Praise be to the Reverberation Appreciation Society for releasing this early live gem from Australian psych-rock giants King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. Live at Levitation ’14 is, I think, a recording of their first live performance in the United States. It was at that year’s Austin Psych Fest in Austin, Texas…and my late wife and I were there.
We didn’t know much about KGATLW then. Heck, no one in the U.S. did. They played an afternoon slot on the main stage, and there were maybe 125 people there for the set. I’d only heard a couple tracks that I’d found on obscure YouTube channels. Those tracks were intriguing enough for me to add them to my wish list of bands to see that year. I thought it would be an interesting set at least.
It certainly was. My thought about halfway through the set was, “Wow…These guys came to play.” Starting with “I’m in Your Mind,” the band launches off the stage right away with fun energy that would come to define their sets. They flow right into, of course, “I’m Not in Your Mind,” showing early signs of the linked “Gizzverse” stuff that would span across multiple albums.
They’re going nuts by the time they get to “Cellophane,” and stunning the crowd by this point. They then loop back to “I’m in Your Mind Fuzz,” and had attracted the other half of their set’s crowd by now because the amount of sound and energy they were putting out was immense. They didn’t stop for a breath until this track ends. “The Wholly Ghost” has a fun metal stomp to it and threatens to fry your brain altogether.
“We’re going to Dallas tomorrow. What’s that like?” Stu Mackenzie asks before the lovely, trippy “Sleepwalker.” “Bloody hot,” someone replies. The whole set is as hot as Texas heat. “Am I in Heaven” has the band starting mellow and then kicking in doors and knocking down tables on a stage in a western town. Call the festival attendees, there were madmen around that afternoon – judging from the chaotic energy KGATLW were broadcasting.
“We’re gonna play one more,” Mackenzie says. That one is the epic “Head On / Pill,” which is over sixteen minutes of psychedelia that will make your mind feel like the album’s cover image. It was a stunning end to a stunning set that left people elated and dumbfounded. They weren’t sure what they’d just seen and heard, but knew they’d been part of something special.
It was a great set, and still sounds great ten years later. It’s essential if you’re a King Gizz fan.
Keep your mind open.
[Levitate over to the subscription box while you’re here.]