King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard: Diverse catalogue that’s prodigious and unpredictable

If you know anything at all about King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, it’s probably that the Melbourne sextet is outrageously productive.

Stu Mackenzie, band leader of prolific Melbourne band King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard. Picture: supplied

If you know anything at all about King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, it’s probably that the sextet is outrageously productive, having written, recorded and released two albums each year, on average, since forming in 2010.

Its preternatural ability to swiftly devise, craft and distil weighty musical concepts into rock’n’roll-centric song forms has allowed the band to find a niche but highly engaged audience here and overseas.

With more than 1.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify alone, King Gizzard is one of few Australian bands flying the flag for guitar-based music on the international stage, alongside the likes of Tame Impala, Amyl and the Sniffers, Parkway Drive and Gang of Youths.

Part of the attraction is that, with such a deep and diverse song catalogue, its live setlists are akin to the chocolate-box analogy from Forrest Gump: fans never know what they’re going to get.

For its followers – chiefly a younger crowd, as well as a few older heads drawn to its Grateful Dead-like virtuosity – variety is clearly the spice of life.

Its dedication to unpredictability is to be admired, even if its preference for venturing down obscure musical pathways can be an overwhelming experience for newcomers.

If you’re curious about where to begin, I’d recommend diving into album No.23, Changes, an accessible 40-minute release that begins with a 13-minute suite titled Change, and ends with a briefer track, Short Change – whose title could be read as an ironic nod to a feeling of unfulfilment with which its legions of fans are decidedly unfamiliar.

Ambrose Kenny-Smith, who plays harmonica, sings, plays keys and writes songs for the band is the son of legendary Australian rock Hall-of-Famer Broderick Smith, who was a member of the blues-boogie band Carson and later the popular country rock band the Dingoes whose songs Boy On The Run and Way Out West are fondly remembered.