King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard performing in New York City, 2019
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard performing in New York City, 2019
Background information
Origin Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Genres
Discography King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard discography
Years active 2010–present
Labels
Members
Past members Eric Moore
Website kinggizzardandthelizardwizard.com

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard are an Australian rock band formed in 2010 in Melbourne, Victoria. The band's current lineup consists of Stu Mackenzie, Ambrose Kenny-Smith, Cook Craig, Joey Walker, Lucas Harwood, and Michael Cavanagh. They are known for exploring multiple genres, staging energetic live shows, and building a prolific discography.

The band's early releases blended surf music and garage rock and were released on their label, Flightless. They released several psychedelic and progressive rock albums in the early 2010s, and incorporated a broader range of musical styles later in the decade, such as jazz fusion on Quarters! and the folk-inspired Paper Mâché Dream Balloon. In 2016, they generated more mainstream attention with Nonagon Infinity, which won the ARIA Award for Best Hard Rock or Heavy Metal Album.

In 2017, the band fulfilled a promise to release five studio albums within the year, and also marked the beginning of a trilogy of microtonal albums with Flying Microtonal Banana. Subsequent releases integrated heavy metal, synth-pop and progressive rock, and feature lyrics that address environmental themes and a connected fictional universe termed the "Gizzverse" by fans. Eric Moore, the second drummer and manager, left in 2020. Since 2019, the band has produced several albums per year, including releasing five in 2022 with three of the releases in that October. Their 25th and most recent album, The Silver Cord, was released in 2023.

In a 2019 study conducted by the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard were ranked No. 21 on a list of the world's hardest-working musicians. This was earned due to the number of live shows they played from January 2018 to August 2019—totaling 113 live performances both domestically and internationally.

History

Formation, Early Releases, and 12 Bar Bruise (2010–2012)

The band members all grew up and went to school in the Deniliquin, Melbourne, and Geelong areas of Australia. Mackenzie, Moore, and Walker met studying music industry at RMIT University, with the other members being mutual friends. The band started off with a fluid lineup of members sharing musical ideas, with the eventual lineup becoming Mackenzie, Walker, Moore, Kenny-Smith, Cavanagh, Craig, and Harwood. Kenny-Smith was the last to enter the band in 2011. The band's name was created "last minute"; Mackenzie wanted to name the band "Gizzard Gizzard", while another band member wanted Jim Morrison's nickname "Lizard King". They eventually compromised with King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard. However, Mackenzie denied this in a post on the band's Twitter account, stating that he was "not sure where that came from". Melbourne artist Jason Galea has created all of the band's album art and the majority of their music videos.

The band's first releases were two singles in 2010 – "Sleep / Summer!" and "Hey There / Ants & Bats" – and both were self-released. The band's next release, 2011's Anglesea, was released as a four-track EP on CD. It is named after Anglesea, Victoria, the coastal town where Mackenzie grew up (as well as the town where they lost a battle of the bands to punk rockers Hole in the Shoe). These early releases did not become available digitally until the inclusion of their tracks on the 2020 Teenage Gizzard compilation.

The band's second release of the year, Willoughby's Beach, was released by Shock Records on October 21, 2011. Beat Magazine described the nine-track garage rock EP as "filled to the teeth with consistently killer hooks".

The band's first full-length album, 12 Bar Bruise, was released on September 7, 2012. The 12-track garage rock album was self-recorded, and several tracks used unconventional recording methods; for example, the vocals for the album's title track were recorded through four iPhones placed around a room while Mackenzie sang into one of them.

Eyes Like the Sky, Float Along – Fill Your Lungs, Oddments, and I'm in Your Mind Fuzz (2013–2014)

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard's second full-length album, Eyes Like the Sky, was released on February 22, 2013. Described as a "cult western audio book", the album is narrated by Broderick Smith and tells the story of outlaws, child soldiers, Native Americans, and gun fights—all set in the American frontier. The album was written collaboratively by Smith and Stu Mackenzie. When asked about the album's influences, Mackenzie said, "I love Western films. I love bad guys, and I love Red Dead Redemption. Oh, and I love evil guitars." Mackenzie also stated in a 2020 Reddit AMA that Eyes Like the Sky was written as a response to being typecast in their previous releases—a reaction that "irks" him to this day.

