Words by BetweenTheEars, artwork by Jorclank

While searching for inspiration for the next installment in the Nice V series, it felt natural to continue the trend of bandmember-centric roundups from TimelandIsWacky and RattleRattleRattle. And when one realizes that a roundup of Amby tracks could be titled “Ambrosia Kenny-Smith,” well, that’s not an opportunity you pass up.

This Nice V’s selections will highlight four key aspects of what Ambrose brings to the stage that make him an indispensable part of KGLW: Ambrose the vocalist, the songwriter, the emcee, and the ham. Then, our fifth “Ambrosia” pick will tie it all together with a selection that captures a little bit of everything we love about Amby. These picks will focus solely on live performances, all of which are available to stream from Gizz Tapes using the links below.

Without further ado, let the ‘Brose prose commence!

1. Ambrose the Vocalist - “Cut Throat Boogie” - 9/12/15 Hopscotch Festival, Raleigh

Our first selection goes way back to Ambrose’s first co-writing credit with KGLW – “Cut Throat Boogie.” This short rocker from the debut album foreshadowed throughlines that would emerge in the band’s discography: shared songwriting duties, so-called ‘boogies,’ and Ambrose’s high-octane vocal delivery. The song’s repeated guitar riffs provide the canvas for Ambrose’s vocals, which retell the story of a gory party incident involving a broken bottle, a joke-gone-wrong, and a cut to the neck that took him within inches of his life.

The selection for this tune is an SBD+AUD matrix from the September 2015 Hopscotch Festival in Raleigh, NC, USA, one of the earliest recordings of the song currently cataloged on Gizz Tapes. Ambrose delivers the lyrics with a condescending sass that would make Jello Biafra proud, punctuated with harmonica blasts and vocal hoots. This strong version provides an early glimpse of Ambrose’s emerging charisma that would continue to blossom during the band’s early years.

Gizz Tapes - “Cut Throat Boogie” - 9/12/15 Hopscotch Festival, Raleigh NC

2. Ambrose the Songwriter - “Red Smoke” - 10/19/22 L’Olympia, Montreal

We move from Ambrose’s first co-writing credit to his first (and only) KGLW solo songwriting credit: “Red Smoke.” In contrast to the youthful energy of “Cut Throat Boogie,” “Red Smoke” is more atmospheric, expressing the author’s dismay at the inaction of world leaders in the face of the climate crisis (“not the only ones stuck in a bubble of terror watching them make all the errors”) and reacting to the 2019-2020 Australian brushfires (“you're all around - north to the south / red smoke”). While much of Ambrose’s songwriting at the time made its way to The Murlocs, “Red Smoke” migrated into the KGLW repertoire with a studio version featuring Ambrose as well as performances from Cavs (drums) and Stu (keys/bass/vocals).

The song itself has only been performed once live, in Montreal in the fall of 2022, perhaps due it being the most difficult song from Omnium Gatherum to play. This rendition stays relatively faithful to the studio version and belies any challenges the band may have faced in bringing it to the stage. Synthesizer duties are shared by Cook and Joey, the latter utilizing his small stagefront Eurorack setup, and Stu offers an electric take on the acoustic guitar lines of the studio version.

Gizz Tapes - “Red Smoke” - 10/19/22 L’Olympia, Montreal

3. Ambrose the Emcee - “The Grim Reaper” - 10/24/25 Melbourne (rave set)

This Nice V could not be complete without mentioning Amby’s rap alter-ego, Shrimpomaniac, and the unfinished rap album that will “probs never” see the light of day. Inflected with a frantic, aggressive delivery reminiscent of The Beastie Boys or Fred Durst, Amby’s vocals as an emcee represent quite the stylistic shift from his usual blues and garage‑rock fare. Absent a full-on Shrimpomaniac album, we’ll just have to live with the verses we get in songs like “Smoke and Mirrors,” “The Grim Reaper,” “Sadie Sorceress,” “Set,” and “Gilgamesh” to experience the full breadth of his (ahem…) Amby-dexterous vocals.

