King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard :: Geese
August 31, 2024
Ascend Ampitheater, Nashville TN
Shot and Written by Grace Davis
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard is an Australian rock band that formed in Melbourne in 2010. Known for their eclectic approach to music, they have explored a wide range of genres, including psychedelic rock, garage rock, progressive rock, jazz fusion, and heavy metal. This genre-blending has become a hallmark of their sound, making each album feel distinct. The band has seven members: Stu Mackenzie as the frontman, Joey Walker, Cook Craig, Luke Harwood, Micheal Cavanaugh, and Ambrose Kenny-Smith.
A major aspect of the band's identity is their prolific discography, releasing over 20 studio albums, sometimes putting out multiple albums in a single year. For example, in 2017 alone, they released five albums. Many of their works are conceptual or experimental in nature. Their 2016 album Nonagon Infinity is designed as a never-ending loop, with each track seamlessly transitioning into the next and the last one flowing back into the first. They've also embraced microtonal tuning, exploring non-standard scales in albums like Flying Microtonal Banana.
Another defining feature of King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard is their live performances, which they brought to Nashville. The concert was an intense, dynamic experience that felt like a journey through the many different worlds of their music. The band brought the same adventurous spirit they have in the studio to the stage, delivering an immersive set packed with energy, spontaneity, and powerful jams. Improvisation played a key role in their show, with the band taking advantage of the live setting to stretch out certain sections and add new layers to the music; much like previously mentioned Nonagon Infinity.
Their performance moved seamlessly between genres—one moment, they were playing fast, aggressive metal tracks, and the next, diving into sprawling psychedelic soundscapes. This constant shift in styles kept the audience engaged and energized. The crowd was just as intense, with fans responding to the band's energy with headbanging, dancing, or moshing, depending on the mood of the music.
The visuals and lighting added to the experience, with swirling projections and intense lighting effects heightening the psychedelic atmosphere. Overall, the King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard concert was a wild, immersive experience, marked by both technical precision and chaotic, free-flowing jams that captivated the audience from start to finish.
Geese is a rock band from Brooklyn, New York, that formed in 2016 when the members were still in high school. They gained attention for their blend of post-punk, art rock, and indie rock influences, combining raw energy with a tight, experimental sound. The band consists of five members: Cameron Winter (vocals, keyboards), Emily Green (guitar), Max Bassin (drums), Dominic DiGesu (bass), and Foster Hudson (guitar).
Geese’s sound is characterized by its shifts in tempo and mood, intricate guitar work, and driving rhythms. Their music evokes comparisons to bands like Talking Heads, Radiohead, and Television for its artful approach and willingness to push boundaries within rock music.
Their debut album, Projector, released in 2021, was praised for its ambitious songwriting and mature sound, especially considering the band’s young age. The album captured a sense of youthful restlessness and creative exploration, blending grungy post-punk rhythms with moments of atmospheric, introspective melody. This helped them stand out in the indie rock scene, drawing comparisons to earlier post-punk revival bands like Interpol and The Strokes, but with a more experimental edge.
Despite being a relatively new band, Geese quickly garnered critical acclaim for their live performances, which mirror the intensity and complexity of their recordings. I have previously seen them live as an opener before and became a big fan myself after the concert. I rarely see crowds react with such electricity that I’ve seen in the crowds before Geese. It says a lot about an artist when they’re not headlining and crowds still go wild at every given chance.
The set from Geese was full of raw energy and precision. Their live shows reflected the intricate nature of their music, with sharp shifts in tempo and mood that kept the audience engaged. They seemed much more comfortable on stage than on previous shows, interacting with the audience and each other. The band's performance style was intense yet tightly controlled, blending the chaotic edge of punk with the thoughtful, layered arrangements of art rock.
Frontman Cameron Winter's stage presence was magnetic, his vocals swinging between deep, melodic moments and bursts of intensity. The interplay between guitarists Emily Green and Foster Hudson stood out, with their angular, detailed guitar lines weaving in and out of each other. The rhythm section, driven by Max Bassin’s complex drumming and Dominic DiGesu’s bass, anchored the performance, allowing the band to explore while actively performing.
Their show had a spontaneous, unpredictable quality, as they leaned into improvisation, extending or reworking parts of their songs. Despite their youth, they displayed a surprising level of technical mastery, making their live performance feel polished but not over-rehearsed. The atmosphere was charged, with the audience feeding off the band’s energy and intensity, making for an exhilarating and immersive experience.