The band's third full-length album, Float Along – Fill Your Lungs, was released on September 27, 2013. King Gizzard shifted from garage rock to a more mellow folk and psychedelic sound on the eight-track album. It also saw Eric Moore start playing drums after previously playing theremin and keyboards.

Float Along – Fill Your Lungs was followed by Oddments, released on March 7, 2014. Over the course of the 12-track album, the band takes a more melodic approach, and Mackenzie's vocals are more prominent. Oddments has been described as being "recorded through a woolen sock in an adjacent room".

The band's fifth full-length album, I'm in Your Mind Fuzz, was released on October 31, 2014. The 10-track album touches on elements of fantasy and lyrically delves into the concept of mind control. This was the first time the band took a "traditional" approach to writing and recording an album: the songs were written, the band rehearsed together and they recorded the songs "as a band" in the studio. Pitchfork described the album as "open[ing] with a sprint" and ending "with some of their best slow jams". In 2019, I'm in Your Mind Fuzz came at No. 6 on Happy Mag's list of "the 25 best psychedelic rock albums of the 2010s".

Quarters!, Paper Mâché Dream Balloon, Gizzfest, and Nonagon Infinity (2015–2016)

Mackenzie performing in 2016

Quarters!, King Gizzard's sixth full-length album, was released on May 1, 2015. The album features four songs, each running for 10 minutes and 10 seconds, making each song a quarter of the album. Drawing upon jazz fusion and acid rock, the album's more laid-back sound was described as "unlike anything they've released before" and as "an album more likely to get your head bobbing and hips shaking as opposed to losing footwear in a violent mosh".

On August 17, 2015, King Gizzard released the title track "Paper Mâché Dream Balloon" as the lead single for the album with the same name. The band then published the official audio for the second single, "Trapdoor", and released its music video on November 10. Three days later, on November 13, the band released its seventh full-length album, Paper Mâché Dream Balloon. This "concept-less concept album" features only acoustic instruments and was recorded on Mackenzie's parents' farm in rural Victoria. The album features "a collection of short, unrelated songs" described as "mellow, defuzzed psychedelia". It was the band's first album to be released in the United States via ATO Records.

2015 saw the band launch Gizzfest in Melbourne, a two-day music festival that was held annually and toured Australia, featuring both local and international acts.

The band's eighth full-length album, Nonagon Infinity, was released worldwide on April 29, 2016. Described by Mackenzie as a "never-ending album", it features nine songs connected by musical motifs that flow "seamlessly" into each other, with the last track "linking straight back into the top of the opener like a sonic mobius strip". On March 8, the band released a video for the first single, "Gamma Knife". It contained a riff from the song "People Vultures", which premiered on April 4, followed by a music video released on May 6. The album received high praise from critics, with Pitchfork's Stuart Berman writing that it "yields some of the most outrageous, exhilarating rock 'n' roll in recent memory". The album also received glowing reviews from numerous other publishers: Happy Mag's Maddy Brown described it as "an intensely striking, ferocious sound that gets the blood flowing and heart racing", while NME's Larry Bartleet wrote that "If you wanted to, you could listen to it forever in one unbroken melody." The band earned its first ARIA Award when Nonagon Infinity won the 2016 ARIA Award for Best Hard Rock or Heavy Metal Album.

Five albums in one year (2017)

We had this random batch of songs. It was not a cohesive record at all. So we thought we'd split it up and split again until it became five. We worked on Nonagon Infinity pretty intensely in 2015 and 2016. We came close to burning ourselves out, or at least wringing each other's necks. We took a break, and then all these random, disparate song ideas came out of that void of not recording for a little while. Then we worked on everything, one album at a time.