Our third selection injects a concentrated dose of Shrimpomaniac from the fall 2025 rave show in Melbourne’s Fed Square, which sees Ambrose step to the front of the stage to deliver “The Grim Reaper” to close out the band’s second-ever rave set. The performance is vintage Shrimp, with Amby hyping up the crowd, plus additional verses in the form of a near-complete set of lyrics from unreleased song "Torture Chamber", and lyrical quotes from the aforementioned influences (“Rollin’,” “Intergalactic,” and “Sabotage”). This rendition set the stage for several other standout performances of “The Grim Reaper” from the Europe Fall ‘25 rave tour.

Gizz Tapes - “The Grim Reaper” - 10/24/25 Melbourne 10/24/25 (rave set)

4. Amby the Ham - “The Bitter Boogie” - 8/28/24 Richmond

Any good live band needs someone with stage presence – a person who keeps the energy high, the audience engaged, and provides engaging banter to fill the interstitials during tuning and instrument swaps. I’ve always appreciated Ambrose’s persona as KGLW’s hype man and instigator of chaos: always bringing the party energy, firing off witty quips on a hair trigger, and bantering with the crowd. And who knows what he’ll do next? Maybe he’ll journey back to the soundboard to harass Jason Galea, wander off stage to deliver lyrics from a random corner of the venue, jump into the webcast chat, or shove his face into a cake. What else needs to be said? The man is a ham.

You can probably guess where I’m going with the fourth selection: the now-legendary “Field of Chicken” show from Richmond ‘24. Walking on stage with a drumstick in his mouth and a bag of chicken in his hand, an apparently ravenous Ambrose proceeds to munch out of the bag throughout the early part of the set, bringing it up at every opportunity possible, tossing pieces of chicken into the crowd, substituting ‘chicken’ into the lyrics wherever possible, and introducing the crowd to the term “Bachelor’s Handbag.” Our pick from the show is the centerpiece of the chicken gag, “The Bitter Boogie,” which includes multiple chicken references from multiple band members, flying pieces of chicken, ‘field of chicken’ lyrics, and a trail of greasy fingerprints on Ambrose’s shirt. Entering with a “->” from “Muddy Water,” it’s an improvisational highlight in its own right.

Enjoy the track below, and consider sticking around after the song for some bonus chicken banter leading into “Raw Feel.”

Gizz Tapes - “The Bitter Boogie” - 8/28/24 Richmond

5. Ambrosia Fruit Salad - “Straws In The Wind” - 11/20/24 St. Augustine

The final selection in this Nice V contains a mix of everything nice that makes Ambrose an essential part of KGLW’s identity on stage. Truly an Ambrose Ambrosia, if you will. And not ambrosia in the “food of the gods” sense… I’m talking the dessert fruit salad originating in the southern U.S. traditionally made with canned pineapple, canned mandarin oranges, dried coconut, and mini marshmallows floating in a matrix of Cool Whip. This version of “Straws in the Wind” is a lot like the dish itself: a mix of many distinct ingredients, a few that make sense together and maybe a few that don’t, but it all seems to come together in a beautifully messy mouthful that tastes better than it has any right to.

The recipe for this particular ambrosia contains a little bit of everything we’ve just covered: lyrics written by Ambrose the Songwriter, vocals delivered all the way from the back row to the front row from Ambrose the Vocalist, multiple fried chicken callbacks and some coy dance moves from Amby the Ham, and a little call and response with the audience from Amby the Emcee. And all with a broken elbow, taboot!

Gizz Tapes - “Straws In The Wind” - 11/20/24 St. Augustine

We hope you enjoyed the latest entry in the Nice V series. Looks like someone else did, too… hey Amby, is that ambrosia all over your face?

11/7/25 Tilburg, Netherlands