Recommending the very best live King Gizzard recordings
Thank You, Tapers!
It’s been less than a week since the release of Flight b741, and if you are like me you have already listened to the new album more than a dozen times. Maybe you are listening to it now while trying to figure out if you can hit anymore of the upcoming US Tour? If you can’t wait to hear what all these new songs sound like live, check out some of the recordings from the recent Europe/UK tour where King Gizz already debuted or teased more than half of the songs on Flight b741. Here are five of the best recordings that include some fun Flight b741 moments.
As creator of the King Gizzard Live Spreadsheet and KGLW.net collaborator, Brent (@Gizzhenge here, /u/(yebrent) on Reddit) has a valid claim to having listened to the most live King Gizzard of anyone (outside of the band themselves and their touring crew). These recommendations are the best combination of complete recordings, in high quality, of the band in their top form.
May 19, 2024, Arena Wien, Vienna, Austria
This is a high-quality recording from puffanug and includes the live debut of Le Risque with a cute tribute to Cavs live vocal debut. The show starts with a string of five chest-thumping metal tunes, with Supercell and Witchcraft being the standout performances to me, before mellowing things out with an epic Slow Jam I. The Slow Jam includes multiple teases (incl. Sad Pilot), and an outstanding peak. The Horology trilogy is a tight crisp version. Billabong Valley is the first without Amby on the Flying Banana, free to roam the venue. The final, almost 45-minute, three song jam-fest of Iron Lung -> Hypertension and Evil Death Roll is the perfect back end to a top-tier show.
May 20, 2024, Columbiahalle, Berlin, Germany
This is a high-quality video by Lorko (misterlorko). This show has numerous outstanding recordings. I encourage everyone to sample the various audio and video for this show at KGLW.net and the King Gizz Live Spreadsheet to discover what you may like best. There is also a great archive recording by puffanug that some might prefer (audio improves after opening track). Live debuts of Extinction and Gondii and the debut of the Frankenstein synth table is a great way to kick things off in Berlin, one of Europe’s EDM hotspots. The 2nd live performance of Sad Pilot is sandwiched in the middle of a raging Dripping Tap. The River jam has multiple intense peaks with some of the most unique King Gizzard jamming to date. It's always nice to hear Amby croon out Let Me Mend the Past, and it doesn’t get much better than a Gila Monster closer.
May 26, 2024, Liverpool Olympia, Liverpool, England
This is a high-quality recording from puffanug, but some may prefer this multi-source YouTube mix:
You could also check out these outstanding videos by KGAVC and Craig H. So many great recordings to choose from, which isn’t always the case - I guess tapers were expecting some Liverpool magic to go down, and King Gizzard did not disappoint. This show includes the debut of Raw Feel, which felt like an immediate hit with the weirdo swarm in attendance (I can vouch). Mr Beat -> transition to whatever jammy song is next has been some of King Gizzard’s slickest post pandemic jamming, and this Mr. Beat -> Ice V is no exception. The Dripping Tap had to be stopped due to a blown amp, but it's still a solid version, especially upon the return to the song. The second hour consists of almost equal parts microtonal and metal mayhem, closing it out with the trio of “monster” metal songs in Predator X, Dragon > Gila Monster - it’s the rare triple-kaiju show!
May 27, 2024, Usher Hall, Edinburgh, Scotland
This is a high-quality recording from puffanug. There are a bunch of outstanding complete audio and video recordings available to choose from. Some of the videos are definitely worth checking out for Stu’s Mackenzie Tartan outfit alone. Stu was clearly in the spotlight this show and in rare wildman form celebrating his Scottish heritage. The set includes the 2nd ever performance of Daily Blues, and there were numerous Flight b741 teases/quotes throughout the set including Antarctica, Rats in the Sky and Daily Blues all quoted in an extra fast, but not short, The Bitter Boogie. Daily Blues is teased/quoted again in I’m Not in Your Mind and the epic Rattlesnake closer with guest Ben Portnoy from C.O.F.F.I.N, on drums. The entire show rages hard right from the Magma opener, and peaks somewhere during the often trancelike 35+ minute Venusian 2, Hell, Gaia > Flamethrower > Motor Spirit > Gaia jam-metal segment. Cavs's performance is superhuman.
May 31, 2024, Brighton Dome, Brighton, England
This is a high-quality recording from Tora Tapes with the assist from puffanug. Like the last several recs, there are lots of high-quality recordings to choose from. This is an acoustic show (except Lucas on bass) and includes the debut of Mirage City from Flight b741 along with debuts of Time = $$$ and You Can Be Your Silhouette. Raw Feel and Sad Pilot were also played from Flight b741. If you like creative acoustic arrangements of psychedelic rock and metal songs, including some occasional flute and harmonica and plenty of hilarious stage banter, then this show is for you.
Links to these and future Brent's Recs, highlighting the very best King Gizz audience recordings will be at King Gizz Live Spreadsheet. Make a recommendation for the next edition in the comments.