Stu Mackenzie, November 2017

The band's ninth full-length album, Flying Microtonal Banana, was recorded in the band's own studio and released on February 24, 2017. Originally conceived as a record to be played on the Turkish bağlama, a stringed instrument with microtonal frets, the album was recorded using custom instruments adhering to 24 TET. Flying Microtonal Banana has been described as "a soaring take on microtonal music". Three tracks were issued in advance: "Rattlesnake", the opening track, in October 2016; "Nuclear Fusion" in December 2016; and "Sleep Drifter" in January 2017. The band released a music video for "Rattlesnake", directed by Jason Galea, a video that Happy Mag's Luke Saunders described as "a masterclass in hypnotism".

Another full-length album, Murder of the Universe, was released on June 23, 2017. Described by the band as a "concept album to end all concepts", it is divided into three chapters: The Tale of the Altered Beast and The Lord of Lightning vs. Balrog, both released on May 30, 2017, and Han-Tyumi and the Murder of the Universe, which was released on April 11, 2017. Spill Magazine explained that the album "describes the impeding doom of the world in a dark fantasy genre kind of way". It is narrated by Leah Senior for the first two chapters and a text-to-speech program for the final chapter. The band made their international television debut on April 17, 2017, performing "The Lord of Lightning" on Conan on TBS in the United States.

King Gizzard's next full-length album, Sketches of Brunswick East, a collaboration with Alex Brettin's psychedelic jazz project, Mild High Club, was released on August 18, 2017. Taking inspiration from Miles Davis' 1960 album Sketches of Spain, as well as the band's base recording location of Brunswick East in Melbourne, it is a jazz improvisational album. Mackenzie described the record as "perhaps representing greater changes that are happening in the wider world, and (this is) our attempt to find beauty within a place that we spend so much time", referring to the constant changes in their neighborhood.

Polygondwanaland, the fourth of the band's five 2017 albums, was released into the public domain, inspiring many independent labels throughout the world to issue unique versions of it.

King Gizzard's 12th studio album, Polygondwanaland, was released as a free download on 17 November 2017. The band encouraged fans and independent record labels to create their own pressings of the album, stating that "Polygondwanaland is FREE. Free as in, free. Free to download and if you wish, free to make copies. Make tapes, make CD's, make records... Ever wanted to start your own record label? GO for it! Employ your mates, press wax, pack boxes. We do not own this record. You do. Go forth, share, enjoy". The album was promoted with the release of the first track, "Crumbling Castle", on October 18, 2017. A music video created by Jason Galea accompanied its release on YouTube. As of August 2023, 363 different versions of the album have been recorded on the physical music database Discogs, and it has been called "the ultimate vinyl release".

Mackenzie confirmed in early December that the fifth and final album of 2017 would be coming "very, very late in the year". Two singles were digitally released less than a week later: "All Is Known", which had previously been performed live, and "Beginner's Luck", an entirely new song. These singles were followed by two more: "The Last Oasis" and "Greenhouse Heat Death", both released on the 20th. On December 30, the band posted on Facebook that Gumboot Soup would be released the following day. Mackenzie explained in an interview that the songs on the album are "definitely not B-sides or anything. They're more songs that didn't work in any of the rest of the four records, or they didn't fit into any of those categories that well, or they came together slightly after when those records came together."

In December, Consequence of Sound named King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard Band of the Year, praising both the quantity and quality of their 2017 releases.

Fishing for Fishies, Infest the Rats' Nest, and Reissues (2018–2019)

Throughout 2018, King Gizzard continued to perform live shows but did not release any new material. Instead, they re-released five older records—Willoughby's Beach, 12 Bar Bruise, Eyes Like the Sky, Float Along – Fill Your Lungs, and Oddments—on CD and vinyl. They also released an official pressing of 2017's Polygondwanaland.

