Hometown heroes King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard turned Melbourne's Federation Square into a two-hour public plaza groove on Friday (10/24), for the first stop of their 2025 World Tour: Rave Shows.
Yes, the prolific band known for its psychedelia, epic jams, and insistence in being unpredictable, are now touring the world with a synth-heavy rave vibe just months after wrapping up their symphony tour.
The beloved Aussie sextet is comprised of Ambrose Kenny-Smith, Cook Craig, Joey Walker, and Stu Mackenzie, who all play a variety of instruments and keyboards, along with Michael Cavanagh (drums), and Lucas Harwood (bass guitar).
On Friday they created a relentless rhythm and sound that bounced between art pop, dance-pop, dream pop, neo-psychedelia, and modern synth-pop that kept the crowd moving for two hours while the band reworked favorites with a slew of live debuts.
And much like their spirit: the show was free.
While this marked the official launch of the Rave Shows Tour, it was not the band’s first electronic experience. Almost exactly a year ago, for example, they performed an experimental rave set at The Regency Ballroom in San Francisco.
That show centered around the contagious material from The Silver Cord (2023) which was supposed to end with "The Grim Reaper" but they jammed so much they had to cut three songs.
On Friday they kicked off the set with the title track of The Silver Cord and timed the whole set properly that they were able to send the kids home with a wild "Grim Reaper."
In between the group live debuted an unrecorded instrumental called “JOJAM,” which then led into a trio of tunes from 2021's Butterfly 3000 : “2.02 Killer Year,” “Blue Morpho,” and the title track.
Until this gig, The Gizz had only played two other songs from Butterfly live, “Shanghai” (two dozen times) and “Interior People” (three times).
Friday's rave marked the first time three Butterfly 3000 songs appeared in one set.
The centerpiece of the show's stage setup was “Nathan,” the modular synth and sequencer table. Five of the six members make music and sound around it, pushing faders and turning knobs while building loops in real time.
Walker told GQ last year that “modular synthesis has always been the endgame for me, and I put so much effort into it.”
He said that after years of playing guitar, “I really wanted to be a DJ or producer,” and the pandemic gave him the chance to dig deeper into electronic performance.
The group’s technician, Sam Delapp, worked to make Nathan more responsive, explaining that “the fun is in the challenge.”
Fans on Reddit have spent months trying to estimate what Nathan might cost. In one popular thread on r/KGATLW, users debated whether the modular synth table could rival the price of a touring van.
One commenter wrote, “that thing has to be worth at least fifty grand, maybe more once you factor in the custom cabling.” Another replied, “You could buy a house in regional Victoria for what’s sitting on that table.”
Federation Square, built above Melbourne’s central rail lines, proved an ideal setting. The open-air plaza can accommodate thousands and has previously hosted artists such as The Cat Empire and Sampa the Great.
Its reflective glass and angular structures provided a natural canvas for the band’s lights and projections, which spilled across the facades as the night roared on.
The show closed with “The Grim Reaper,” during which the band quoted “Intergalactic” and “Sabotage” by Beastie Boys and “Rollin’” by Limp Bizkit, you know, groups you'd totally expect to hear at a rave - which made it a nice surprise for many.
KGLW will now head to Europe for gigs at places like the Royal Albert Music Hall, SaSaZu, and Poolen. Some will be raves, some with orchestras, some will simply rock. All will rule. Get your tickets on the King Gizzard website.
2025 World Tour remaining dates
10/31 Aviva Studios, Manchester, UK
11/01-11/02 Electric Brixton, London, UK
11/04 Royal Albert Hall, London, UK
11/05 La Seine Musicale, Paris, FR
11/06 013 Poppodium, Tilburg, NL
11/07 Mainstage, Den Bosch, NL
11/09 Inside Seaside Festival, Gdańsk, PL
11/10 Columbiahalle, Berlin, DE
11/11 SaSaZu, Prague, CZ
11/12 Gasometer, Vienna, AT
11/14 Poolen, Copenhagen, DK
11/15 Gothenburg Film Studios, Gothenburg, SE
12/02-12/03 Sydney Opera House, Sydney, AU
12/04-12/05 Enmore Theatre, Sydney, AU
12/07 Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane, AU
12/09-12/10 The Princess Theatre, Brisbane, AU
12/12-12/13 Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne, AU
