the sun is setting. With a lovely image of the lake as their view the band is playing a good set giving the people exactly what they need: the right amount of energy to dance into the early night. And so the groovy dance songs with catchy synth sounds and drum beats go down well with a hungry crowd.

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King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard

If Metronomy didn't give you enough energy these Australian psych rock giants have got you covered. They are the front runners of the psychedelic rock scene and simply blow everyone away with a mix of out of this world garage rock, prog rock and anything in between and beyond. Their set is built up slowly, kicking off with 'Rattle Snake' from the first album that came out this year of in total five they are planning to. When they get to the brilliant 'Nonagon Infinity' everyone gives in and everything explodes. A big pit forms and the band simply blows everyone away. Resistance is futile. Game, set, match for this amazing group.



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Show Me The Body

It sounded nice on paper, a mix of punk, hardcore and hiphop that should set the mood for the rest of the night. But instead it's mostly loud music without too much variation. The vocals are screaming lyrics that are impossible to understand and although the band does want to work the crowd we decide to leave and have a beer instead.

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We head to the new rock bar The Kasbah where they stick to playing rock and punk songs and sell canned beer. There's a good vibe in the bar so we hang around for a while, down a few cans. The first day was pretty good and this year's edition is taking off in the right way.

All Pictures Day 1

Best Kept Secret Festival Day 2

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Top 10 albums 2016

As the end of the year is upon as the obligatory end of the year lists appear as well. So here's the one I sent in to FestivalInfo in the end. I was thinking of just publishing it here in alphabetical order since they're all great albums and the order isn't really important. And of course there are lots of other great albums that came out this year and I only heard a small part of them. So don't attach too much importance to this list of any of the lists. They are only there for a bit of fun. Let's remember all the wonderful musicians that left us this year and hope 2017 will be a better year. Have a good one and see you on the other side.

1.David Bowie - Black Star
Play in Spotify

2.Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool
Play in Spotify

3.Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Skeleton
Play in Spotify

4.Preoccupations - Preoccupations
Play in Spotify

5.King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Nonagon Infinity
Play in Spotify

6.Car Seat Headrest - Teens of Denial
Play in Spotify

7.Michael Kiwanuka - Love & Hate
Play in Spotify

8.Deftones - Gore
Play in Spotify

9.Shearwater - Jet Plane and Oxbow
Play in Spotify

10.Ryley Walker - Golden Sings That Have Been Sung
Play in Spotify


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ITGWO 2016 Day 1 + 2

After a very wet edition of the Into The Great Wide Open festival last year, this year promises to be much better. At least it's sunny when we leave home and head to the harbour where the boat to a glorious weekend is waiting for us.

Into The Great Wide Open 2016, Thursday September 1 2016

On the boat to the island Vlieland, we already get treated to a first performance. Zimmerman is playing for a TV recording but the sound is not loud enough for us to hear. However it does set the mood right away for a chilled out musical weekend.

Zimmerman
Later on we see the same band again for our first performance of the day. Zimmerman, named after Bob Dylan's birth name, is the band of Balthazar's bass player Simon Casier. He is the first one of the several Balthazar spin off projects that are on display throughout the weekend. He's playing guitar in this band and the soft indie rock songs have a nice sound, but never get really adventurous or dangerous. Casier isn't the greatest singer in Balthazar and his voice isn't very versatile giving the songs a bit of the same feel. Also his English pronunciation isn't that good. In the end it is not bad way to start though and the friendly sounding songs are nice enough to the ears to get into the right mood

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Balthazar & Quartet Cordette
We explore the festival site and then wander into the woods for another Balthazar project. This time it's the full band with Patricia Vanneste's string quartet Cordette. The arrangements of some of Balthazar's songs have been reworked into acoustic versions with lush string parts. This is working wonderfully and it shows how good those songs are. The songs sound swirling this way and the crowd responds very enthusiastically. The beautiful setting in the woods while it is getting dark does the rest.