On January 21, 2019, the band announced on their Instagram page that new music was in the works, with an image in a studio of Gareth Liddiard (The Drones, Tropical Fuck Storm) flipping the bird as members of King Gizzard play in the background, which led to some speculation about Liddiard's possible involvement in the band's new material. On February 1, the band put out a music video for their new single "Cyboogie" and released the song as a 7-inch single backed with "Acarine". A week later, they announced another North American tour and a show at Alexandra Palace in London, which they promised would feature "a new set, new songs, and a whole new visual experience", and were described as being their biggest ever.

In March, the band announced their 14th album, Fishing for Fishies, with a release date of April 26, 2019. A day later, the band officially released and uploaded a music video for the title track on YouTube. Later that month, the band released another single from the album, "Boogieman Sam", and on April 24—two days before the album release—the band dropped a final single, "The Bird Song". Two days later, Fishing for Fishies was released.

The 2019 Gizzfest did not take place. After the Gizzfest event in 2018, the band announced the cancellation of the festival on their official Instagram page. Some fans believe this was due to their extensive touring schedule. In a lighthearted remark on their Instagram, Walker joked, "Gizzfest is never happening again because it was always a piece of sh*t. I was embarrassed to be apart [sic] of it."

On April 9, the band released a music video for their new song, "Planet B". During a Reddit AMA on April 30, Mackenzie confirmed that the next King Gizzard album was in the works and would include "Planet B". However, the band had not yet decided whether to release it in 2019. The album was later revealed to be titled Infest the Rats' Nest. Mackenzie also announced that their Gizzfest festival would be held outside of Australia for the first time in 2019. Infest the Rats' Nest, which was released on August 16, featured an entirely different style – thrash metal. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2019, Infest the Rats' Nest was nominated for the ARIA Award for Best Hard Rock or Heavy Metal Album.

Chunky Shrapnel, K.G., L.W. and the departure of Eric Moore (2020–2021)

In January 2020, the band released three live albums as downloads on Bandcamp, pledging to donate 100% of the proceeds towards relief for the 2019–20 Australian bushfire season: Live in Adelaide '19, recorded at Thebarton Theatre on 12 July 2019, and Live in Paris '19, recorded at L'Olympia on 14 October 2019, were released 10 January, while Live in Brussels '19, recorded at the Ancienne Belgique on 8–9 October 2019, was released 15 January. The albums' sales benefit Animals Australia, Wildlife Victoria and Wires Wildlife Rescue, respectively.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the band postponed their Greek Theatre and Red Rocks three-hour marathon shows for later in the year. The band had also produced a film to be released, titled Chunky Shrapnel; however, also due to the outbreak, the initial viewing was postponed for a later date and then cancelled. The film was directed by John Angus Stewart, and was recorded during the band's 2019 tour in Europe.

In April, the band stated that during the COVID-19 lockdown, they had worked on new material for upcoming albums. Mackenzie reported that one will be "pretty chill", another "kind of jazzy", and "some of it is microtonal", and the band was also experimenting with electronic music and "messing around with some more polymetric stuff". In the same interview, when asked about more live recordings, Mackenzie also said that the band had recorded almost every show they played in 2019, and may release them in a similar fashion to Pearl Jam's official live bootlegs. June saw the release of RATTY, a short documentary about the making of Infest the Rat's Nest. The film was made available to rent online with all proceeds going to Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation, BlaQ Aboriginal Corporation, Djirra and Indigenous Social Justice Association Melbourne. After $20,000 had been raised, the film was then made free to watch on YouTube. Later that month, in celebration of Love Record Store Day, the band released a limited print of eco-friendly versions of 10 releases dating back to between 2014 and 2017.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the band postponed the marathon shows and North American tour for a second time, with the new dates being for October 2021. A statement he received from the band confirmed the new tour dates and additional confirmation that the band will release some new albums before said tour.

Moore left the band in 2020 to focus on running Flightless.

