King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard (and backflip guy), image via YouTube
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard are now six nights into the Australian run at the end of their massive 2025 World Tour. The past week has been a triumphant homecoming for the Melbourne-based psychedelia ensemble, packed with high-concept orchestral performances like their two-night return to the Sydney Opera House. Between these final dates honoring their daring 27th studio album, Phantom Island, the band has delivered a few of their classic rock shows; their Dec. 7 set at Brisbane’s Fortitude Music Hall demonstrated that there’s a certain magic to these straight-ahead shows that just can’t fit on the stage with a full orchestra.
King Gizzard stormed the spotlight on Sunday night with 2020’s K.G. heavy-hitter “Minimum Brain Size,” which swerved seamlessly into the Flying Microtonal Banana fan-favorite “Doom City.” After this exhilarating intro, the band paused to greet the crowd and selected a rail-riding attendee named Kiera to deliver the distorted growl introduction to “Nuclear Fusion.” The evening’s second microtonal cut paved the way for “K.G.L.W.,” “Perihelion,” “Converge,” and the 2014 I’m In Your Mind Fuzz standout “Am I In Heaven?,” which had its lyrics changed to “Am I in Brisbane?” and evolved from a sparse and slow jam into a scattered, cacophonous apotheosis.
It was at this point that the band picked up on the man near the bar waving a sign that read, “LET ME CHUCK A BACKY ON STAGE.” Not the type to shy from a threat like that, and encouraged by the crowd chanting “Flip,” frontman Stu Mackenzie assented, “Whenever backflip man wants to come up and do a backflip, he’s allowed to come up and do a backflip.” The moment arrived in the middle of “Inner Cell,” when the swarm member strode up to center stage and started tumbling and skanking.
After visibly stifling laughter for a few minutes, Mackenzie called out “Give it up for backflip guy!” and guitarist Joey Walker said, “It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, not laugh.” Walker broke moments later, and though he told the band not to stop, the whole sextet came skidding to a halt when backflip guy started doing a walking handstand. “We’re being so distracted by the best thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” Walker said.
“Inner Cell” bled into “Loyalty,” which fused with “Horology.” Another blended pairing of “Planet B” and “Predator X,” and King Gizzard stopped again to sing “Backflip Man,” to the tune of the “Backwards Man” song from Freddy Got Fingered. “Let Me Mend the Past” and “Antarctica,” featuring teases of “Hot Water,” preceded “Hog Calling Contest,” for which the group called backflip guy to the stage yet again to add pig noises. A frenetic, explosive medley of “Gamma Knife” and “People-Vultures” closed out the show.
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard will perform tomorrow night at Brisbane’s Princess Theatre, then conclude a long year on the road with two hometown shows at Melbourne’s Sidney Myer Music Bowl on Dec. 12 and 13. Find tickets and more information at kinggizzardandthelizardwizard.com.
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