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Bombay
The reincarnation of Bombay Show Pig is sending us off this first night. The changes in the line-up that left Mathias Janmaat. as the remaining part of the original duo, has transformed the hooky and bit electronic edgy sound into a more heavier rock sound. It suits the band well and although I really liked their original sound, the new direction works too. It still has that jumpy edge to it and it is getting everyone getting worked up for the night. While the hall has filled up nicely everyone is ready for the first big party of the weekend.

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Back to back Prince and Bowie songs are an excellent way to get this party going. The cold beers help very well too of course.

Into The Great Wide Open 2016, Friday September 2 2016

We wake up in our old but cozy apartment and after a hearty breakfast head over to the sports field for the first band of the day.

The Gospel Sessions
There on the main stage Michelle David is leading us into a cheerful and soulful gospel service. Her strong voice and positive appearance is catching on. It gets everyone well awake and on their feet to join in on the festivities. The songs are moving between blues, soul and gospel and the music is heart warming.

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J. Bernardt
Today is Balthazar day with three performances related to the Belgian band. First up is the biggest mystery of those three, since no one has heard any music yet from Jinte Deprez' project, that is debuting today on this festival. He's playing groovy electronic driven songs that sound warm and very relaxed. It isn't dance music to go wild on, but more relaxing, sexy sounding songs to slowly sway along. Afterwards Deprez tells me it went far from perfect. I thought it was really nice and interesting though and it makes me look forward to hearing a full album.

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We move to the other stage in the woods where we decide to have something to eat. While we sit down for a nice meal Jalen N'Gonda is playing his friendly soul music. He's one of those soul singers that draw inspiration from old soul music like Otis Redding and Marvin Gaye. It has a nice sound, but stays on the safe side. It's nice music as a side dish to our meal though.

Fantastic Negrito
Time for some good ol' soul. Fantastic Negrito is a rhythm 'n blues show band the old fashioned way with a tight group of musicians and front and show man Xavier Dphrepaulezz. He knows exactly how to entertain a willing crowd. It doesn't take long before everyone is dancing to the swinging and raw bluesrock music, while the band is playing their heart out. Dphrepaulezz is all over the stage to make sure everyone is staying on their feet.

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Warhaus
Balthazar's Maarten Devoldere is the one with a solo project that has been running for a little longer. His first album is coming up soon and we could hear a few songs the past few months that sound promising. They are mostly dark and slow songs in a story telling kind of way, that remind of Nick Cave. Sometimes he picks up a trumpet to create loops as a basis which is quite a nice touch. Devoldere looks confident on stage and although needs to warm up a bit in the beginning, his performance is very intriguing and convincing between the trees.

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King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
I've been looking forward to the space rockers from Australia a lot and the seven piece rock group delivers big time. The band goes full speed from the beginning and never slows down. The returning theme is the title song of their latest album Noganon Infinity which you can hear pop up now and then. There are hardly any breaks in between songs and the pit in front of the stage gets bigger and bigger where people are crowd surfing and stage diving. Once again the band are in killer form and turn the place into a psych rock fest.

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Suuns
We stay at the stage in the woods for a different kind of party. Suuns play dark psychedelic music with synths, drums, guitar and electronic add ons. I've been wanting to see this band for a while but never got a chance. Big inflatable letters at the back of the stage are lit by the stage lights and in the woods in the dark it creates a suiting mysterious atmosphere. The deep and dark sounds of their music are very effective in this environment. Simply close your eyes and let yourself float away on the psychedelic grooves between the trees.

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Balthazar
The Belgian band has been all over the island this weekend in different formations and shapes and now it's time for the most familiar one with the full band closing the day on the main stage at the sports field. It will be one of their last performances until they go on a long break but the band doesn't look tired at all. They play all their big hits that we know so well to a full sports field at the main stage. Now and then the band members move really close together which is always a good sign. Once again the group prove why they such a good band.

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We're halfway the festival now and in a very good mood after such an incredible day. I guess this calls for a party!

All Pictures Day 1
All Pictures Day 2

Into The Great Wide Open Day 3+4

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