On 25 August, Eric Moore announced via Instagram his departure from the band as both an active member and the band's manager without citing any direct reason, stating he was "deeply saddened by the decision" and "[doesn't] have any regrets". The band further elaborated, also via Instagram, that he was stepping away from the band "to focus solely on Flightless Records".

On 2 October, the band released two albums via Bandcamp. The first, Demos Vol. 1 + Vol. 2, includes 28 demos of songs spanning the band's entire career. The second was a live album of the same variety as the three released in January, Live in Asheville '19, which was recorded live at New Belgium Brewing Company in Asheville, North Carolina, on 1 September 2019.

On 20 October 2020, the band teased the release of their 16th studio album, K.G. (Explorations into Microtonal Tuning, Volume 2), and another live album, Live in San Francisco '16, with both albums being released on 20 November. Alongside this, the band released the fourth single from K.G., "Automation", which was released for free on their website in a similar manner to their 2017 album Polygondwanaland. In addition to the raw audio files for the song as a whole, the band also included the files for separate audio channels within the song such as vocals, violin, clarinet and flute. They also released the video files for the song's music video, of which the band stated, "If you'd like to create your own music video for 'Automation', we have supplied you with the raw video files to do so". All of these files require a torrent client to be installed on the user's device.

In an interview with NME, Joey Walker said that 2021 would be a big year of output with some of their most divisive music yet, claiming: "Part of me thinks this is the best we've ever done. And part of me thinks it's the worst." He also talked about making a sequel to Chunky Shrapnel.

In 2020, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard were listed at No. 47 in Rolling Stone Australia's "50 Greatest Australian Artists of All Time" issue.

Their 17th studio album, L.W. (Explorations into Microtonal Tuning, Volume 3), was released on 26 February 2021. The album is "both a standalone work and a companion piece to" K.G. On 19 March 2021, the band released Live in Melbourne '21, recorded from one of their first shows since the pandemic. This album became part of the band's bootleg program, with accompanying video footage.

The band's 18th full-length album, Butterfly 3000, was announced on 11 May. The band stated that the album would be due 11 June and would have no singles leading to release. It was also revealed that the album had 10 tracks and was built around modular synthesizer loops. The album art was to feature a "cross-eyed" autostereogram by long-time collaborator Jason Galea.

On 29 May, Live in Sydney '21 was released through the band's bootleg program, the seventh live recording in the program and ninth album overall. A video recording of the performance was also released. The band announced that they would be performing a series of five concerts at Sydney's Carriageworks. Each concert would have a different, pre-planned setlist, themed around a different style of music, including acoustic, "jams", microtonal, garage rock and heavy metal.

Butterfly 3000, Made in Timeland, Omnium Gatherum and three albums in one month (2021–2022)

Butterfly 3000 was released on all streaming platforms on 11 June 2021. The album received generally positive reviews, with reviewers commending the album on its "sonic adventurism" and describing the songs as "pop-oriented additions [that] are a perfect pairing to their existing sound", while some critics said that the album's "formulaic approach lacks surprise". A music video featuring DJ Shadow debuted on YouTube on 6 January 2022. Remix album Butterfly 3001 was released on 21 January, featuring 21 remixes of Butterfly 3000 songs.

In February, the band announced a three-hour marathon set in Melbourne, naming the one-off show Return of the Curse of Timeland, set to take place on 5 March. Made in Timeland could be bought at the show, and was made available on the band's website the same day.

On 8 March, the band announced their 20th studio album, Omnium Gatherum, which was released on 22 April. They also released the 18-minute track "The Dripping Tap" as a single. Six days later on 14 March, the band released a joint EP alongside Tropical Fuck Storm titled Satanic Slumber Party. The EP originated during the recording sessions for Fishing for Fishies, during which the two groups collaborated on a jam section titled "Hat Jam". Sections of both "The Dripping Tap" and "Satanic Slumber Party" were adapted from these sessions, with a special limited-edition 12" vinyl, Hat Jam, released containing both releases.

On 16 June, the band won the inaugural Environmental Music Prize with their 2020 single "If Not Now, Then When?" They were awarded $20,000 in prize money, the entirety of which was donated to The Wilderness Society.

On 15 July, the band released two additional volumes of demos on their Bootlegger program, titled Music to Eat Pond Scum To and Music To Die To. In an article announcing this release, the band shared a bit more about their next two albums, stating that they were "built from hours-long jams and then pieced together after the fact".

On 5 August, the band cancelled the remaining 13 dates of their summer European tour so frontman Stu Mackenzie could return to Australia for treatment in his battle with Crohn's disease.

On 1 September, the band announced that they planned to release three studio albums in October 2022. A music video for one of their new songs, "Ice V", premiered on 7 September. Later the same day, the band revealed the titles, cover artwork and release dates for the three albums: Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava was released on 7 October, with Laminated Denim following on 12 October and Changes on 28 October. This event came to be known as "Gizztober" by fans of the band.

PetroDragonic Apocalypse and The Silver Cord (2023–present)

On 24 January, the band released the official live bootleg Live At Red Rocks '22. The 86-track, eight-hour release documents the band's three-night run at the titular Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Several independent labels have created physical releases of the bootleg, including a 12-vinyl boxset and a CD/cassette run.

On 21 February, the band announced that they would no longer be performing at that year's Byron Bay Bluesfest in protest of the festival's booking of reggae band Sticky Fingers. "As a band and as human beings we stand against misogyny, racism, transphobia and violence", the band wrote in a statement. "[We are] surprised and saddened to see Bluesfest commit to presenting content that is in complete opposition to these values."

On 7 May, the band announced their 24th studio album, PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation via Instagram. According to bassist Lucas Harwood, PetroDragonic Apocalypse will be one of two upcoming albums that will have a "Yin and Yang" concept, stating that they are "going to be very different sounding to each other, but we're going to try to make them complement each other". The album's first single, "Gila Monster", was released alongside a music video an hour before the album pre-order opened on May 16 and the second single "Dragon" was released on June 6 with its music video. The band then went on tour throughout the United States to promote the album before its release by playing songs from the album other than the singles. One such performance on 3 June was at the Caverns in Tennessee where the band dressed in drag to celebrate Pride Night after a judge ruled a proposed drag ban unlawful. Joey Walker told the crowd, "This ain't no protest, baby. This is a celebration!" PetroDragonic Apocalypse was released on 16 June.

On 26 July, the band confirmed via an Instagram story post that an account named "bootleg gizzard" that had been uploading albums previously available only through their bootlegger program onto streaming services was being operated by them. On 12 September, after announcing a series of marathon tours in the U.S. in 2024, the band stated the sound of their upcoming follow up to PetroDragonic Apocalypse. Band member Joey Walker stated that the album is "definitely synth-y", with SPIN writer Jonathan Cohen drawing comparisons to Butterfly 3000. "You could draw comparisons in many ways, but just in the nature of us being in the same room and playing and writing together, it’s vastly different from Butterfly." On 27 September, the band officially announced their 25th album The Silver Cord via their Instagram. On 3 October, they premiered three songs from the album -- "Theia", "The Silver Cord", and "Set"—and a music video on YouTube.The Silver Cord was released on 27 October.

Musical styles and the "Gizzverse"

The band has explored a wide range of genres, primarily melding psychedelic rock, garage rock, acid rock, progressive rock, surf rock, krautrock, psychedelic pop, indie rock and neo-psychedelia. Several later releases have been in heavy metal styles, in particular thrash metal and stoner metal on Infest the Rats' Nest and progressive metal on PetroDragonic Apocalypse, and also sludge and groove metal. Folk, jazz and Tropicália have also occasionally been integrated into their sound. The band wrote Butterfly 3000 as a "synth-prog" album entirely in major keys, and on Made in Timeland and Omnium Gatherum, the band also explored rap for the first time. In describing their style, Chris DeVille of Stereogum wrote, "It's a rare group that can convincingly blur the lines between Phish, Neu!, King Crimson, and the Osees while never sounding like anything less than themselves."

King Gizzard's microtonal music was in part inspired by the bağlama.

Unusual in Western rock music, starting in 2017 with album Flying Microtonal Banana, the band have experimented with microtonal music using custom built guitars in 24 TET tuning, as well as several other modified instruments. This was inspired by Middle Eastern and Turkish music, including Anatolian rock, and their customised guitars were modelled off the bağlama. Mackenzie described it as "kind of a Dorian mode with a half flat sixth and a half flat second, because that was the way my baglama was fretted". After Flying Microtonal Banana, the band went on to create two more albums utilising this scale – K.G. and L.W. – while also utilising it in other one-off songs. Many of the band's songs feature unusual time signatures, such as 7/8 and 5/4, and frequent time signature changes. Their albums Polygondwanaland and Butterfly 3000 feature polyrhythms and polymeters.

Many of the band's releases are based on a unique concept, yet share lyrical themes and feature characters that form a recurring cast, the most frequent being Han-Tyumi, a cyborg character who appears across multiple albums. Their songs also tell stories of "gamblers, cowboys, Australian Rules footballers, people-vultures, Balrogs, lightning gods, flesh-eating beasts, sages and space-faring eco rebels". Members of r/KGATLW, a subreddit dedicated to the band, popularised the term "Gizzverse" to describe the overarching narrative of their discography, about which many theories have been propagated. In a 2017 interview, Stu Mackenzie confirmed that the band's releases are all connected, saying, "They all exist in this parallel universe and they may be from different times and different places but they all can co-exist in a meaningful way". In the same interview, drummer Eric Moore joked that even prior to the band's formation, they decided how the story will end.

The band's lyrics have featured environmental themes, and topics have included pollution, environmental degradation and climate change, particularly on the albums Infest the Rats' Nest, Flying Microtonal Banana, Fishing for Fishies, K.G. and L.W.. Mackenzie has said: "We've got a lot of things to fear... I spend a lot of time thinking about the future of humanity and the future of Planet Earth. Naturally these thoughts seep into the lyrics". The band's lyrical themes also address political and social issues, with Walker saying: "We try not to be too didactic in how we go about it, though there probably are times where it [could] be. We try to bury it in metaphor and other shit". "Minimum Brain Size" on K.G. was written following the Christchurch mosque shootings.

Band members

Current members

  • Stu Mackenzie – vocals, guitars, keyboards, flute, bass guitar, percussion, sitar, piano, organ, violin, clarinet, saxophone, zurna, drums (2010–present)
  • Ambrose Kenny-Smith – vocals, harmonicas, keyboards, percussion, piano, saxophone, guitar, organ (2011–present)
  • Joey Walker – guitars, vocals, bass guitar, keyboards, piano, setar, percussion (2010–present)
  • Cook Craig – guitars, bass guitar, piano, keyboards, percussion, vocals (2011–present)
  • Lucas Harwood – bass guitar, piano, keyboards, percussion, vocals (2010–present)
  • Michael "Cavs" Cavanagh – drums, percussion, vocals (2010–present)

Former members

  • Eric Moore – drums, management, vocals, theremin, keyboards, percussion (2010–2020)

Timeline

Contributors and collaborators

Discography

Main article: King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard discography

Awards and nominations

List of awards and nominations received by King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, sorted by awards ceremony
Ceremony Year Nominee / work Award Result Ref.
AIM Independent Music Awards 2017 King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard Hardest Working Group or Artist Nominated
2018 Nominated
2021 Eco Wax Editions Best Creative Packaging Nominated
AIR Awards 2013 12 Bar Bruise Best Independent Hard Rock or Punk Album Won
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard Carlton Dry Global Music Grant Won
2014 Oddments Best Independent Hard Rock or Punk Album Nominated
2015 I'm in Your Mind Fuzz Won
2018 Murder of the Universe Won
APRA Awards 2015 "Cellophane" (Stuart Mackenzie) Song of the Year Shortlisted
2017 "Gamma Knife" (Mackenzie) Shortlisted
2018 "Sleep Drifter" (Mackenzie) Shortlisted
2019 "Greenhouse Heat Death" (Mackenzie) Shortlisted
2020 "Self-Immolate" (MacKenzie, Michael Cavanagh, Joseph Walker) Shortlisted
2023 "Magenta Mountain" Shortlisted
ARIA Music Awards 2015 Quarters! Best Jazz Album Nominated
2016 Nonagon Infinity Best Group Nominated
Best Independent Release Nominated
Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album Won
Nonagan Infinity Tour Best Australian Live Act Nominated
(Danny Cohen & Jason Galea for) King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard – "People-Vultures" Best Video Nominated
2017 Flying Microtonal Banana Best Group Nominated
Murder of the Universe Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album Nominated
The Lizard Wizard Gizzfest Best Australian Live Act Nominated
Sketches of Brunswick East Best Jazz Album Nominated
2019 Infest the Rats' Nest Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album Nominated
Fishing for Fishies Best Blues & Roots Album Nominated
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard Australian Tour 2019 Best Australian Live Act Nominated
2020 Chunky Shrapnel Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album Won
St Jerome's Laneway Festival Best Australian Live Act Nominated
2021 Micro Tour Nominated
2023 PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth… Best Group Nominated
Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album Nominated
Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava Best Rock Album Won
Spod for King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard – "Gila Monster" Best Video Nominated
Australian Music Prize 2016 Nonagon Infinity Australian Music Prize Nominated
2021 Butterfly 3000 Nominated
Environmental Music Prize 2022 If Not Now, Then When? Environmental Music Award Won
J Awards 2014 I'm in Your Mind Fuzz Australian Album of the Year Nominated
"Hot Wax" Australian Video of the Year Nominated
2016 King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard Double J Act of the Year Won
"People Vultures" Australian Video of the Year Won
2019 King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard Double J Act of the Year Nominated
2023 King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard Australian Live Act of the Year Nominated
Libera Awards 2019 King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard Libera Award for Best Live Act Nominated
Reissues Campaign Marketing Genius Nominated
2020 Infest the Rats' Nest Best Metal Album Won
Fishing for Fishies Best Outlier Record Nominated
2022 Official Bootlegger Series Marketing Genius Nominated
Music Victoria Awards 2012 King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard Best New Talent Nominated
2013 Best Band Nominated
"Head On/Pill" Best Song Nominated
2014 King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard Best Band Won
Oddments Best Album Nominated
2015 King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard Best Band Nominated
2016 Best Band Won
Best Live Band Won
Nonagon Infinity Best Album Won
2017 King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard Best Band Won
Best Live Act Won
"Rattlesnake" Best Song Won
2018 King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard Best Band Nominated
Best Live Act Nominated
2019 Best Band Nominated
Best Live Act Won
Stu Mackenzie (King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard) Best Male Musician Nominated
2020 King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard Best Band Nominated
Stu Mackenzie (King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard) Best Musician Nominated
2021 King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard Best Group Nominated
Stu Mackenzie (King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard) Best Musician Nominated
2022 King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard Best Rock/Punk Work Nominated
National Live Music Awards 2016 King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard Live Act of the Year Nominated
International Live Achievement (Group) Nominated
Victorian Live Act of the Year Nominated
2017 International Live Achievement (Group) Won
People's Choice - Live Act of the Year Nominated
2020 Stu Mackenzie (King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard) Live Guitarist of the Year Won
2023 King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard Best Live Act Nominated
Best Indie/Rock/Alternative Act Nominated
Best Live Act in Victoria Nominated
Lucas Harwood (King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard) Best Live Bassist Nominated
Michael Cavanagh (King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard) Best Live Drummer Nominated
Joey Walker (King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard) Best Live Guitarist Won

See also